The project, supported by the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Business Application Space Solution Programme, integrates satellite Earth Observation data, DNA tagging and water systems information to trace cotton from field to initial processing.
Brand Conscience says this multi-layered approach is designed to address difficulties faced by fashion brands in verifying sustainability claims and rewarding farmers employing responsible practices.
Central to the initiative is the use of Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 satellites from the European Union’s Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, combined with tooling from OpenEO.
These tools enable monitoring of cotton fields at scale and provide environmental context, particularly around water demand and usage.
Brand Conscience said that these methods offer more consistent and tamper-resistant oversight than traditional audits, which often rely on paper-based tracking.
The trial involves close collaboration with prominent UK fashion retailers and cotton producers in Egypt, India, Turkey, Pakistan and China.
Solutions are being co-designed to meet both the practical needs of farmers and traceability requirements of retailers, the project stated.
The planned proof of concept aims to demonstrate the practicality of using remote sensing and DNA tagging to offer actionable and verifiable insights.
The goal is to support improved water stewardship and regenerative farming, enabling brands to make credible claims regarding sustainable sourcing.
Additional data sources under review include the possible integration of thermal sensors and meteorological datasets to refine environmental modelling.
CottonConscience emphasised its commitment to open standards to ensure system scalability, while remaining flexible enough to adopt proprietary or commercial tools if needed.
By combining satellite monitoring with farmer field surveys, DNA analysis and digital supply chain records, CottonConscience seeks to provide a level of traceability that scales with industry demand and supports compliance with evolving sustainability standards.
The project’s backers said they believe this could improve trust for all stakeholders, from growers to end consumers, and set a new benchmark for transparency in cotton supply chains.
