DNA traceability, isotopic testing as evidence under UFLPA
Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. (the “Company) has been increasing its engagement with all stakeholders in anticipation of the June 21, 2022, effective date of the “rebuttable presumption” standard under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) signed into law on December 23, 2021. Under the UFLPA, all imports that originate from China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) or otherwise use Uyghur or other minorities for forced labor in China, are excluded from entry into the U.S. by the Customs and Border Protection agency (CBP) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
On June 17, DHS issued its much-anticipated Implementation Strategy (the “Strategy”) for the rebuttable presumption standard under the UFLPA. In this new report, DHS has, for the first time, identified DNA traceability and isotopic testing – both central components of Applied DNA’s CertainT® authenticity platform – as evidence that importers may present to potentially prove that items do not originate in XUAR or may have benefitted from forced labor.
The UFLPA seeks to insulate U.S. companies and consumers from complicity in forced labor practices in XUAR, which produces nearly 20% of global cotton1. Commercially available for almost a decade, Applied DNA’s CertainT® platform is a multi-layered textile traceability solution that offers proof of product origin, authenticity, and sustainability.
Catalyzed by the imminent implementation of the UFLPA, Applied DNA is acquiring DNA traceability and isotopic testing clients intent on establishing proof of origin to comply with the UFLPA in the near-term with the long-term objective of securing their global supply chains using CertainT. Louis Dreyfus Company B.V., the Company’s cotton merchant partner, recently received a request to ship the first quantities of traceable tagged cotton that is directly attributable to the UFLPA.
Read more at Specialty Fabrics Review.
