Major retailers are backing the Cotton Egypt Association’s drive to rid the supply chain of falsely labelled Egyptian Cotton goods. John Lewis and Dunelm, have spoken in support of CEA’s new rigorous accreditation process and ability to DNA test products, and say they will continue to insist suppliers adhere to the new standard. Manufacturers who do not meet the new criteria will no longer be licensed to produce Egyptian Cotton products or use the trademarked logo, the association explains.

The CEA has partnered with leading testing and verification body Bureau Veritas. The process endorsed by several academic and professional bodies, works by extracting DNA from cotton fibres, yarns, woven, knitted, fabric or finished apparel. This can then be used to identify the origin and source of the fibres and the percentage of genuine Egyptian Cotton in a product. Only manufacturers found to be producing 100% Egyptian Cotton goods will receive the accreditation.

Khaled Schuman, Executive Director of the Cotton Egypt Association said that, “We welcome the support from these key retailers. Their support and confidence in the process is what we need to overcome the spectre of falsehood, which has sought to tarnish the Egyptian Cotton brand name.”He also added that, “Our cotton is the most luxurious in the world, and our commitment to retailers is to ensure that everything licensed as Egyptian Cotton, will be 100% Egyptian Cotton. Our goal is to bolster confidence, assure retailers that they will not encounter any compliance issues and reclaim Egyptian Cotton as the ultimate luxury cotton brand.”

Tracy Saunders, John Lewis Category Technical Manager, Home added that, “We support the measures being taken by the CEA to root out dishonest manufacturers and counterfeit goods from the supply chain and have welcomed the opportunity to work in collaboration with the CEA in setting out requirements to assure the provenance of Egyptian cotton product.”Also, quoted that, “While we are confident that all Egyptian Cotton products sold through John Lewis are 100% genuine, we support the need for auditing and testing. We will continue to insist that our suppliers meet the CEA standards as a condition of trade with John Lewis.” UK-based Dunelm Group commented. Catherine McCann, Dunelm Technical and Sourcing Director, said: “We fully support the new accreditation process put into place by the CEA to protect the Egyptian Cotton brand, and will be continuing to insist suppliers meet those standards as a condition of trade with Dunelm.”

The Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture announced plans to double production of Egyptian Cotton over the next fiscal year recently. The CEA say its initial focus is on products in the US, Canada, Egypt, Europe, Australia and India.