ReTraze, Aware and Traceability
2026-01-28
Traceability in the textile industry has become a critical factor for competitiveness and reliability, not only to comply with legal requirements and certifications but also to meet the expectations of increasingly conscious consumers regarding sustainability, material origins, and ethical practices throughout the supply chain. Traceability allows tracking materials from their source to the final product, providing transparency and the ability to verify environmental or social claims with rigor and credibility.
In this context, ReTraze® technology emerges as an innovative solution in the field of traceable recycled materials. ReTraze develops materials from recovered plastics, particularly discarded fishing nets and other plastic waste that would otherwise contribute to marine pollution. By establishing a vertical value chain that integrates collection, cleaning, transformation, and production of recycled polymers, ReTraze ensures that the materials have a verifiable origin and reduced environmental impact.
Italian brand Atlantis Headwear has incorporated ReTraze® technology and materials into several of its models, particularly in the production of visors made from 100% recycled polyethylene from this process. This initiative significantly reduces equivalent CO₂ emissions compared to virgin plastic and reinforces Atlantis’s commitment to circular economy practices and lower environmental impact without compromising product performance or aesthetics.
In addition to using traceable recycled materials, Atlantis has strengthened its global traceability policy by providing detailed information about each product — including order number, geographic origin, destination, and journey — via QR codes on internal labels, giving consumers direct access to the “story” of the product.
Another example of advanced traceability technology in the sector is Aware™, a hybrid system combining physical markers in materials with blockchain records, allowing authentication and tracking of sustainable products from raw material to the final consumer. Aware™ is especially relevant for recycled fibers, such as recycled polyester with integrated traceability, where each thread can be verified in the field with a scanner and linked to a “digital passport” confirming its authenticity and environmental footprint.
While some brands use technologies like Aware™ to ensure full traceability and combat “greenwashing,” others, like Atlantis, make traceability and the use of recycled materials recognizable through external technological partnerships like ReTraze®. In all cases, these approaches enhance supply chain transparency and allow accurate, confident communication of each product’s environmental performance, building trust with markets that increasingly demand sustainability.
Thus, the adoption of ReTraze technology by Atlantis and the growing use of traceability solutions like Aware™ illustrate a tangible evolution of the textile sector toward more transparent, auditable value chains aligned with contemporary environmental and social responsibility values.
GO BACK
