LG CNS, a subsidiary of South Korean multinational conglomerate LG Corp., will apply blockchain to foster supply chain transparency for school cafeteria lunches. The news was reported by business technology site ZDNet on July 9. The new system — created in collaboration with local IT service provider SayIT — will be based on LG’s proprietary blockchain platform, “Monachain,” which first launched in May 2018. In cooperation with regional governments, the system will be implemented for foods served at national school cafeterias and will provide transparent information and supply chain history for the agricultural products used. The data will include information …

The global blockchain supply chain market is expected to reach over $9 billion by 2025, according to a study published by market research and consulting firm Allied Market Research (AMR) on July 8. AMR estimates that the global blockchain supply chain market will amount to $9.85 billion by 2025, showing an 80.2% surge of the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2018 to 2025. Among the key driving factors, AMR named the sector’s demand for transparency, and improved security of supply chain transactions blockchain could purportedly ensure. By industry vertical, the retail sector is forecasted to lead in terms of …

Tech giant Oracle and the World Bee Project are developing a blockchain-based sustainability assurance system for honey on the supply chain, according to a report by Ledger Insights on July 5. The honey-tracing blockchain will reportedly be developed on the Oracle Blockchain Platform. According to the report, this partnership aims to launch a “BeeMark” label, which is a purported guarantee that so-labeled honey comes from ecological and sustainable sources. In addition to blockchain technology, BeeMark also plans to make use of data science to monitor environmental factors pertaining to the bees’ surroundings. Oracle also plans to install monitoring systems inside …

Maritime shipping firms Ocean Network Express and Hapag-Lloyd have joined blockchain tracking platform TradeLens, financial news outlet The Wall Street Journal reports on July 2. The Japan-based Ocean Network Express and Germany-based Hapag-Lloyd will join the TradeLens platform launched by Danish logistics conglomerate A.P. Moller-Maersk and tech behemoth IBM. As Cointelegraph reported at the time, the world's second-largest shipping company Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC) and fourth-largest container shipping firm CMA CGM, have joined blockchain shipping platform TradeLens in May. The platform aims to reduce paperwork and associated costs and time in the logistics industry — which reportedly accounts for $4 …

Swiss-headquartered food retail giant Nestlé announced its intention to track its products along the supply chain with blockchain technology in a press release published on July 2. The project is jointly pursued with OpenSC. As Cointelegraph reported at the time, OpenSC is a blockchain platform launched through a partnership between WWF-Australia and global corporate venture BCG Digital Ventures in January. Nestlé claims that — thanks to this project — it becomes the first “major food and beverage company to announce that it will pilot open blockchain technology in this way.” With the OpenSC platform, consumers will reportedly have access to …

Walmart China plans to track food through its supply chain with VeChain’s Thor blockchain, reveals a VeChain press release published on June 25. Per the release, the Walmart China Blockchain Traceability Platform (WCBTP) will be a joint venture by Walmart China, VeChain, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), cattle company Inner Mongolia Kerchin, and the China Chain-Store & Franchise Association. WCBTP has been reportedly announced at the 2019 China Products Safety Publicity Week Traceability System Construction Seminar jointly organized by Walmart China and the CCFA in Beijing. Walmart China already revealed 23 product lines that the system will track and plans to release another …

Alyx — the luxe fashion brand founded by erstwhile Lady Gaga creative director and Kanye West collaborator Matthew Williams — is launching an IOTA-based pilot for supply chain transparency. The news was reported by industry magazine Vogue Business on June 24. Williams — who earned a 2016 LVMH Prize finalist nomination for his work at Alyx, and spearheaded brand partnerships with Moncler, Nike and Dior Men — has launched the blockchain pilot together with manufacturing giant Avery Dennison and London-based internet of things (IoT) software firm Evrythng. As reported, IOTA is an IoT-focused distributed ledger technology firm, which has created …

Canadian pharmacy chain Shoppers Drug Mart has partnered with blockchain company TruTrace Technologies Inc. to launch a pilot program for cannabis supply chain tracking via blockchain, according to a report by Bloomberg on June 17. According to the report, this blockchain tracking system will be used to identify and track medical cannabis, with data included such as the strain’s source and genetics. This data will purportedly allow doctors to issue more effective prescriptions, as well as provide robust information for medical marijuana clinical trials. Shoppers Drug Mart executive Ken Weisbrod commented on how this new level of specificity can help, …

Austrian steel trading company Alukönigstahl is working on a blockchain-based steel trading data system, local media outlet industriemagazin.at reported on June 13. Alukönigstahl CEO Stefan Grüll is working on the business model of a blockchain-based steel trading database dubbed “STEEL but SMART,” which targets traditional use cases. Within the framework of the project, Grüll reportedly founded a separate company called S1Seven GmbH that undertakes all blockchain-related activities. Specifically, the system is set to provide stakeholders with clear data on steel products’ origin, account and industry standards, as well as information about product properties, processing, and deployment. As a result, the …

Major enterprise contract management service Icertis will collaborate with Microsoft to expand its blockchain-based contract solution, the company announced on June 11. By entering the collaboration, Microsoft will help Icertis to extend its Icertis Blockchain Framework, which is designed to enhance the transparency and efficiency of contractual frameworks using smart contracts technology. The Icertis Blockchain Framework offers a blockchain-powered solution to track contractual requirements and commitments, improving the quality of collaboration and accountability. The tool aims to solve various problems associated with contractual arrangements on the supply chain, including combating the use of child labor, conflict materials and tainted food …

United States seafood trade association National Fisheries Institute (NFI) is working with IBM’s blockchain supply chain solution Food Trust to trace seafood, food-related news outlet FoodOnline reports on June 11. Per the report, this is the first effort to track multiple seafood species jointly pursued by multiple companies. Furthermore, NFI members representing harvesters, importers, processors, cold storage, foodservice restaurants and retail are all reportedly involved in the program. The project is purportedly funded by the Seafood Industry Research Fund (SIRF), whose chairman Sean O’Scannlain commented on the development: “Traceability is nothing new to the seafood community but blockchain is [...] …

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has partnered with four global high-profile firms to apply blockchain in the drug supply chain, tech media outlet ZDNet reports on June 13. The FDA has reportedly teamed up with companies including IBM, Walmart, Big Four auditor KPMG, and the world's oldest pharma firm Merck in order to build a proof-of-concept (PoC) blockchain network to share and track data on distribution of prescription drugs. According to the report, the initiative is connected with the United States Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) and intends to assist the FDA — as well as …