Harris Tweed and FibreTrace started Cooperation

Harris Tweed Hebrides – in cooperation with British Wool – has introduced FibreTrace traceability technology in order to link Scottish wool growers to the end consumer. The initiative is to show that  local wool suppliers hold a leading position in sustainability and to have this position globally recognised by both brands and consumers.

The scale of the wool industry has made it rather difficult to trace UK-sourced wool back to its origin and identify individual efforts and positive impact made by the farmers. That is why the technology is embedded at the early processing stage to ensure that the traceability begins as close to the raw materials stage as possible. The product is scanned at each step of the supply chain – from spinning, to weaving, to garment construction and beyond, with every audit recorded on the block chain to provide access to secure and irrefutable data.

These data form a unique passport which tells the story of the item from farm to shelf, whereas it shares this indisputable story with the end-consumer. Margaret Ann Macleod – sales director at Harris Tweed – considers the partnership an opportunity to promote British wool and support local suppliers who are committed to reducing wool’s environmental footprint.