Haelixa is to supply chains what forensic DNA experts are to crime scenes.
This content was published on May 9, 2023
The ETH Zurich spin-off has developed a patented solution that it hopes will become the gold standard of physical traceability. It is based on a DNA marker that can be placed on raw materials such as precious metals or textiles without leaving a visible trace.
“Globalised production and lack of supply chain visibility are the causes of many of the environmental, economic and social problems that we collectively face,” says Haelixa CEO Michela Puddu, a stylish Rome native who came to Switzerland to study chemical engineering and stayed.
Her love of fashion paved the way to her thinking about the environmental implications of clothes: the fashion industry accounts for 10% of humanity’s carbon emissionsExternal link and most garments end up incinerated or in landfills. That same line of questioning led her to address the supply chains of gold, and gemstones.
Puddu, along with Haelixa co-founder Gediminas Mikutis, developed DNA markers for product traceability while pursuing a PhD at the federal institute ETH Zurich. The markers are invisible to the naked