Some of us in these parts work in tech and blockchain has been a really exciting development gaining traction the last few years. We’re now seeing it start to be used for product traceability. WWF has been trialling a project with Consensys @consensysofficial and Provenance @provenancehq has also been undertaking a big study this year (they have an really well designed digital report out which you can read on their site).
Both groups focussed their initial work on the traceability of tuna. Fish like this is horrific for slave labor, with major problems arising at first catch, and supply chain issues. Using the blockchain – which is a public ledger of transactions that is verified and cannot be amended or deleted – would bring the data together in a reliable and trustworthy way. Integrating that with a backend platform where we can scan the goods would allow it to be easily understood and read. The hope is that no matter where you consume the end product, you’re able to see the fully transparent lifecycle it took to get to you.
Provenance is working on this for cotton, fashion and other farmed foods also. We’re really excited to see solutions like this start to enter the market (and we’re thinking this would apply to our environment label idea well too!).
