Technology participants included GS1 US, IBM Food Trust, SAP, FoodLogiQ, Ripe.io and Wholechain

Wholechain is proud to have worked with partners in a traceability proof of concept that confirms the importance of GS1 standards in achieving end-to-end visibility across supply chains. GS1 conducted the study in collaboration with the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST), the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), Beaver Street Fisheries, Bumble Bee Seafoods, Chicken of the Sea, FoodLogiQ, IBM Food Trust, Insite Solutions/Norpac, ripe.io, SAP, Walmart and Wholechain.

Wholechain is designed to integrate with ERPs and traceability systems using GS1 standards

Based on real-world data, the study’s findings align with Wholechain’s technology-neutral system designed to streamline data sharing and improve supply chains for good. They also further bolster the relevance of the GS1 System of Standards and the GDST 1.0 seafood standards, including EPCIS (Electronic Product Code Information Services), a standard for capturing and sharing event-based data that effectively integrated two or more traceability systems.

Abiding by these standards will ultimately enable companies to comply with upcoming U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirements through the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) section 204 food traceability rule.

Interoperability standards are key to supply chain sustainability and consumer safety

Standardization across supply chain traceability systems has the potential to improve food safety and honor claims of sustainability by reducing waste and carbon emissions, and more. According to Melanie Nuce, senior vice president, corporate development, GS1 US,

“this pilot shows not only that systems ‘speak’ to each other using standards, but also that industry collaboration is equally critical to define their conversation. With both key elements in place, we can create industry-wide transparency for seafood, and more broadly, enhance food safety.”

Bryan Hitchcock, executive director of the Global Food Traceability Center (GFTC) for the IFT further expressed optimism around the implications of interoperability in GS1’s official press release

“This positive result represents just the beginning of what industry can do when we prioritize collaboration and standardization to help companies meet new regulations, supply chain demands and consumer expectations.”

Wholechain is honored to take part in such an important advancement toward improving supply chain transparency.

Wholechain works on GS1 standards to achieve interoperability with leading blockchain traceability… was originally published in Wholechain® on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Note: A company feature of this article is also published on The Estée Lauder Companies corporate site.

Aveda, the high-performance, plant-powered hair care brand with a mission of care, alongside its parent company, The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC), today announced the success of a pilot program to leverage blockchain technology in its Madagascan vanilla supply chain in partnership with natural ingredients supply chain partner LMR Naturals by IFF, local Madagascar vanilla supplier Biovanilla, global sustainable business partner BSR, and blockchain innovation partner Wholechain. Blockchain technology provides further traceability by collating data from supply chain partners in real-time via a secure, digital system. Aveda is one of the first beauty companies to launch a successful, commercial blockchain pilot at such scale, and the program will bring blockchain-enabled, traceable vanilla to more than 125 Aveda products starting this spring.

Transparency in Supply Chain

Blockchain technology provides an immutable reference that can be used to verify claims of the source and quality of ingredients, such as the Madagascan vanilla Aveda uses in its products. 80% of the world’s vanilla comes from the island of Madagascar, and small farms are responsible for most of the production. Complexities in the vanilla supply chain are multilayered, ranging from price fluctuations to major climate challenges and intensive farming needs, which is why vanilla was selected for this pilot program.

Using mobile phones and QR codes, Wholechain creates a tamper-proof record using blockchain tracing of each vanilla bean’s journey throughout the supply chain. Beginning with a cooperative of 450 smallholder farmers in Madagascar, the technology traces the beans along the process from the sale to the local co-op; to LMR, Aveda’s fragrance house partner in Grasse, France; and finally, across the Atlantic to Aveda’s manufacturing facility in Blaine, MN. These products, including Aveda’s Invati franchise, will be on store shelves in the Spring of 2021.

Ultimately, this traceability is important because it will help to demonstrate sustainable, responsible sourcing, high quality ingredients, and more transparency for all stakeholders. Beyond these long-term benefits, this pilot provides a strong proof-of-concept for the use of blockchain to increase traceability in complex supply chains, benefitting the wider business community by establishing robust best practices for responsible sourcing in the beauty sector and beyond.

For generations, vanilla beans were traced using a unique stamp called a “Fitomboka”, which was embedded directly on the bean and served as a record keeping system for the farmers. The Fitomboka has now been digitized onto a digital card, and data is captured directly from the farmer co-op in Madagascar using mobile phones and QR code IDs. At the co-op, each farmer has a digital ID card that converts their unique traceability code and other key data attributes via a QR reader. This information is then recorded via blockchain technology, making it completely tamper-proof. From the time the vanilla leaves the producer’s hands, it is tracked through the supply chain on blockchain to validate its quality and authenticity.

A Commitment to Sustainable Sourcing

For Aveda, integrating social, ethical, and environmental performance metrics into the process of selecting and maintaining suppliers is key to sustainable sourcing practices. This includes establishing on-the-ground, meaningful environmental and social programs that will benefit the communities from where the brand sources ingredients. Blockchain technology will contribute to this by laying the groundwork to ensure transparency in Aveda’s supply chain, providing transparency from the bottle back to the farm.

Barbara De Laere, Aveda Global Brand President, said, “Aveda has prioritized sustainable sourcing for decades, and we now have the technology to demonstrate this to the consumer. Our products are built on natural ingredients, and the long-term viability of those ingredients and the people cultivating them is vitally important to Aveda. With blockchain, we now have a direct connection to our farmers in Madagascar, providing us, our salon partners and our customers more transparency into our supply chain. This transparency is of utmost importance to us as a brand, and we are proud to give our network visibility to the positive impact that, ultimately, they are having on this local community.”

“This new investment supports The Estée Lauder Companies’ efforts to continuously improve and strengthen our sourcing practices while remaining sensitive to the local communities in which we operate,” said Greg Polcer, Executive Vice President of Global Supply Chain at The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. “Blockchain technology adds an extra layer of transparency to our sourcing practices, verifying our vanilla supply chain’s compliance with the highest ethical and environmental standards, and strengthening trust with our suppliers, consumers and investors.”

Bertrand de Preville, LMR Naturals by IFF General Manager said: “LMR and IFF are proud to leverage our transparent and responsible sourcing principles on vanilla for Aveda and the Estée Lauder Companies, in a country like Madagascar, where this sustainable vanilla supply chain improves the livelihood of hundreds of families.”

A Blueprint for the Industry

“It’s really exciting to see the beauty sector pursuing the use of blockchain at such a large, commercial scale,” said Thibault Gravier, Global Supply Chain Director, BSR. “Improving supply chain transparency across sectors really depends on the investment and leadership of companies like Aveda and The Estée Lauder Companies. The success of this pilot provides a true proof of concept for others to follow.”

Whereas many commercial blockchain pilots are theoretical (relying on sample data) or extremely small in scale, ELC and Aveda’s program is one of the largest scale pilots to be launched in the beauty industry. The implementation of digital tracing capabilities at the beginning of the supply chain process helps to facilitate positive impacts across the value chain including greater transparency for the end consumer. Additionally, digital traceability enables a level of visibility needed to facilitate the management and mitigation of complexities in supply chains arising from unforeseen events such as climate changes or global pandemics. Tracing and verifying the steps in the supply chain from 450 smallholder vanilla farmers all the way to Aveda’s manufacturing facility, the extensive pilot provides a true proof of concept that can be leveraged by others in the industry to improve transparency and raise sourcing standards.

12 Years of Giving Back in Madagascar

Since 2008, Aveda and its partners Global Greengrants Fund and WaterAid, have provided community and institution-led sustainable and equitable access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) through gravity-fed water supply systems for 60,000 people in marginalized communities throughout Madagascar including Ampasimanjeva, Ambodiranonambilona, Betampona, Taindambo and Vohimasina. Aveda is currently working on an additional water project in Madagascar with global partner charity: water to bring WASH to nearly 26,000 people the Miandrivazo and Antananarivo Avaradrano districts through large-scale piped systems. These systems will use solar power or electricity grid power to pump water from boreholes and springs into a reservoir tank, and then distribute the water by gravity to tap stands located throughout the communities.

A More Sustainable Future

Enabling blockchain technology is one of several sustainability goals that Aveda has achieved this year. Aveda recently launched its online Ingredient Glossary, which details what the brand’s key ingredients do and where they are sourced from. Additionally, earlier this year, Aveda “flipped the switch” on a new 3.6 acre, 900kW ground-mounted solar array at its headquarters in Blaine, Minnesota. The solar panels collect sunlight throughout the day, converting the light into electricity and supplying it to the manufacturing facility on campus, sending excess energy back to the grid. The new array is part of the brand’s vision to be a renewable energy generator.

Aveda’s headquarters are situated on a 58-acre campus in Blaine, Minnesota alongside honeybee colonies, an employee-curated vegetable garden, electric vehicle charging stations and miles of running trails. The land is National Wildlife Federation Certified, and employees enjoy frequent sightings of a variety of wildlife including turkeys, deer, turtles and groundhogs. The main office building has an emphasis on sustainability: it is powered by solar and wind energy, is carpeted with recycled fibers, has composting and recycling bins throughout the building and an organic cafe on the first floor. To learn more about Aveda’s sustainability initiatives, visit aveda.com/sustainablefuture.

About Aveda

Founded in 1978 in Minneapolis, MN, Aveda creates plant-based hair, skin and body products for beauty professionals and consumers. Aveda innovates in botanical technologies, combining the principles of modern science and Ayurveda, the ancient healing art of India, to develop performance-driven hair, skin and body products — made with pure flower and plant essences — that are created with respect for the Earth, and a comprehensive menu of ritual-based treatments for holistic beauty.

Throughout the years, Aveda has pioneered new benchmarks of environmental responsibility in beauty. It was the first company to sign the Ceres Principles in 1989 — a nonprofit organization mobilizing business leadership on climate change, water scarcity and other sustainability challenges — and the first beauty company to manufacture with 100 percent wind power in its primary facility. Aveda was also the first beauty company to receive a Cradle to Cradle charter for its commitment to sustainable products, packaging and production. In 2013, Aveda was honored with the first Legacy Leaders Award from Cradle to Cradle for its pioneering role in environmental leadership. Aveda received the Sustainability Leadership Award in 2017 during the Sustainable Beauty Awards organized by Ecovia Intelligence for its leadership in packaging, green formulations and sustainable ingredients. Since 1999, Aveda’s annual Earth Month campaign, held each April, has raised $65 million to support environmental projects around the world.

Aveda products are available in Aveda Experience Centers and more than 9,000 professional hair salons and spas in more than 40 countries and at www.aveda.com.

About The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. is one of the world’s leading manufacturers and marketers of quality skin care, makeup, fragrance and hair care products. The Company’s products are sold in approximately 150 countries and territories under brand names including: Estée Lauder, Aramis, Clinique, Prescriptives, Lab Series, Origins, Tommy Hilfiger, M·A·C, Kiton, La Mer, Bobbi Brown, Donna Karan New York, DKNY, Aveda, Jo Malone London, Bumble and bumble, Michael Kors, Darphin, Tom Ford, Smashbox, Ermenegildo Zegna, AERIN, RODIN olio lusso, Le Labo, Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, GLAMGLOW, KILIAN PARIS, BECCA, Too Faced and Dr. Jart+.

About LMR Naturals by IFF

LMR is a leading Natural Ingredients producer, crafting highest quality, traceable and responsible natural ingredients for perfumery, flavors, cosmetics and aromatherapy. Created in 1984, in Grasse, France, the heartland of perfumery, LMR blends craftsmanship with science and creativity. With quality, plant, people and innovation at heart, LMR masters the full breadth of natural capabilities, from seed to bottle. This integrated expertise is an essential component of its responsible and transparent sourcing platforms around the world. It’s also essential to the science-based understanding of its natural ingredients’ benefits for a better life.

At LMR, sustainability is not a philosophy: it is a day after day commitment to action. Since its creation in 1984, it has embedded it in the DNA of her company. Today, it still drives everything we do.

About BSR

BSR™ is a global nonprofit organization that works with its network of more than 250 member companies and other partners to build a just and sustainable world. From its offices in Asia, Europe, and North America, BSR™ develops sustainable business strategies and solutions through consulting, research, and cross-sector collaboration. Our mission is to work with business to create a just and sustainable world. We envision a world in which everyone can lead a prosperous and dignified life within the boundaries of the Earth’s natural resources.

As one of our key areas of expertise, BSR works with companies’ supply chain, sourcing, and procurement functions to develop supply chains that deliver business value and are inclusive, resilient, and transparent, creating long-term benefit for all involved stakeholders. This includes a particular focus on transparency and traceability in the supply chain via advanced technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence.

About Wholechain

Wholechain is a blockchain based traceability solution built by Envisible to enable trust, coordination, and transparency in fragmented supply chains. Wholechain enables visibility within global supply chains, allowing businesses to manage risks and increase efficiencies and consumers to make more responsible decisions. Examples of other uses of Wholechain include Fair Trade USA and Topco Associates, the largest grocery coop in the US, and Mastercard. Last year Wholechain won the Fish 2.0 Competition at Stanford for Supply Chain Innovation. Find out more at Wholechain.com.

The Estée Lauder Companies and Aveda Use Wholechain to Trace Vanilla in More Than 125 Products was originally published in Wholechain® on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

PALO ALTO, Calif., Nov. 7, 2019 — Wholechain was among six companies from four countries to receive Top Innovator awards yesterday at the close of Fish 2.0’s 2019 Global Innovators Forum at Stanford’s Center for Ocean Solutions. These industry standouts are bringing new aquaculture technologies and products to market, increasing transparency and modernizing the seafood supply chain.

A packed house of over 200 investors, entrepreneurs, and ocean and seafood experts chose the winners by voting on presentations from the Fish 2.0 Forty — the most highly ranked businesses from a pool of 150 entries reviewed throughout the 2018–19 Fish 2.0 cycle. Getting into that select group was tough: most companies that made the cut are operational and growing fast.

The Fish 2.0 Top Innovators by category are:

• Global Seafood: Fortuna, a Philippines-based company whose Fortuna Cooler is the first fish transport box made of natural, locally sourced materials. The durable cooler replaces polystyrene containers.
• U.S. Seafood: Montana Microbial Products, which produces high-quality barley protein concentrates for fish feed, a new fish-free alternative to traditional feeds.
• Australian Seafood: Australian Crayfish Hatchery, whose state-of-the-art facility supplies antibiotics-free, pathogen-free hatchlings to farmers of the lobster-like crayfish in Australia and internationally.
• Aquaculture: Aquaai, whose Fish as a Service platform is based on a robotic fish outfitted with cameras and sensors that monitor conditions in offshore fish farms.
• Ocean and Seafood Technology: Yorso, an online B2B wholesale seafood marketplace that operates internationally and integrates with buyers’ and sellers’ CRM systems.
• Supply Chain Change: Wholechain, a user-friendly, blockchain-based traceability solution that provides transparency throughout the seafood supply chain.

Our partner Northline Seafoods was a Fish 2.0 winner in 2017 and we constantly use that as a validator when introducing them to our other partners. We are thrilled to now be among the Fish 2.0 alums. Being part of this community of innovators — and those investing in and facilitating further innovation — is so helpful.

Blockchain is a buzzword at the moment that brings understandably high levels of skepticism, so going through the rigor of the Fish2.0 process and having positive feedback from this community of experts is helpful in validating the value of Wholechain as a tool for this industry. We work in other food and agriculture supply chains as well, but the challenges of seafood are the ultimate Frank Sinatra test: if you can make it here you can make it anywhere.

Fish 2.0’s 18-month 2018–19 cycle included regional workshops for seafood businesses as well as the online Readiness Assessment that qualified applicants for the Fish 2.0 Forty. Participating businesses received feedback from investors, business and impact advisors, and peers that helped them develop their strategies, integrate positive impacts and metrics, and position their enterprise for investment. At least five investor judges scored each competitor to reach the finals.

“I’ve seen more high-quality companies and presentations at this year’s Fish 2.0 Forum than at any previous one,” said Mitchell Presser of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. Presser, an investor who has participated in every cycle of Fish 2.0 and invested in several companies, including 2017 Fish 2.0 award winner NovoNutrients, added, “You get to understand the dynamics of the market here and you see a lot of opportunities, so you can evaluate the best and move forward.”

Fish 2.0 network accelerates sustainable seafood innovation

This is the fourth and final biennial Global Innovators Forum. Since its start in 2013, Fish 2.0 has worked with 588 entrepreneurs from more than 40 countries, built a network of over 700 investors, produced 27 investor briefings on topics ranging from algae products and aquaculture technology to traceability and tuna, and inspired 388 investors and experts to volunteer as advisors or judges to help sustainable seafood entrepreneurs develop their businesses.

“When we launched Fish 2.0, few people saw seafood as an exciting sector for sustainable business innovation,” said Fish 2.0 founder and executive director Monica Jain. “And we believed progress would accelerate if we could help investors and entrepreneurs build the knowledge and connections they needed to get promising ideas off the ground and move capital into the sector.

“That proved true, and as the 2019 Fish 2.0 winners demonstrate, innovation in the sector continues to grow,” she added. “We thank everyone who has supported us over the years in filling the gaps, and we are grateful to the increasing number of innovators and investors who are making our oceans and plates healthier.”

About Fish 2.0

Fish 2.0 brought innovators together to grow the sustainable seafood sector. Working through our worldwide network, regional events, online Readiness Assessment, Fish 2.0 Connect online hub, and Global Innovators Forum, Fish 2.0 participants collaborated to drive innovation, business growth, and positive impact. Everyone benefited: Entrepreneurs met potential investors, partners, and advisors that helped them accelerate impact and growth. Investors and experts got early access to investment opportunities and learned about emerging technologies and trends.

Wholechain Earns Top Innovator Honor at the Fish 2.0 Global Forum at Stanford University was originally published in Wholechain® on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Originally posted at https://newsroom.mastercard.com/press-releases/mastercard-blockchain-to-bring-visibility-to-food-systems/

Mastercard Blockchain to Bring Visibility to Food Systems

Integrates with Envisible’s Wholechain system to bring traceability to food supply chain

Topco food cooperative to pilot the technology to trace source of seafood at member grocery stores starting with Food City

PURCHASE, N.Y. and LAS VEGAS — October 27, 2019 — Consumers increasingly want to know the story behind the food that they consume — the source of the produce, meats and seafood, and their journey to the table. Mastercard is collaborating with Envisible, a company that enables supply-chain visibility in food systems to bring more visibility to food that people eat every day.

Envisible’s Wholechain traceability system will be powered by Mastercard’s blockchain-based Provenance Solution and used by Topco Associates, LLC, a leading United States food cooperative, to help its member-owners’ supermarkets trace and highlight the origin of seafood. Topco is working with its member grocery chains, starting with Food City, to pilot the use of the technology to provide better line of sight into ethical sourcing and environmental compliance of the seafood selection sold at their stores. The first of several species to be tracked will be salmon, cod and shrimp.

“Given consumers’ expectations for reliable information about the food that they eat, we’re excited to partner with Food City and Envisible on this trace and provenance solution pilot, and the promise of Envisible’s Wholechain solution,” said Scott Caro, senior vice president of Fresh, Topco.

“Using Envisible Wholechain, powered by Mastercard, our grocers will be able to stock shelves with confidence and also be able to pinpoint issues in the food chain during any unfortunate events such as recalls,” added Dan Glei, executive vice president, Merchandising and Marketing, Food City.

With over 100 blockchain patents filed, Mastercard is number three globally among top blockchain innovators[1]. The company has built a permissioned blockchain network that is integrated with its global network and provides a secure tamper-proof ledger, high transaction throughput, enhanced security, transaction privacy, and support for multiple use cases with one deployment.

Built on its proprietary blockchain technology, the Mastercard Provenance Solution is industry-agnostic and helps brands provide visibility into product journeys and a clear record of traceability designed to contribute to consumer confidence, trust and awareness. The Mastercard Provenance Solution also provides governance capabilities to complex supply chain networks, leveraging Mastercard’s proven track record of establishing trust and rules in highly-regulated markets.

“The identity of things is becoming even more important as consumers raise demands for transparency,” said Deborah Barta, senior vice president, Innovation and Startup Engagement, Mastercard. “Our provenance solution leverages Mastercard’s established network capabilities, globally-scaled technology, and services, such as payments and counterfeit programs. This allows us to deliver trust, financial inclusion and back-end efficiencies to the marketplace.”

“The sheer volume of global trade makes it difficult to track the journey and authenticity of food,” said Mark Kaplan, partner, Envisible. “We’re excited that Mastercard shares our vision and is driving consumer trust by bringing its significant expertise in using technology at scale with commercial-grade processing speeds, data flexibility and privacy, and security standards to an area that has previously been considerably opaque.”

The company will demonstrate its provenance solution at the Mastercard Booth (#5108) at Money20/20 in Las Vegas from October 27–30.

About Mastercard

Mastercard (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com, is a technology company in the global payments industry. Our global payments processing network connects consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. Mastercard products and solutions make everyday commerce activities — such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances — easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone. Follow us on Twitter @MastercardNews, join the discussion on the Beyond the Transaction Blog and subscribe for the latest news on the Engagement Bureau.

About Envisible

Envisible, an ARKK Food Company joint venture, is led by a team of passionate people driven by an awareness that global food systems are at the core of some of the world’s most pressing challenges.We believe that many of the social, financial and environmental challenges the world is facing today can be traced back to the complex, and sometimes corrupt, systems that have evolved to bring us our food. We offer a combination of technology focused solutions, including our traceability system Wholechain, designed to make food systems more visible so that responsible businesses and consumers can make the right decisions that will drive up quality and change supply chains for good.

About Topco Associates LLC

Topco Associates LLC is a $14 billion, privately held, member-owned company that provides aggregation, innovation and knowledge management solutions for its leading food industry member-owners and customers, including grocery retailers, wholesalers food service and pharmacy companies. Topco leverages the collective volume, knowledge and commitment of these companies to create a competitive advantage in the marketplace by reducing costs and offering winning business-building capabilities. For more information, please visit www.topco.com.

Mastercard and Wholechain bringing traceability to food supply chains was originally published in Wholechain® on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

If you are planning to promote and scale a mobile service of any kind there are few better partners than the GSMA. The GSMA represents the interests of nearly 750 mobile operators who serve more than 5 billion subscribers globally. The GSMA also produces a range of industry-leading events, with its flagship event Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona convening more than 105,000 people from 200+ countries and territories in Barcelona each year.

Years before we ever envisioned Fishcoin as an incentive for capturing and communicating data for the seafood industry, our team was already exploring mobile airtime top-ups as an incentive for small-scale fishers and fish farmers because it is one of the few digital touch points that are nearly ubiquitous throughout the world. If you survey a prawn farm in Indonesia it is likely that none of the farmers will have bank accounts, some might not even have IDs, but everyone will have at least one SIM card — and almost all will be using pre-paid mobile plans. The world’s seafood producing nations such as Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, etc. are all still primarily pre-paid mobile markets, particularly in the rural areas so pre-paid airtime top-ups are highly relevant in these markets.

Most of us who live in post-paid mobile markets tend to think of the money we spend on our mobile data like we do a utility payment — I pay my water bill each month so my faucet will turn on, and I also pay for my mobile airtime so I can talk with my friends, connect with co-workers and surf the internet. It is an entirely different paradigm in pre-paid mobile markets, where users pay for their mobile usage up front and then see their balance drain down like the gas gauge on their car. This is the situation in many emerging markets, these same markets where most of our seafood is harvested. In these markets users see mobile airtime like a currency tied directly back to the money they spent to purchase airtime in the first place.

While we are already connected to more than 600 mobile operators through our wholesale partner, our vision is to go well beyond and to align with the interests of the many mobile network operators that, whether they know it or not, are stakeholders in the seafood industry because of the data that can be transferred across their networks. This brings us to the GSMA.

Who is the GSMA (from their website)

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting more than 750 operators with over 350 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA also produces the industry-leading MWC events held annually in Barcelona, Los Angeles and Shanghai, as well as the Mobile 360 Series of regional conferences.

For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com. Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA

Why are they Fishcoin partners

Having lived in Indonesia, one of the world’s largest pre-paid markets, for more than 5 years, while working for one of the largest mobile operators in Southeast Asia, I have seen firsthand the value of mobile data to users, particularly those at the base of the economic pyramid such as fishers in rural areas. In such areas mobile network operators use airtime rates as a way to incentivize behavior change by doing things like providing discounts to users who can utilize their network during off-peak hours. The concept of incentivizing behavior change is central to the Fishcoin network as we are working to incentivize fishers to capture and communicate data alongside their catch.

Our team has already participated in multiple events with GSMA members and leadership, including their September 2018 board meeting at MWC Americas, where we shared our insights on how mobile can support sustainable seafood supply chains, and their Mobile360 — Digital Societies event in Bangkok, where Alistair Douglas from our team participated on a panel along with Darian McBain from Thai Union and representatives from SecondMuse and True Telecom (see the GSMA Mobile360 Blog for more). We are further initiatives that add value to the seafood industry, align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and provide sustainable and profitable opportunities for mobile network operators around the world.

Interested in becoming a Fishcoin partner?

Companies and organizations throughout the seafood industry are signing up almost daily to be rollout partners in the Fishcoin ecosystem. If you would like to know more about joining our community of partners please read through our white paper, and contact our team.

Partner Profile: The GSMA was originally published in Fishcoin on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

If you are planning to promote and scale a mobile service of any kind there are few better partners than the GSM Association. The Groupe Spécial Mobile Association (GSMA) represents the interests of the global mobile communications industry and thus is one of the most influential organizations on the planet. Almost every mobile network operator in the world can be counted among its members, and its annual gathering in Spain called Mobile World Congress attracts more than 100,000 people who all descend on Barcelona for a single event.

Years before we ever envisioned Fishcoin as an incentive for capturing and communicating data for the seafood industry, our team was already exploring mobile airtime top-ups as an incentive for small-scale fishers and fish farmers because it is one of the few digital touch points that are ubiquitous throughout the world. If you survey a prawn farm in Indonesia it is likely that none of the farmers will have bank accounts, some might not even have IDs, but everyone will have at least one SIM card — and almost all will be using pre-paid mobile plans. The world’s seafood producing nations such as Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, etc. are all still primarily pre-paid mobile markets, particularly in the rural areas so pre-paid airtime top-ups are highly relevant in these markets.

For most of us who live in post-paid mobile markets we tend to think of the money we spend on our mobile data like we do a utility payment — I pay my water bill each month so my sink will turn on, and I also pay for my mobile airtime so I can talk with my friends, connect with co-workers and surf the internet. It is an entirely different paradigm in pre-paid mobile markets, where users pay for their mobile usage up front and then see their balance drain down like the gas gauge on their car. This is the situation in many emerging markets, these same markets where most of our seafood is harvested. In these markets users see mobile airtime like a currency tied directly back to the money they spent to purchase airtime in the first place.

While we are already connected to more than 600 mobile operators through our wholesale partner, our vision is to go well beyond and to align with the interests of the many mobile network operators that, whether they know it or not, are stakeholders in the seafood industry because of the data that can be transferred across their networks. This brings us to the GSMA.

Who is the GSM Association (from their website)

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting more than 750 operators with over 350 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA also produces the industry-leading MWC events held annually in Barcelona, Los Angeles and Shanghai, as well as the Mobile 360 Series of regional conferences.

For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com. Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA

Why are they Fishcoin partners

Having lived in Indonesia, one of the world’s largest pre-paid markets, for more than 5 years, while working for one of the largest mobile operators in Southeast Asia, I have seen firsthand the value of mobile data to users, particularly those at the base of the economic pyramid such as fishers in rural areas. In such areas mobile network operators use airtime rates as a way to incentivize behavior change by doing things like providing discounts to users who can utilize their network during off-peak hours. The concept of incentivizing behavior change is central to the Fishcoin network as we are working to incentivize fishers to capture and communicate data alongside their catch.

Our team has already participated in multiple events with GSMA members and leadership, including their annual board meeting at MWC Americas where we provided seafood for the event, and their Mobile360 Event in Bangkok where Alistair Douglas from our team was on a panel along with Darian McBain from Thai Union and representatives from SecondMuse and True Telecom (see the GSMA Mobile360 Blog for more). We are already in discussions about further initiatives that add value to the seafood industry, align with the UN Global Goals and provide sustainable and profitable opportunities for mobile network operators around the world.

Interested in becoming a Fishcoin partner?

Companies and organizations throughout the seafood industry are signing up almost daily to be rollout partners in the Fishcoin ecosystem. If you would like to know more about joining our community of partners please read through our white paper, and contact our team.

At the end of September I was privileged to participate on a blockchain panel at the annual Global Outlook for Aquaculture Leadership (GOAL) event in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Some of the largest and most influential seafood companies and seafood buyers in the world were on hand at the impressive annual event hosted by the Global Aquaculture Alliance. Like most industries, the seafood industry, and more specifically the aquaculture sector, are asking what impact blockchain will have on the future of their businesses.

What is GOAL (from the Global Aquaculture Alliance website)

GOAL (Global Outlook for Aquaculture Leadership) is a pre-competitive event, an opportunity to put day-to-day business aside and bring together all industry segments to discuss shared responsibilities and goals. Since its inception in 2001, the annual GOAL conference has been a must-attend event for the world’s aquaculture thought leaders.

The world’s leading retail and foodservice seafood buyers are always well represented at GOAL. Buyers play a key role in influencing aquaculture production practices through their corporate social responsibility policies and associated sourcing specifications. Among the companies that were represented on stage and in the audience at GOAL 2018 are BJ’s Wholesale Club, Captain D’s, Giant Eagle, Japanese Consumers Co-Operative Union, JD.com, Meijer, Red Lobster Seafood Co., Sysco Corp., US Foods and The Walt Disney Co. Many of the world’s leading seafood suppliers were also be well represented at GOAL 2018.

Key Takeaways

A major takeaway from GOAL is that while this industry, like many, has been reluctant to be an early adopter of new technologies, companies in the seafood industry recognize the need to adapt and to use technology for traceability and other data. Aquaculture accounts for at least half of global seafood production, and the FAO claims that the exchange of reliable data and information is becoming a key issue for the responsible management of aquaculture.

It was also clear that, upon explaining the merits of blockchain, that the audience at GOAL recognized how powerful a decentralized ledger could be to solve problems given the specific conditions of the seafood industry. The power to effectively share data and information makes blockchain a powerful tool that could greatly benefit the aquaculture industry.

As anticipated, we had several large players interested in pursuing projects in their supply chains and we are excited about where this can go for the overall Fishcoin initiative given the size and growth of aquaculture.

Interested in becoming a Fishcoin partner?

Companies and organizations throughout the seafood industry are signing up almost daily to be rollout partners in the Fishcoin ecosystem. If you would like to know more about joining our community of partners please read through our white paper, and contact our team.

Fishcoin At The Annual Global Aquaculture Alliance Conference was originally published in Fishcoin on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Typically the events our team attends are not so much focused on blockchain or the crypto community, but either the seafood industry or mobile technology. While Fishcoin is definitely a blockchain project, our long term success is far more related to aligning with the interests of those who can scale Fishcoin within their own enterprises. In fact, while writing this several of us are actually heading to the Hong Kong Seafood Expo to meet with partners and to speak at the event about Fishcoin — and after that we are headed to the GSMA’s Mobile 360 event in Bangkok to connect with mobile operators who can likewise benefit from the Fishcoin ecosystem. With that said, it is interesting to connect with the blockchain / crypto community from time to time, which is what we had the opportunity to do at the Singapore Blockchain Summit this past week. Below are a few takeaways:

1. Start with a problem, not a technology — This is the typical scenario… teams start with blockchain and then find industries to apply the technology. This is actually a similar pattern to the .com era or other times of technological shifts. Companies find that a new technology represents an opportunity so they start with the technology and search for a use case, rather than starting with the problem to be solved. Fishcoin is very different. With Fishcoin we started with a problem we had to solve (lack of incentives for data sharing within fragmented seafood supply chains) and found that blockchain was well suited to be part of that solution. We weren’t looking to use blockchain, we were looking to capture more data and we found blockchain was a means to get there.
2. Industry focus is critical — Our booth at the Blockchain Summit had a constant stream of people coming to ask questions and learn more about the project. During that time we had numerous people remark to us that ours was the most credible project at the event. While we couldn’t speak for the other projects one way or the other, it does seem like in the blockchain space there are a great many projects that are essentially solutions looking for problems across a wide spectrum of industry verticals. The challenge is that many of these solutions become a mile wide and an inch deep as they try to equally address a wide range of unique challenges, but only at a high level. Not that we have everything figured out, far from it in fact, but in our experience it is hard to get industry adoption at 30,000 feet.
3. Partnerships make all the difference — We were extremely fortunate to be joined by one of our partners, Darian McBain from Thai Union, who was also speaking at the event. In fact, Darian was one of the primary reasons we were at the event. In addition to being an incredible speaker she is also someone who believes in the necessity of incentives and therefore a supporter of Fishcoin. Naturally with all the blockchain projects represented at the conference people had questions about their relevance or scalability, but with Fischoin we had Darian, representing one of the largest seafood companies in the world, who could provide answers.

Just prior to Darian’s talk I had the privilege of giving a 20 minute talk about how we are applying blockchain to the seafood industry. If you listen carefully you can hear some not so subtle Baywatch references in both of our talks.

Below are my slides:

Interested in becoming a Fishcoin partner?

Companies and organizations throughout the seafood industry are signing up almost daily to be rollout partners in the Fishcoin ecosystem. If you would like to know more about joining our community of partners please read through our white paper, and contact our team.

Fishcoin Team At The Singapore Blockchain Summit was originally published in Fishcoin on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

***The following roadmap will be updated on an ongoing basis and with greater specificity based on development progress and the addition of new elements.

Overview

Fishcoin as a concept began not by asking how we can randomly integrate blockchain into the seafood industry, but instead with a simple question related to a practical problem experienced by those in the industry:

How can we incentivize data sharing in fragmented seafood supply chains that often begin (almost 90% of the time) in the developing world?

Likewise, our team’s approach for developing the network Fishcoin enables has always been to solve the practical problems that are preventing data sharing within the seafood industry, and to develop those solutions for scale. Our roadmap is reflective of this approach. We do not build technology in the abstract and then hope the industry finds it useful. Nor do we develop solutions then look for problems. Instead, at each step in our development roadmap we focus on partnering with industry stakeholders to pilot and demonstrate the usefulness of Fishcoin.

Background

In 2014 Secretary of State John Kerry announced the mFish Initiative at the first Our Ocean conference, and members of our team were partners in this initiative along with the U.S. Department of State. Our goal was to provide valuable information (port pricing, weather data, etc.) to small scale fishers, and at the same time to capture data that could ultimately be used for traceability and fisheries management. mFish is currently live on Facebook’s Free Basics in four markets (Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines and Kenya), and although we have provided an accessible platform for capturing such data — mFish is available on feature phones and works even in 2G coverage — the problem of incentives still remains. In fact, this problem exists for almost any digital catch log targeting small scale fishers. Why will fishers and fish farmers take the extra step to provide data on their catch unless they are in some way rewarded? What reward mechanism is ubiquitous, scalable and capable of passing through complex and fragmented supply chains that typically span multiple countries?

Through a great deal of research, and after working on multiple supply chain projects addressing the needs of small scale fishers and farmers, we ultimately concluded that pre-paid mobile top-ups were the right incentive mechanism. This still did not solve the problem of how we efficiently pass value through supply chains and across borders, and integrate the unlocking of value with the sharing of data.

In June of 2017 after meeting with our advisor Antanas Guoga — Member of EU Parliament and blockchain investor — we made the connection when he recommended that we tokenize this incentive. After fleshing out the full concept in our whitepaper, Fishcoin was born. In the time since we have shared the concept with our team’s network throughout the seafood industry and we have received tremendous receptivity. We have now developed an MVP and are in the process of working with supply chain stakeholders to demonstrate value as our engineers build and refine the network.

Near-term Milestones

Due to the nature of this undertaking the following milestones might be better described as development priorities because they are not items to be completed and never revisited. For example, because the seafood industry is so diverse with over 12,000 seafood species the R&D effort will be an ongoing process in different markets and in different supply chains.

I. Expand the partner network

We are proud to be partnering with some of the world’s largest seafood companies, as well as collaborations with the United Nations World Food Programme, Cambridge University’s Banking Environment Initiative, along with multiple technology companies, sensor providers, and NGOs that span the industry. We are also managing the 5th annual Fishackathon, one of the largest environmental hackathons in the world, to bring together a worldwide developer community that are eager to innovate to safeguard our oceans.

II. Supply chain demonstrations

The most important factor in bringing Fishcoin to scale is to demonstrate the value within physical supply chains that involve the diverse mix of stakeholders including producers, processors, consolidators, exporters, wholesalers, distributors, retailers and more. This will not only onboard more partners into the ecosystem, but also encourage them to build DApps on top of the network, enabling our core team to address supply chain issues in context.

The rollout begins with the launch of our demo app for testing in supply chains around the globe. This is followed by adding more open source tools and applications for stakeholders to use once the network is live and the token is already launched. At present we have planned deployments in collaboration with industry partners in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, the US (Alaska), Bangladesh, Australia and more.

III. Token Launch

Upon completion of our initial token sale we will be distributing the token and launching on multiple exchanges (to be announced in the coming weeks). This will also enable our team to scale the mobile top-ups platform which ultimately provides a strong incentive for data sharing amongst the many small scale fishers and farmers in rural, pre-paid markets.

IV. Network and protocol development

Fishcoin is designed to be a token that enables incentives across a peer-to-peer network of seafood supply chain stakeholders all operating within a common framework for storing and sharing data. We call this the Starfish Protocol. The technology stack for this network includes four layers: 1) an Application Layer, 2) a Network Layer, 3) Decentralized Storage (IPFS) and 4) the Ethereum blockchain. At present we are already deploying the MVP application in real supply chains and hashing data on the Ethereum Rinkeby test network. This is a meantime solution while we build out the network layer and protocol whereby 3rd party developers and industry stakeholders can innovate and build their own applications.

V. 3rd party support

Multiple 3rd party developers and sensor providers have already begun exploring building on top of the Starfish Protocol. Two examples are Seafood Analytics, who provide bioimpedance sensors for measuring the freshness of seafood, and The Ocean Foundation who have developed a lower cost ocean acidification sensor that can help industry players understand the resiliency of their supply chains, along with helping researchers better understand the threat of ocean acidification. Additionally we are managing the 5th Annual Fishackathon in partnership the US Department of State and this year will be focused on data capture (sensors, IoT) and data sharing (blockchain, Fishcoin). In addition to making all Fishcoin IP open source on GitHub, we will also be providing thorough documentation, developer libraries and pre-built components for popular frameworks starting with those used by partner organizations. Last year’s Fishacakthon had over 3,500 participants.

Development Roadmap

Q2, 2018

• Partner network development — Drawing on our team’s extensive industry network and the trust we have earned throughout the years we have developed a strong base of partners to scale Fishcoin.
• MVP development — A basic CDT (Catch Documentation and Traceability) application built in Angular for passing records between supply chain stakeholders while using a smart contract to reference those transactions on the Rinkeby Testnet. This is mostly for supply chain demonstration purposes while the full network and protocol are being developed.

Q3, 2018

• Demo mobile app launch — We begin private demonstrations of the MVP and will be making it available for private beta testers on Google Play and the App Store. We will also be adding a QR code handoff feature for increased verification.
• Supply chain demonstrations — Our team is already scheduled to be in Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia in collaboration with multiple Fishcoin partners working primarily on shrimp/prawn farms demonstrating traceability back to the feed. We already have deployments planned with NGOs and multiple seafood companies including one of the larger in the industry.
• Mobile incentive platform development — We demonstrated mobile top-up transfers in Thailand and Indonesia, and initiated development of the platform MVP as well as our direct partnership with mobile industry partners.
• Token Sale — We began the Private Sale phase of the Fishcoin Token Sale in approved jurisdictions with immediate interest from blockchain and seafood industry insiders. The Presale will begin in September and the Crowdsale in October.

Q4, 2018

• Mobile incentive platform MVP launch — We have multiple partner announcements related to scaling mobile incentives to be made in the coming weeks. Check back on our Medium soon.
• Supply chain demonstrations — In addition to continued demonstrations in Thailand and Indonesia, we have interest from partners to deploy in the US (Alaska), India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Kenya, Mexico and Ecuador. As with all supply chain pilots and demonstrations, the intent is to follow actual seafood trade so we will follow the lead of partners and announce locations on Medium as they are confirmed.
• Sensor integration w/ demo app — We will be enabling Bluetooth with the demo app in order to pilot using Seafood Analytics’ sensors, providing freshness related data from harvest to consumption.
• Starfish Protocol Network (Alpha) — This will be the first version of the Network Layer using IPFS and Ethereum. This early release will be focused on the KDEs (Key Data Elements) required for SIMP (the US Seafood Import Monitoring Program).

Q1, 2019

• Starfish Protocol Network (Beta) — In addition to general refinements to the protocol this version will begin to incorporate a wider set of data standards in cooperation with other data initiatives in the seafood industry, as well as a wider scope beyond the KDEs required for SIMP.
• Supply chain demonstrations — We will continue execution of supply chain demonstrations from our queue of early partners.
• Partner transition to scale — While our early pilots are focused on demonstrating value to the industry, in early 2019 we will be helping those early pilot partners to begin operationalizing and scaling their usage within their supply chains. As an example of scale, it is not uncommon for seafood companies to have thousands or even tens of thousands of small-scale producers in their network for certain species.
• DApp demo — In parallel to the Starfish Protocol Network development, we will also be building a new hybrid DApp demo that will ultimately replace the original MVP. This will demonstrate how stakeholders can utilize the decentralized network, but at the same time partition elements of data capture that can be for the company’s proprietary operations.

Q2, 2019

• Starfish Protocol Network (mainnet launch) — In addition to fixes and refinements, this release toward the end of Q2, will focus on broadly aligning with existing global standards within the seafood industry, as well as those required by various major regulatory bodies (US, EU, etc.)
• 5th Annual Fishackathon (June 9th-10th) — After years of collaborating with the US Department of State on Fishackathon we were asked this year to manage the global event with a focus on blockchain. Last year’s event attracted more than 3,500 developers from 40+ cities in 30+ countries, in addition to global brands who sponsor the event each year. We will continually use this annual event to attract a wide developer community.
• 3rd party support — We will be constantly updating developer documentation along with open source developer libraries and prebuilt components for developers building on top of the protocol.
• Supply chain demonstrations — We will continue execution of supply chain demonstrations from our queue of partners eager to use blockchain in their supply chains.

Q3, 2019

• Supply chain demonstrations — We will continue execution of supply chain demonstrations from our queue of partners eager to use blockchain in their supply chains.
• Network and protocol refinement — The focus will be adding additional standards and data types in collaboration with both public and private stakeholders.

Q4, 2019

• Supply chain demonstrations — We will continue execution of supply chain demonstrations from our queue of partners eager to use blockchain in their supply chains.
• Update focused on IoT / sensor data standards — We envision that as more business models become available to sensor providers in the seafood industry, the cost of sensors will dramatically decrease resulting in a significant increase in data capture within the industry. In anticipation of this trend we will be focused on aligning with existing standards, as well as creating new standards in collaboration with partners, for IoT sensor data in the seafood industry.

Interested in becoming a Fishcoin partner?

Companies and organizations throughout the seafood industry are signing up almost daily to be rollout partners in the Fishcoin ecosystem. If you would like to know more about joining our community of partners please read through our white paper, and contact our team.

*The following is a press release published by on July 31, 2018 by the Minderoo Foundation — a Fishcoin partner.

Minderoo Foundation, one of Australia’s largest philanthropic groups, today announced the launch of a $100 million Minderoo Ocean Research (MOR) initiative to help study and protect global marine life. The landmark donation will be invested in new efforts to track global fishing patterns, fund research into ocean plastics pollution, and develop a world class research facility at Exmouth near Australia’s iconic Ningaloo Reef to study the migration of sea life through the Indian Ocean.

Minderoo plans to partner with a range of institutions to establish globally impactful interventions in the marine conservation space, and has established informal collaborations with leading groups including the Sea Around Us, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Ocean Elders, University of Western Australia’s Marine Futures Lab, James Cook University’s College of Science and Engineering, The University of Queensland’s Centre for Marine Science, University of Technology Sydney, University College London’s Department of Geography, University of Plymouth, Oceana, Global Fishing Watch, Eachmile Technologies (creators of Fishcoin), The Ocean Health Index, The Living Planet Global Footprint, Overseas Development Institute — ODI, FishSpektrum, WA Museum, The Red List Index, Luc Hoffmann Institute and WWF Australia.

Speaking aboard the Pangaea Ocean Explorer, a state-of-the-art deep water marine research vessel purchased commercially by the Forrest family and to be loaned to marine conservation efforts, Minderoo Foundation’s chairman Andrew Forrest said Australia needed to do more to lead the world in ocean research as part of its responsibility in managing one of the world’s largest ocean regions.

“Minderoo is making this timely commitment to support Australia’s oceans at a moment when we are losing sight of our responsibilities to sustainably manage the vast seas under Australia’s control,” Mr Forrest said. “We need to recognise from a recreational and business perspective, not just an environmental perspective, that looking after our oceans is a vital duty we owe to our children and grandchildren.

“Australia leads the world in many areas of ocean research and conservation, but there’s so much more to do once we realise the dire shape our oceans are in. Catches from wild fisheries in Australia have fallen by over 30% over the past few years, and are still falling. Overseas entire fishing industries have been bankrupted and shut down, and numbers of some fish species have plummeted by 90%.

“This helps no one. Not recreational fishers, not industry, and certainly not the environment. “We can and must do better”.

Minderoo’s long-term plans to study and conserve ocean life include a commitment to found a Global Fishing Index, following Minderoo’s success establishing the Global Slavery Index, the fourth edition of which was launched at UN Headquarters on 19 July 2018.

“A Global Fishing Index is a highly welcome initiative,” said Professor Daniel Pauly, head of the Sea Around Us project at the University of British Columbia, an international research initiative dedicated to assemble and interpret fisheries data. “We have good data on global fisheries both for the status of fished species and for the movements of fishing vessels. The Global Fishing Index will translate that knowledge into impact, assisting countries and businesses to improve their practices and thus ocean sustainability.”
“Minderoo’s evidence-based approach to advocacy has delivered great dividends for victims of modern slavery in recent years,” said Fiona David, Research Chair at Minderoo Foundation. “We now hope to translate that impact to sustainable ocean management, be it through tracking plastics and noise pollution, fishing patterns, or marine migration.”

Minderoo has also committed to establish a world-class research facility in Exmouth as part of the Ningaloo Centre. Exmouth is the gateway to the Ningaloo reef which is one of the longest near-shore reefs in the world and Australia’s largest fringing reef system. By opening the door to world leading research, Minderoo expects the region will receive greater scientific recognition and continue to attract more tourism.

“Telling the story of Ningaloo Reef through scientific research is essential to attracting international and local visitors to this unique region,” said Cameron Woods, Chief Executive Officer for Shire of Exmouth. “We expect new jobs, increased tourism, and renewed appreciation of Exmouth through this critical investment.”

Interested in becoming a Fishcoin partner?

Companies and organizations throughout the seafood industry are signing up almost daily to be rollout partners in the Fishcoin ecosystem. If you would like to know more about joining our community of partners please read through our white paper, and contact our team.

Minderoo Foundation announces landmark $100 million donation to ocean research was originally published in Fishcoin on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.