Next Level Apparel (asi/73867) is continuing its ongoing efforts to add transparency and traceability to its supply chain.

The Torrance, CA-headquartered Top 40 promotional products supplier just announced a partnership with Oritain, a New Zealand company that uses forensic and data science to verify the origin of products and raw materials. Oritain will help Next Level Apparel to confirm the origin of cotton fibers, minimizing the risk of supply chain partners blending the product with lower-quality fibers.

“From our local roots in Southern California to our international consumer base, we are dedicated to creating an experience that advances our customers’ mission while ensuring the integrity of the premium quality products we bring to market,” said Next Level Apparel CEO Randy Hales. “We embrace the protection of our beautiful planet and are purposeful in finding the right options in every area of our operations. Partnering with Oritain reinforces this principle and highlights our commitment to sustainability and transparency in our supply chain.”

Through this new partnership, Next Level Apparel will be able to independently test products from its supply chain to ensure the integrity, quality and consistency of its cotton textile products around the world. The testing, Next Level noted, will help provide assurance and peace of mind for customers and other stakeholders.

“Oritain uses cutting-edge forensic science to help truly committed brands continuously evolve in their value chain transparency journey,” said Rupert Hodges, Oritain’s chief commercial officer. He added that the testing will help Next Level guarantee that the cotton used in its apparel is of the highest quality, enable them “to accurately monitor the sustainability impacts at the raw material level” and also avoid unethical labor practices.

Oritain creates unique profiles for clients’ products that can then be used to audit a product at any point in the supply chain. (Courtesy of Oritain)

Oritain says its method can pinpoint the exact area a product or raw material comes from, within a few yards. The company creates unique profiles for a client’s product, based on the levels of chemical elements and isotopes it absorbs. That product “fingerprint” is stored in Oritain’s database. Samples from each stage of the supply chain are collected and tested against that fingerprint to verify the claimed origin of a product.

Oritain says its method can be applied to almost any product or raw material in any environment. The company works with companies that range from luxury goods to government organizations to food, wine and fiber brands.

In January, Next Level Apparel pledged that it was switching over to U.S.-grown cotton for all orders placed after Feb. 1. Last month, the supplier announced a partnership with GK Global to nearshore its fabric supply, a move meant to shorten lead times, reduce geopolitical sourcing disruption risks and improve supply chain transparency, according to executives.

Ensuring that cotton production doesn’t involve forced labor has been a prominent concern for apparel companies in recent years, particularly since the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act was signed into law in December 2021 and began being enforced last year. Given how opaque, complex and intertwined global supply chains have become, sourcing experts say it can be a challenge to know whether a U.S.-based importer’s foreign-manufactured apparel or textiles contain cotton produced by forced labor in China’s Xinjiang region.

Founded in 2003, Next Level Apparel is a supplier of premium blank apparel for the promotional products and decorated apparel markets. Based on estimated 2021 North American promo product revenue of $275 million, Next Level Apparel ranked seventh on Counselor’s most recent list of the largest suppliers in the industry.

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