The Alliance and its collective structurally strengthen its certifications of origin through the evolution of the Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ and Masters of LINEN™ standards by integrating digital traceability. Thus, the European certified flax-linen sector is positioned at the forefront of responsible innovation. Gradual implementation from January 1, 2026 to March 2027.
The Alliance, committed to an approach structured around innovation, creation and sustainable development, has chosen to structurally enhance its certifications. This is underpinned by a collective, proactive and broken down operational methodology, but above all on continuous improvement designed to meet new market requirements and establish robust, open-source standards.
In this context:
These certifications offer both guarantees regarding the origin and traceability of products, as well as environmental and social responsibility insurance. They provide concrete and proven arguments, thus constituting marketing levers for the companies that obtain them.
To go even further in supporting textile markets and to take the values of differentiation of origin and authentication of certifications ever higher, the Alliance is including in the new standards the two certifications Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ and Masters of LINEN ™ fibre-forward digital traceability, making it possible to trace flows throughout the value chain from fibre to finished product, thanks to the secure TextileGenesis™ by Lectra Group platform.
The Flax-Linen Traceability Platform – European Certified Fibres to Retail TextileGenesis™, Lectra Group digital traceability platform complements and reinforces the standards of the Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ and Masters of LINEN™ certifications.
In an ever-changing textile market, traceability has become a strategic lever for industrials. Brands, consumers and regulators all expect greater transparency and compliance.
In a geographically fragmented textile industry, understanding and managing the entire value chain is a major challenge for improving eco-design, complying with regulations and meeting growing demands for transparency. It is now essential to have a dedicated traceability tool.
In 2020, as part of the Fashion and Luxury Sector Strategy Committee, the Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp led a European pilot project on Linen, aimed at testing a digital traceability system. Building on its success, the Alliance and the working group chose TextileGenesis™, a subsidiary of the French group Lectra, to roll out the platform on a large scale.
This solution works on the principle of downstream transactional traceability, from fibre to finished product. Using a secure blockchain system, the platform tracks all certified volume transactions, from scutching to branding, via Fibercoins™ tokens (for Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ long and short fibres). It guarantees the origin of European fibres and, thanks to its rule-based artificial intelligence, guarantees certified volumes to avoid any risk of double counting.
This enables brands to map every stage of production and every location, ensuring complete traceability and total transparency for their partners and consumers. The Alliance has been rolling out traceability systems for over 15 years to reinforce the proof of origin, responsibility and excellence of European Flax-Linen.
To guarantee consistency, reliability and collective value, platform use is mandatory for all Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ and Masters of LINEN™ certified companies.
Its use is now inseparable from the certifications: only companies that meet all certification requirements can access the platform.
Drawing on its know-how in CSR, marketing, economics and knowledge of the European Linen value chain, the Alliance has chosen to make its expertise exclusively available to all members and certified stakeholders.
The structured framework of support services (CSR, Innovation, Economics, Marketing) for brands and retailers is specially designed to support and enhance the value of products, strengthen the reputation of brands and retailers and raise the international visibility of certified European Linen.
A robust, audited, verifiable and open-source standard enables every player in the value chain to benefit from a full transparency, to promote the excellence of certified European fibres and create added value for their business.
These management and associated services fees contribute to covering part of the tools Implemented by Alliance, in particular:
- Innovation & CSR (digital traceability platform);
- a portion of the associated services (marketing, promotion, use of certification identification elements such as certification trademarks, claims and logos);
- the Economic Observatory, etc.
These fees will be included on the invoice issued to the company by the certifying body under the heading ‘management and associated service fees’.
To be certified, it is mandatory to pay the management & associated service fees.
Brands and retailers are not affected by these management fees and have access, under certain conditions, to the certification trademarks, to the digital traceability platform Flax-Linen Traceability Platform and the Alliance's expertise, which supports them in their CSR and marketing strategies.
With digital traceability integrated into the Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ and Masters of LINEN™ standards, the European certified flax-linen sector is positioned at the forefront of responsible innovation.
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