Traceable Nettle Fibre: How Nettle Circle Verifies Its Himalayan Origin

Nettle Circle is building a supply chain for a new natural fiber: wild nettle from the Himalayas. With no globally recognised certification standard for nettle yet, brands had no way to verify its origin. An early partnership with Haelixa changed that. Each batch is marked at source with an invisible DNA marker, making the fiber traceable from bark to finished product.

Nettle Fibers as Next-Gen Material

Nettle fibers are currently a niche product, even though they are more eco-friendly than cotton fibers. While cotton plants require pesticides and chemical fertilisers, nettles naturally resist many pests and do not need chemical treatment.

Local villagers collect for the Nettle Circle Fiber HILAYA® in the mountainous regions of Nepal. The work provides them an additional income source, especially during winter and spring when they are not yet busy working in the fields.

The Challenge

New fibers like nettle fiber face four main challenges:

Lack of standardisation & certification: Nettle fiber lacks globally recognised certification standards, making it harder for brands and consumers to verify its authenticity and consistent quality.
Limited traceability & supply chain transparency: Providing ethical sourcing and environmental benefits becomes challenging without established traceability tools.
Consumer awareness & acceptance: Many consumers are unfamiliar with nettle fiber and hesitate to adopt it due to a lack of transparency and of sustainable awareness.
Risk of fiber substitution & fraud: Nettle fiber could be fraudulently substituted or blended with lower-quality or unsustainable materials without robust tracking.

“We are proud to have Haelixa partner with Nettle Circle to provide a physical traceability solution and transparency from the fields to finished products. Since nettle fiber is new to the textile market, we wanted to ensure from the beginning that Nettle Circle fibers were uniquely identifiable.”

Cornelia Bamert

CEO & Founder at Nettle Circle

The Solution

The partnership with Haelixa began in the summer of 2021 to bring traceability to naturally grown nettle fibre in the Himalayas. The initial batches of nettle fibre were marked using a unique DNA marker developed by Haelixa exclusively for Nettle Circle, ensuring the authenticity of the Himalayan source of the wild nettle plant. The nettle bark is marked on site, and the DNA marker formulation is GOTS and OEKO-TEX Standard 100 compliant. The marked nettle fibre is utilized in many textiles, including denim, fibre-based fur, and felt. Thanks to Haelixa’s technology, brands and consumers can verify the origin and integrity of this eco-friendly fiber through to the finished product.

The Results

Building consumer trust & market adoption: Trust is crucial for brands and consumers when adopting a new fibre. With clear proof of origin and ethical sourcing, Haelixa’s traceability solution eliminates uncertainty.

Empowering local communities: The traceability system verifies the Himalayan origin of the Nettle Circle Fibre HILAYA® and brings visibility and recognition to the local communities involved in harvesting and processing.

Driving industry change & future growth: This partnership sets a benchmark for transparency in emerging sustainable materials by proving that a niche, regenerative fibre like nettle can be tracked and verified.

About Nettle Circle

Nettle Circle is a Swiss Company specialising in developing and processing nettle fibres. It offers a sustainable, regenerative natural fiber with minimal ecological impact. The fibre is versatile, high-performing, and circular.