IBM and fashion brand Covalent are teaming up to explore the carbon footprint and supply chain of the latter’s products.
Covalent, a brand recently launched by sustinabile technology provider Newlight Technologies, provides fasion accessories, including eyewear and handbags. The company’s products are made using AirCarbon, a biomaterial which is meltable and can be used as an alternative to plastic and leather.
The brand will use IBM’s blockchain to create a verified record of how its products were made and how it affects the environment. Covalent ‘bridges that gap with a blockchain-based number that can be used to show the steps in the production process for that specific product as well as its third-party-verified carbon impact so customers can view the impact the product is having on the environment’, the companies note.
Each Covalent product will have a unique 12-digit number which represents the time when the AirCarbon, used to build that specific product, was created.
“Blockchain’s ability to foster trust gives Covalent’s customers a better understanding of how their products were made,” said Alistair Rennie, general manager of IBM Blockchain. “In turn, Covalent can create a better customer experience, and a better opportunity for consumers to understand how their choices impact the environment.
“This is another great example of how blockchain is supporting our mission of using technology for good,” Rennie added.
Picture credit: Newlight Technologies
