Now Pashmina gets authenticity label

After the Central Silk Board unveiled a new ‘Silkmark’ for silk

products to keep a check on authenticity of the product, now famous handmade Kashmiri Pashmina shawls will carry a secure fusion label (SFL) with an identity (ID) number. This can be used by a buyer to check its genuineness anywhere in the world.

The SFL, which will look like any other label, will be fused into a shawl using nanotechnology. Each one will be fed with information about the shawl after it is tested for purity in the state-run laboratory in Srinagar. The SFL’s ID number will be added to main database. When a buyer wishes to check the authenticity of a Pashmina shawl, all that s/he needs to do is cross-check it with the database on a website.

The procedure will be made mandatory for every Pashmina shawl dealer. The move is administered to keep a check on counterfeit shawls. Handicrafts are the main driver of the Kashmir’s economy. Official figures reveal that it had exported handicrafts worth Rs 1,651 crores in 2011-12 and shawls topped the exports list at Rs 607.3 crores.