Whether buying a fish fillet at a supermarket or ordering steak in a restaurant, consumers will soon be able to use their phones to check instantly whether their food is green and ethical.

Launched by environmental group WWF and investment firm BCG Digital Ventures, OpenSC https://opensc.com is a website that harnesses blockchain technology to allow users to scan a QR code on a product or menu that reveals the full history and supply chain before they buy.

Consumer awareness

“For those catching and producing things in a very unsustainable way, it’s quite easy for them to hide behind the complexity of supply chains,” said Paul Hunyor, Asia region head.

“There is a lack of carrots for those doing good at the production end because it is very hard for them to make the end consumer aware of all the good work they’re doing,” he said.

Globally, consumers and retailers are demanding more information about what they procure, buy and eat, to ascertain that its production and transportation does not damage the environment, or use illegal and unethical business practices.

In response, large consumer goods companies, restaurants and other businesses are looking at ways to attract more customers by offering sustainable products that are guaranteed as free of deforestation or slave labour, for example.

The OpenSC platform allows consumers to cut through the complexity and lack of transparency in supply chains, said Hunyor.

The digital tool will cover environmental, social and human rights, and hopes to attract sustainability bodies and schemes, as well as corporations and major commodities producers, said Dermot O’Gorman, CEO of WWF-Australia.

Doing it right

“There is...growing momentum around the world with corporates who are doing and want to do the right thing because their customers are increasing demand,” he said.

Customers and staff of supermarkets and restaurants, as well as wholesalers, can use the tool to access instant information.

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