C&A enhances organic cotton with Haelixa

This collaboration powerfully demonstrates how innovative technology can substantiate sustainability claims.

About C&A

With over 1,300 stores in 17 European countries and about 25,000 employees, C&A is one of Europe’s leading fashion retailers. Every day, C&A welcomes millions of visitors to its stores in Europe and to its online shop. C&A offers quality and long-lasting fashion at affordable prices for the many.

The Challenge

C&A strives to ensure that every step of its supply chain aligns with its commitment to environmental and ethical standards. With the growing demand for transparency from consumers, C&A is committed to working with others in the apparel industry to pilot and scale innovation. This project is one of the initiatives that C&A has undertaken to enhance accountability through its supply chain.

The Solution

Haelixa partnered with C&A to implement its DNA marking technology to address transparency. The solution involves marking organic cotton with a unique, invisible DNA marker. The marker allows for verification of cotton’s origin at every stage of the supply chain, ensuring authenticity and transparency.

“Transparency and ethical sourcing are crucial in our supply chain. As part of our commitment to traceability, we have begun implementing Haelixa DNA within our organic supply chain. This gradual rollout will continue over multiple seasons in 2025, with an impact foreseen over the next years.”

Alexandre Saus-Salas

Head of Sourcing at C&A

Key Aspects of the Solution

Custom DNA Markers: Developed specifically for C&A’s organic cotton supply chain.
End-to-End Traceability: The process from farm to finished product ensures transparency throughout the supply chain. The cotton, sourced through CottonConnect, is marked with a unique DNA identifier. Once this marking is applied, the cotton undergoes testing to verify the material using forensic PCR tests. This fiber-forward approach verifies that the materials used in the final garment are authentic and traceable.
Ease of Implementation: Seamless integration into existing production processes.

The Results

Scale & Implementation: By the end of 2025, 16’800 tons of organic cotton and 1’000 tons of cashmere are marked, supported by the deployment of 10 custom sprayers, ensuring seamless integration into the supply chain.
Full Traceability: Using Haelixa’s DNA markers, C&A can trace the journey of its organic cotton from farm to finished garment.
Consumer Trust: The traceability of organic cotton demonstrates that innovation can support business success through costumer trust.
Risk Management: The marking ensures the authenticity of organic cotton and mitigates the risk of sourcing from regions associated with forced labour. Using the Haelixa markers enables C&A to make reliable statements about the presence of organic cotton in its products marked at the field level verified (in ginning process).
Industry Leadership: C&A sets a benchmark for supply chain transparency, positioning itself as a leader in the fashion industry.