Track and Trace: Supply Chain Transparency

Tracking the provenance of materials, components, and products throughout supply chains can enable anyone along the way to account for their validity and circularity – from the moment they are first extracted or created, all the way through their many life cycles. 

Together, the UNDP AltFin Lab and FairChain Foundation have created ‘The Other Bar’ - a traceability programme that tracks production from source to end product. Additionally, via a DLT-enabled token, consumers are incentivised to re-invest in this production chain beyond their purchase. For example, with The Other Bar chocolate bar, consumers can reinvest in farmers who brought them their chocolate bar by contributing to the purchase of cocoa trees. This includes the ability to track when and where the cocoa tree gets planted. 

The Other Bar has tested the hypothesis that consumers will reward sustainable business practices and brands over those less sustainable. Additionally, it was proved that customers are likely to pay a premium price on a product that is: based on a sustainably managed natural resource; clearly contributes to the livelihoods of farmers/producers; is traceable to respond to specific consumer needs of transparency (verification/proof of origin), and provides options for reinvestment and customer engagement with the natural resource and a producer.