Supply Chain / Worker Exploitation
Coca-Cola and Sugarcane workers

COCA-COLA TO USE BLOCKCHAIN TO VERIFY SUGARCANE SUPPLY CHAIN

Burgess COMMENTARY
My impression is that a substantial amount of money is being invested in getting data into a blockchain type system, but I have heard very little about actually doing the practical work on the ground to make the people who benefit from various aspects of exploitation from being held accountable. Most big companies know a lot about their supply chains, but have looked the other way for decades because aggressive exploitation means low wages and low prices for the essential materials they need.
Peter Burgess

COCA-COLA TO USE BLOCKCHAIN TO VERIFY SUGARCANE SUPPLY CHAIN



Coca-Cola says it will begin using blockchain technology to create a registry for workers and their contracts in hopes of combating forced labor in sugarcane supply chains.

The project is being launched with the US State Department and two other companies, making it the first time the government agency has used blockchain to address labor issues.

Al Jazeera reports:

Food and beverage companies are under pressure to address the risk of forced labour in countries where they obtain sugarcane. A study released last year by KnowTheChain (KTC), a partnership founded by US-based Humanity United, showed that most food and beverage companies fall short in their efforts to solve the problem.

The study said Coca-Cola, one of 10 global companies looked at by KTC, has committed to conduct 28 country-level studies on child labour, forced labour, and land rights for its sugar supply chains by 2020.

The US beverage giant said it has been exploring multiple blockchain projects for more than a year.

The new venture is intended to create a secure registry for workers and their contracts using blockchain’s validation and digital notary capabilities, said Blockchain Trust Accelerator (BTA), a non-profit organization involved in the project.

BTA aims to use the technology for social impact, but ultimately the US State Department will provide expertise on forced labor and other forms of exploitation.

Deputy Assistant Secretary Scott Busby from the State Department clarified that while blockchain cannot compel companies to abide by labor contracts, it will establish a validated chain of evidence that should encourage compliance.

The Bitfury Group, an American tech company, is tasked with building the blockchain platform for this project while Emercoin will provide blockchain services.

To read the entire article, click here https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/03/coca-cola-verify-suppliers-blockchain-180317125204446.html
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https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/03/coca-cola-verify-suppliers-blockchain-180317125204446.html 17 Mar 2018

CHILD LABOURCoca-cola will verify suppliers with blockchain

NEWS/CHILD LABOUR Coca-cola will verify suppliers with blockchain A registry for workers and their contracts will be created using blockchain's validation.



Bottles of Coca-Cola are seen at a Carrefour Hypermarket store near Paris, February 5, 2018 [Regis Duvignau/Reuters] Bottles of Coca-Cola are seen at a Carrefour Hypermarket store near Paris, February 5, 2018 [Regis Duvignau/Reuters]

Coca-Cola and the US Department of State along with two other companies said on Friday they are launching a project using blockchain's digital ledger technology to create a secure registry for workers that will help fight the use of forced labour worldwide.

The Department of State said this is the government agency's first major project on this issue using blockchain, reinforcing the technology's growing application for social causes.

Forced labour

According to the International Labour Organization, nearly 25 million people work in forced-labour conditions worldwide, with 47 percent of them in the Asia-Pacific region.

Food and beverage companies are under pressure to address the risk of forced labour in countries where they obtain sugarcane. A study released last year by KnowTheChain (KTC), a partnership founded by US-based Humanity United, showed that most food and beverage companies fall short in their efforts to solve the problem.

The study said Coca-Cola, one of 10 global companies looked at by KTC, has committed to conduct 28 country-level studies on child labour, forced labour, and land rights for its sugar supply chains by 2020.

The US beverage giant said it has been exploring multiple blockchain projects for more than a year.

Brent Wilton, the company's global head of workplace rights, said in an email to Reuters, 'We are partnering with the pilot of this project to further increase transparency and efficiency of the verification process related to labour policies within our supply chain.'

Blockchain

The new venture is intended to create a secure registry for workers and their contracts using blockchain's validation and digital notary capabilities, said Blockchain Trust Accelerator (BTA), a non-profit organization involved in the project.

BTA is a global platform for harnessing blockchain to deliver social impact.

The Department of State said it will provide expertise on labour protection.

'The Department of State is excited to work on this innovative blockchain-based pilot,' Deputy Assistant Secretary Scott Busby said in an email to Reuters, noting that while blockchain cannot compel companies or those in authority to abide by the labour contracts, it can create a validated chain of evidence that will encourage compliance with those contracts.

The Bitfury Group, a US tech company, will build the blockchain platform for this project, while Emercoin will provide blockchain services as well, Bitfury Chief Executive Valery Vavilov and Emercoin Chief Technology Officer Oleg Khovayko said on Friday.
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