NEW YORK, NY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / October 15, 2025 / Global fashion brands require a single, essential ingredient to thrive: trust. Trust that its product is genuine, trust that the craftsmanship is authentic, and trust that the values behind the brand align with the ones it promotes. From Paris ateliers to fast-fashion retailers, every label's reputation depends on that same promise of quality, consistency, and credibility.

But the world has changed. Supply chains have gone global. Sustainability has become a shareholder demand. And the old way of proving trust - through reputation alone - no longer cuts it. Today, trust must be earned through evidence. That's where SMX (NASDAQ:SMX) and CETI, the European Center for Innovative Textiles, come in.

Together, they've created something fashion has needed for years: proof. Their industrial-scale collaboration embeds molecular-level traceability directly into textile fibers, giving every material its own unbreakable digital fingerprint. It's DNA for fabric; a permanent identity that confirms where materials come from, how they were made, and whether they meet the sustainability claims printed on the tag. And for the first time, every brand, not just the luxury houses, can turn transparency into a competitive advantage.

A Measurement Problem, Not Faulty Intentions

Fashion doesn't have a moral problem; it has a measurement problem. Even value-focused retailers have teams dedicated to quality control and sustainability. The intent is real, but the evidence hasn't kept up. Supply chains sprawl across continents, crossing language barriers, time zones, and subcontractors until visibility fades. The result? Honest effort that still looks like greenwashing because no one can prove what's real. SMX and CETI are changing that dynamic entirely.

Instead of auditing factories after the fact, their system embeds truth from the start. SMX's patented molecular markers are added at the resin or polymer stage, before the first thread is spun. That proof lives within the fiber itself, surviving every step of production, from dyeing and weaving to retail. Yes, it works.

CETI's validation lines in Lille have already demonstrated that this technology isn't theoretical; it works on industrial machines, at industrial speeds. Proof no longer interrupts production. It powers it. That subtle shift-from inspection to integration-changes everything. A brand can now trace a fabric's full journey from its thread origin to the finished garment and back through recycling, maintaining continuous accountability at every stage. Regulators can verify claims instantly. Stakeholders can see real ESG performance data. And consumers can finally trust that "sustainable" means something measurable, not just marketable.

Rewarding Through Monetization

But SMX doesn't stop at validation; it monetizes verification. Through its blockchain-enabled Plastic Cycle Token (PCT), proof itself becomes an asset. The same mechanism that turns verified recycled plastics into tradeable digital credits now applies to textiles, transforming tons of verified fiber into quantifiable economic value.

The scale is staggering. We're not talking about pennies per product. We're talking about metric tons of authenticated material worth tens of thousands, even millions, when aggregated across global supply chains. For the first time, sustainability is no longer a cost center. It's a profit driver. Proof doesn't just protect brand equity; it compounds it.

That's the genius of this partnership: SMX and CETI aren't forcing fashion to reinvent itself. They're giving it tools that fit seamlessly into the world it has already built: the infrastructure of design, logistics, and identity that has powered the industry for over a century. And they're doing it at a moment when the stakes couldn't be higher.

Timely to Meet EU Digital Product Passport Mandates

With the EU's Digital Product Passport mandate set to take effect in 2026, every brand will soon be required to prove the origins, composition, and recyclability of its materials. Most companies are scrambling to figure out how. SMX and CETI already have the answer: a live, validated system that replaces paperwork with molecular proof and turns compliance into a competitive advantage.

The implications go far beyond regulation. Counterfeiting, fashion's most persistent parasite, collapses when authenticity lives inside the material. A counterfeit can fake a label, but not a molecule. One scan verifies authenticity, origin, and sustainability simultaneously. For brands, that's protection. For regulators, that's enforcement. For consumers, that's trust they can touch. And for e-commerce sellers, a single scan replaces armies of authenticators, eliminating human error by embedding an unmistakable seal of legitimacy into every product. Buyers get the real deal, and seller platforms gain the biggest credibility boost in their history.

That's the beauty of this SMX technology; it works for everyone. A couture house in Milan, a denim brand in Los Angeles, or a retailer in Bangkok. All can operate on the same foundation of verifiable truth. SMX and CETI have combined to offer a system that unites fashion's two great ambitions: creativity and credibility.

Fashion built its empire on both quality and trust. Today, SMX and CETI are laying that trust on an unprecedented foundation-one where brands can replace promises with immutable and verifiable proof. Brands will continue to give consumers the logos. SMX and CETI will give them the ledger, not stitched on, but woven in. Those brands that embrace SMX and CETI's contributions won't just meet the standard; they'll be a part of setting it. More importantly, protect brand pedigree at a level no one ever thought possible.

About SMX

As global businesses face new and complex challenges relating to carbon neutrality and meeting new governmental and regional regulations and standards, SMX is able to offer players along the value chain access to its marking, tracking, measuring and digital platform technology to transition more successfully to a low-carbon economy.

Forward-Looking Statements

The information in this press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words "anticipate," "believe," "contemplate," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intends," "may," "will," "might," "plan," "possible," "potential," "predict," "project," "should," "would" and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this press release may include, for example: matters relating to the Company's fight against abusive and possibly illegal trading tactics against the Company's stock; successful launch and implementation of SMX's joint projects with manufacturers and other supply chain participants of gold, steel, rubber and other materials; changes in SMX's strategy, future operations, financial position, estimated revenues and losses, projected costs, prospects and plans; SMX's ability to develop and launch new products and services, including its planned Plastic Cycle Token; SMX's ability to successfully and efficiently integrate future expansion plans and opportunities; SMX's ability to grow its business in a cost-effective manner; SMX's product development timeline and estimated research and development costs; the implementation, market acceptance and success of SMX's business model; developments and projections relating to SMX's competitors and industry; and SMX's approach and goals with respect to technology. These forward-looking statements are based on information available as of the date of this press release, and current expectations, forecasts and assumptions, and involve a number of judgments, risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing views as of any subsequent date, and no obligation is undertaken to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date they were made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. As a result of a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, actual results or performance may be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Some factors that could cause actual results to differ include: the ability to maintain the listing of the Company's shares on Nasdaq; changes in applicable laws or regulations; any lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on SMX's business; the ability to implement business plans, forecasts, and other expectations, and identify and realize additional opportunities; the risk of downturns and the possibility of rapid change in the highly competitive industry in which SMX operates; the risk that SMX and its current and future collaborators are unable to successfully develop and commercialize SMX's products or services, or experience significant delays in doing so; the risk that the Company may never achieve or sustain profitability; the risk that the Company will need to raise additional capital to execute its business plan, which may not be available on acceptable terms or at all; the risk that the Company experiences difficulties in managing its growth and expanding operations; the risk that third-party suppliers and manufacturers are not able to fully and timely meet their obligations; the risk that SMX is unable to secure or protect its intellectual property; the possibility that SMX may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors; and other risks and uncertainties described in SMX's filings from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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SOURCE: SMX (Security Matters) Public Limited