OpenSC
Launched in 2018, OpenSC tracks food in order to trace its origins, helping people avoid products of an illegal, environmentally-damaging or unethical nature. In partnership with BCG Digital Ventures, WWF-Australia created the blockchain in order to help increase visibility and transparency within the supply chain, particularly with household name brands such as Nestlé. The pilot program was based around tuna fish, where tuna were each given QR code tags so that customers could scan it at the point of sale in order to identify how it has moved through the supply chain.
OpenSC operates in four steps: first, a tag is attached to the item in question at the point of extraction. Then, machine learning and GPS verify that the item was obtained within a legal area. The tag is later converted to a QR code, which can then be scanned anywhere by consumers. Despite its good intentions, it is clear that illegal fishers and poachers alike will not utilize such technology, as they would be willingly admitting to criminal activity. OpenSC is therefore intended to have a greater impact in reassuring consumers of the legality and quality of their product. While OpenSC has been tested for a variety of fish, the application could be useful for a variety of purposes in different markets.
Visser, C., & Hanich, Q. A. (2017). “How blockchain is strengthening tuna traceability to combat illegal fishing“.
Categories
Blockchain, Illegal Resource Extraction
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