4 Key Challenges With Proving Product Origin (& How to Fix Them)

Proving where a product truly comes from has never been harder. As supply chains grow more complex and regulations demand concrete evidence, brands face significant obstacles when verifying origin claims.

Traditional methods such as audits, certifications, and supplier declarations often fall short when scrutinized. Understanding these challenges is the first step towards building a verification strategy that holds up under pressure.

The four most common challenges businesses face in proving the origin of products and raw materials are:

1. Multi-tier supply chain complexity
2. Over-reliance on supplier declarations
3. Lack of objective, scientific evidence
4. Material mixing and substitution

In this article we’ll explore the causes and implications of each of these challenges, and discover how they may be overcome through forensic science.

Challenge 1: Multi-tier supply chain complexity

Today’s multi-tier supplier networks are often dispersed right across the globe. As further suppliers, contractors and partners are added to the chain, the links become harder to discern.

Tracing product origin across four or five supply chain tiers is nearly impossible using traditional documentation alone.

Many brands only engage with their Tier 1 suppliers. This leaves large parts of their supply chains – especially raw material sourcing – unchecked. That makes it harder for them to accurately trace the origin and journey of their products and raw materials.

Transshipments are a growing challenge in the cotton industry. This is where goods are routed through intermediary countries to disguise their true origin. This practice compromises the integrity of the entire supply chain. It also makes it impossible to trust the final product as 100% compliant.

Oritain can audit products and raw materials throughout the supply chain to verify their origin with scientific precision. Product origin verification increases the strength of your supplier relationships and builds more robust supply chain networks. This ultimately helps reduce the risk of serious disruptions.

Challenge 2: Over-reliance on supplier declarations

Certifications and self-reported data are only as reliable as the supplier providing them. Without independent verification, brands are forced to take claims at face value. But regulators and consumers are increasingly unwilling to accept this risk.

With regulations tightening around issues of forced labor, deforestation and food safety, inaccurate reporting is a major liability.

Under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), goods from high-risk regions are presumed banned unless importers can prove otherwise with "clear and convincing evidence".

It’s no longer enough to claim compliance. Brands must move beyond self-policing to objective proof. They must ensure the goods they sell actually grew on the compliant farm listed in documentation.

Forensic isotopic analysis provides the objective evidence needed to release detained cargo when digital paperwork is deemed insufficient. Oritain science is a trusted, reliable method for validating product origin, satisfying Customs & Border Protection (CBP) requirements, and mitigating the severe noncompliance penalties.

Challenge 3: Lack of objective, scientific evidence

Audits provide a snapshot in time, and paperwork can be manipulated or forged. When challenged by regulators or customs authorities, brands need evidence that goes beyond documentation. They need substantiation that is rooted in the physical product itself.

To effectively mitigate supply chain risk, brands must now provide "regulator-grade" evidence – scientific proof admissible to customs authorities.

Global frameworks demand more than paperwork. The EU Digital Product Passport, for example, requires reliable data inputs. Product claims must be validated before they enter the passport in order to prevent greenwashing and ensure data integrity.

Product traceability solutions that only map the supply chain leave businesses vulnerable to fraud. To truly verify product origin, it’s more reliable to test the product itself. This delivers a science-based outcome that ensures objective truth rather than relying on trust.

Oritain provides the forensic evidence needed to satisfy strict evidentiary standards. CBP guidance cites isotopic testing as a key tool for supply chain validation. We provide the scientific data needed to overcome the "rebuttable presumption" of forced labor and release detained goods.

Challenge 4: Material mixing and substitution

Products pass through multiple handlers before reaching the end brand. Each handoff creates opportunities for mixing, substitution, or mislabeling. For example, cotton is grown in more than 75 countries. Raw materials from different origins are often blended during processing.

When businesses lack visibility over their supply chains, it becomes more commonplace for:

• Substituting products for inferior copies
• Contaminating products with poor-quality materials
• Knowingly misrepresenting products

Commodities like coffee and cocoa are highly vulnerable to fraud, blending, and mislabeling. Without independent verification, it becomes extremely difficult to confirm origin.

Implementing scientific traceability in product supply chains validates origin claims, protecting brand equity from the reputational damage of greenwashing and avoiding potential consumer litigation.

New legislation like the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) mandates that operators verify commodities were not produced on deforested land. Digital GPS coordinates alone are insufficient if the product's chemistry doesn't match the claimed location.