Swiss-based sustainability group Better Cotton said it has added new functions to a platform that big retailers use to trace materials through their supply chains.

According to Better Cotton, retailers such as Walmart and Marks & Spencer will soon be able to determine the exact location of individual farms from the cotton that was cultivated and traded. As of right now, the software just keeps track of the total amount of cotton produced.

The existing functionality, according to Better Cotton senior manager Jacky Broomhead, is comparable to an electrical consumer who is aware of the sources of generation feeding their local grid but not to specific homes.

“The changes mean you’ll know what you’re getting. You’ll be able to see the journey the cotton has taken to you as a retailer,” she added.

Customers and activist groups are putting pressure on fashion retailers to carry goods that are manufactured in safe labour conditions and have less of an impact on the environment.

Better Cotton has halted licencing its cotton that comes from Xinjiang province in China. It stated at the time that issues with auditing and human rights were among the contributing factors. Retailers in the West have come under fire for bringing up human rights concerns.

Manufacturers, merchants, and spinners are all involved in the cotton supply chain. According to Katharine Beacham, head of materials and sustainability at Marks and Spencer, the company will track cotton at scale using the new feature.