Haelixa weaves DNA into traceability for a transparent textile future
Haelixa, a Swiss company, offers a DNA-based traceability solution that helps brands verify the origin and authenticity of products—from recycled fibres to luxury textiles and jewellery. Founded a decade ago, Haelixa started with tracing precious gems before pivoting to textiles to meet growing demand for transparent supply chains. Its invisible, non-toxic DNA markers survive processes like washing and dyeing. Haelixa created a lab-verified system that enables brands to prove authenticity and origin while complying with increasingly stringent regulations in Europe, the US, and beyond. In this interview with Fibre2Fashion, CEO Patrick Strumpf shares Haelixa’s journey, innovations, and vision for the future of traceability.
Haelixa was founded in 2016 as a spin-off from ETH Zürich. How has the company evolved since its inception, and what milestones are you most proud of?
Since our start at ETH Zürich, we have grown from a research project into a trusted traceability solution used by global fashion and jewellery brands. Our biggest achievement has been developing the technology to move beyond pilot projects to operate at scale in real-world supply chains. In 2024, with forensic precision, we traced over 30 million garments containing Haelixa-marked fibres for brands.
Your patented DNA marking technology is a game-changer for supply chain transparency. How does it compare to other traceability solutions in the market?
Haelixa stands out as the only physical traceability solution with embedded DNA markers, derived from native mountain herbs in the Swiss Alps. The markers are sprayed in a fine mist onto fibres (like organic cotton or cashmere), textiles (including offcut waste to be recycled) or garments (for tracing product circularity). This eco-friendly technology demonstrates product origin and authenticity, with a Swiss signature that cannot be replicated.
Our markers are compliant with GOTS, Standard 1000, and Eco Passporto by OEKO-TEX, and they do not alter product properties or production steps. Unlike digital-only solutions, our system provides reliable, tamper-proof data directly embedded in the material and product, allowing precise identification of single mines, farms, lots, and supply chain steps. It can even differentiate between recycled and non-recycled materials.
Haelixa’s technology offers forensic-level accuracy and is both cost-effective and practical, requiring no complex database and allowing portable testing.
With new legislations in the EU and US focused on corporate due diligence, ESG reporting, deforestation, forced labour and beyond, how is Haelixa helping brands stay compliant?
Haelixa supports brands in proving compliance by offering a forensically verified traceability solution. Our technology tracks products across the entire supply chain, providing tangible proof of origin at every step. This goes beyond paperwork or third-party declarations, enabling brands to demonstrate compliance with regulations such as the EU Due Diligence Regulation, the German Supply Chain Act, and the US Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act.
Haelixa works with industry leaders like Textile Genesis and TrustTrace. How do these collaborations enhance traceability and circularity in textiles?
By partnering with these digital traceability leaders, Haelixa’s physical verification is integrated with trusted industry platforms. Haelixa ensures forensic verification of material authenticity, while software solutions like Textile Genesis and TrustTrace securely track and share this data across the supply chain. This hybrid approach creates a seamless, fraud-resistant system that guarantees material authenticity, supports circularity, and helps brands comply with growing regulatory demands.
What role does Haelixa play in tackling counterfeiting and material substitution in textile supply chains?
Haelixa plays a key role in tackling counterfeiting and material substitution by providing forensic proof of material origin. Our DNA markers ensure that what brands order—such as organic or recycled materials—is exactly what they receive. By tracing products from fibre to finished garment, we help prevent fraud, reduce the risk of greenwashing, and support credible sustainability claims. This gives brands the confidence to stand behind their products and protects investments in higher-standard materials.
What future innovations or expansions can we expect from Haelixa? Are there any new industries or materials you plan to target?
A key industry priority is textile recycling and circularity (where traceability plays a critical role). We are currently in discussion with textile recyclers— including Re&Up and Recover—and we see great potential here because of the accuracy and flexible integration of our DNA tracer.
Haelixa can demonstrate not only the presence of marked fibres, but the precise percentage of those fibres within a recycled material. This is due to the highly precise testing method that assesses the concentration of DNA in the material. We expect this accuracy to provide a winning advantage to brands for complying with upcoming regulations that stipulate minimum thresholds of recycled fibres in products, for example.
Regarding tracking textile waste, Haelixa’s DNA marker can be sprayed on textiles and garments at the point of waste collection or sorting, rather than needing to be integrated at the fibre or textile-level, further up the supply chain. For example, Haelixa could spray clothes at European collection centres with a unique identifier helping brands complying with the European Waste Directive and extended producer responsibility (EPR) by tracking and processing waste within the bloc.
We continuously invest in R&D to enhance durability, adapt to new materials, and respond to evolving customer and regulatory needs. Innovation remains at the core of everything we do as we expand our impact across industries.
Many brands still hesitate to invest in traceability due to perceived costs. How do you address the cost-benefit argument for adopting Haelixa’s solutions?
Cost is a valid concern, and brands choose their traceability approach based on their calculated risks and business vulnerabilities. For example, premium fibres including organic cotton and cashmere are subject to significant and persistent fraud (with reports that up to half of what's certified fibres and sold in Europe is fake). Therefore, brands that are heavily reliant on those fibres work with us as a means of brand protection and proof of ethical sourcing.
Haelixa is a powerful solution for risk mitigation. Increasingly, sourcing, finance, and brand leaders are turning to us because the cost of relying solely on supply chain documentation is far greater than the cost of verifying it. Supply chain scandals can lead to massive financial losses and lasting reputational damage—risks no brand can afford to take.
