Harris Tweed Hebrides introduces powerful digital and physical traceability technology to connect British wool growers to the end consumer.
Harris Tweed Hebrides is the first woollen textile producer to introduce a traceability technology that
connects the digital to the physical - authenticating fibre origin, fibre quantification and full supply chain
custody with real-time verification.
In collaboration with British Wool and FIBRETRACE®, Harris Tweed Hebrides has processed wool from
wool growers across Scotland into a specially designed handwoven Harris Tweed® supplied directly to
the Scottish based retailer the House of Bruar.
The initiative demonstrates the true proactivity and passion of the UK luxury community to put local
wool suppliers at the forefront of sustainability and have their efforts at farm be globally recognised by
brands and consumers alike.
“Our partnership with FIBRETRACE® is an opportunity for Harris Tweed Hebrides to truly champion
British wool and support local suppliers who are committed to best practice and reducing wool’s local
environmental footprint,”
said Margaret Ann Macleod, Sales Director at Harris Tweed Hebrides.
“Despite the importance of the sheep farming sector to many of our most rural and remote communities
across the UK, the relative scale of the wool industry has made it more challenging for British sourced
wool to participate with established globally recognised sustainable certifications to trace wool back to
its origin. This project is a fantastic step forward to help us all support the many UK farmers and Scottish
crofters who supply the wool fibre to produce Harris Tweed® which is always handwoven using 100%
pure new British wool,”
said Macleod.
FIBRETRACE®’s technology begins at the raw materials stage when the luminescent pigment is
embedded into the fibre at the scouring. 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 blockchain
to provide access to secure and irrefutable data. This data builds a unique passport telling the story of
the item from farm to shelf and sharing this irrefutable storytelling with the end-consumer via a QR
code.
FIBRETRACE® provides brands and retailers with true custody of supply, the ability to quantify and audit
fibre content and access primary impact data for all natural and man-made solutions. The partnership
marks a global first for FIBRETRACE® to launch fully traceable wool into the global market, sharing the
entire lifecycle of sustainable UK wool products with consumers for the very first time.
ABOUT HARRIS TWEED HEBRIDES
Harris Tweed Hebrides, based in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, manufacture each metre of handwoven
fabric in accordance with The Harris Tweed Act 1993, maintaining the integrity and distinctive character
of the fabric which is recognised globally as Harris Tweed®.
Established in 2007, Harris Tweed Hebrides has become a success story of UK textile manufacturing.
Credited with the revitalisation of the traditional industry following a period of decline in the early part
of the 21st century, Harris Tweed Hebrides has focused on re-introducing vibrant yarn colour and fabric
patterns synonymous with Harris Tweed® to the wholesale market, while focusing on sustainability,
including fibre sourcing, and maintaining traditional textile manufacturing skills. Their fabric is now
exported to over 60 countries and they supply many of the world’s most recognised fashion brands.
ABOUT BRITISH WOOL
British Wool is based in Bradford and is owned by approximately 35,000 sheep farmers in the UK. It
collects, grades, sells and promotes British wool to the international wool textile industry for use in
flooring, furnishings and apparel.
British Wool’s head office is in Bradford, with regional offices in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland,
and country offices in Japan and China.
ABOUT FIBRETRACE®
The core of the FIBRETRACE® technology is a patented luminescent pigment that is embedded in raw
fibres (or optionally at yarn spinning) and is traced, verified and audited in real-time at each step of the
global textile supply chain. This is achieved via a proprietary handheld FIBRETRACE® Bluetooth® Scanner
that identifies and quantifies pigments in fibre, yarn, fabric and finished goods that send encrypted data
into secure blockchain and software that was specifically designed and engineered for the textile and
apparel supply chain.
FIBRETRACE® delivers end-to-end traceability and real-time results and data, housed on a FibreTrace®
platform that can be accessed securely via any device connected to the internet.
FIBRETRACE®’s mission is to ensure every member of the textile supply chain has the ability to take
direct accountability to reduce the environmental impact of the global industry. In doing so, they aim to
ultimately provide the consumer the opportunity to choose a transparent and sustainable supply chain
to follow and purchase from.
