Tag: madagascar

Estee Lauder Uses Blockchain Technology to Further Beauty Solutions

Estée Lauder Companies (ELC), the American multinational manufacturing giant and marketer for makeup, prestige skincare, fragrance, and hair care products, has established a blockchain platform to meet sourcing standards for its Madagascan vanilla skincare ingredient. 

A better grasp of the supply chain

By piloting the blockchain system, ELC seeks to enhance how it validates the authenticity and quality of vanilla in its products. As a result, it will have a better grasp of what transpires across the supply chain. 

Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids, and its essential oil is often used in beauty products. ELC uses vanilla across 125 products in Aveda, a natural cosmetics brand that figures among the many beauty companies it owns.

According to the announcement:

“The tracking technology has enabled the company to further verify compliance with sourcing standards in its supplier code of conduct, creating an immutable chain of record where claims made by each party cannot be undone later.”

The manufacturer sees the blockchain pilot project as a game-changer in the beauty industry. Furthermore, it is a stepping stone towards realizing its objective of developing robust social action plans and biodiversity for sensitive ingredient supply chains by 2025.

Complexities of the vanilla supply chain

ELC acknowledged that sourcing vanilla is not a walk in the park because it involves complicated issues, such as intensive farming, major climate challenges, and price fluctuations.

Therefore, it views the digital traceability offered by blockchain platforms as an amicable solution in scaling up the visibility needed to facilitate management. In addition, blockchain technology also mitigates complexities across the vanilla supply chain, triggered by unforeseen circumstances like global pandemics or climate change.

The project has already kick-started with 450 Madagascan smallholder farmers on board. The blockchain program deploys an ID card and mobile app given to the farmers to track the pods. 

This cutting-edge technology enables the verification of the vanilla’s quality and source from the farmer to the production facilities in Grasse, France, and Aveda’s manufacturing facility in Minnesota, US. 

In September, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations released a report dubbed The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture, which viewed disruptive technologies like blockchain, the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, and automatic identification systems (AIS) as game-changers in making the global seafood sector more sustainable and profitable.

Samsung Electronics to Use Blockchain in Climate-Focused Reafforestation Program

Samsung Electronics America has committed to the planting of 2 million Mangrove trees in Madagascar in a bid to advance its quota on the fight against climate change.

Per the tech giant’s announcement, the initiative will be handled by Veritree, a startup that specializes in using blockchain technology to track every stage involved in the tree planting process. 

The Samsung tree planting initiative is billed to be completed in the first half of this year, with the tropical trees expected to restore roughly 200 hectares of land and sequester roughly one billion pounds of Cabon dioxide (CO2) over a 25-year period. Veritree’s acclaimed tree planting role will help in deploying blockchain technology to verify and track every step of the reforestation process.

“Samsung’s sustainability journey is an ongoing and multi-faceted one. Investing in tech innovations, such as those that create efficiency improvements and minimize waste, in combination with nature-based solutions, are vital in the fight against climate change,” said Mark Newton, Head of Corporate Sustainability at Samsung Electronics America. “Drawing on our history of open collaboration, we’re teaming up with veritree for the tree-planting initiative as an added way to contribute to a better global society.”

While the cost of the project was not disclosed, the nobility of the exercise was well acclaimed. Trees are very crucial in combating climate change as they trap CO2 which are useful to plants in food manufacture. Trees remain one of the most endangered life forms as humans cut them down for use in furniture and construction. The Madagascar mangrove is one of the most deforested ecosystems in the world, thus accounting for the Samsung initiative in the region.

“Reforestation is one of the best ways to fight climate change. By collaborating with verities, eco-conscious brands like Samsung that aim to do good for our planet instead of just less harm can have accurate, ground-level data on their tree planting impact,” said Derrick Emsley, Co-Founder, and CEO of verities. “Our mission is to make it simple to incorporate nature-based solutions into any business model and we’re excited by our strategic partnership with Samsung.” 

The initiative reaffirms the suitability of blockchain technology in helping to drive accountability in relation to sustainability activities. Prior to Samsung, other tech firms including Volvo have used Blockchain in climate-related programs in the past as reported by Blockchain.News.

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