TEAM CRYPTOMICE
The team’s solution aims at making the validation of the authenticity of a product as easy as possible. By creating a virtual twin which cannot be cloned or falsified, and which is linked to the physical product and registered on the blockchain, stakeholders in the supply chain can verify the digital transfer of the virtual twin. The absence of a virtual twin which would normally be sent ahead digitally through the supply chain, would raise a red flag which could be transmitted to logistics operators, customs and consumers. Only the virtual twin together with the physical product confirm the authenticity of the product.
By using the shipment number already existing for logistics purposes and relating it to the product and its digital twin, the solution enables logistics operators to easily verify authenticity without needing to change their systems. Consumers would be able to verify authenticity through use of an app.
The solution developed by the team is blockchain agnostic. As a next step, the team is looking for feedback from brand owners and a pilot with some of them.
TEAM FIDES
The team’s GOODCHAIN solution ensures that consumers engage with brand owners for social causes while at the same time helping them identify counterfeit products. It also economically incentivises brands by combining social causes and anti-counterfeiting. The solution, which can be used for any type of product, uses secure and cost effective technology.
Every product is identified with a unique secure QR code, applied at the level of manufacture. When applying the QR code to a product, the brand makes a pledge for a certain number of “impact points” in relation to a social cause. Along the supply chain, certification bodies will check that the authentic product is moving through the chain and confirm this with a certificate which will allow customs to fast-track the goods through the system, creating efficiency gains.
When scanning the purchased product, the consumer can scan the code and donate the impact point to the social cause, which will be honoured by the brand transferring an agreed monetary value to the cause. The advantage for the consumer is their contribution to social causes, the one for the brand is the meaningful engagement with social causes and with their consumers. If a consumer cannot redeem their impact points, this means that the product is a fake and this fact is fed back to the brand.
During the Blockathon, the team was already in discussions with other groups as regards to a potential cooperation. As a next step, the team is looking to creating a consortium of stakeholders and, in particular, working with a brand on a pilot project.
TEAM THE PIRATE BUSTERS
The team’s solution, TRUSTTRACK, was created to support customs in identifying efficiencies and leading to a higher success rate in stopping fake products. At manufacturer level, a unique QR is added to the packaged product. The handling units into which packages are assembled are sealed and accompanied by an NFC (Near Field Communication) chip. An unbroken sealed handling unit could be fast-tracked through customs and ease their resources. The system has an integration layer that can integrate with other databases (for example, the EUIPO’s Enforcement Database).
In addition, the team envisages a possibility for the brand to make a reward available. If anyone in the supply chain discovers a fake product, they can claim the reward, incentivising them to perform the checks.
The team considers that the solution would be of particular use to small businesses and for small parcel consignments. They are looking to find a partner and identify brands and freight forwarders for a pilot.
TEAM SEAL
Seal creates Self Sovereign Digital Twins as well as a parcel for secure shipments called Rootbox.
Each product is embedded with a dynamic NFC chip that cannot be duplicated itself, and is registered on the blockchain. This creates a digital version of a physical product, and puts the rights holder in control of creating new products, not the manufacturer. Simply verify with a phone and you know the product is authentic, this completely solves the pain of counterfeiting. The products become self sovereign through the use of smart contracts, which can be used to settle import tariffs directly when you claim ownership of the product. This way, logistics and customs do not need to worry about tax fraud anymore, since all products will be settled according to coded laws. Seal can track the entire journey of a product, even after the point of sale and on the secondhand market, track transport co2 footprint and provide a materials passports for recycling and disposal. Other product services can also be provided by building upon the open standard, such as custom marketing campaigns and customer analytics so brands can develop closer relationships with their fans. A new economic model is invented; when ownership changes, a small fee goes to the rights holder, so brands can make money on aftersales, multiple times over the course of the product lifecycle. Consumers can buy products with confidence on an online marketplace by knowing exactly which specific product are buying with proof the seller still owns it.
The self sovereign products can be shipped in a Rootbox, which are sealed with a tamper-proof chip that links to all the products inside the parcel, so you can see what’s inside without opening the product. This is useful for customs risk analysis and results in zero liability for logistics, who are often penalized when actually the sender should be. As the box passes through packaging and transport, the relevant stakeholders can add information to both the boxes and products inside, for example the weight of the overall box or the route taken. The customs document flow is converted to a data flow, so customs already knows before departure whether or not it should receive custom clearance or not. This prevents customs workload and useless shipping for logistics.As a next step, the team is looking into partnering with a brand of luxury goods as well as a packaging/logistics company for a pilot project.
