BASF Corporation and arc-net have announced a collaboration which will use blockchain technology to capture and analyse sustainability livestock production along the supply  chain.

Northern Irish company arc-net has already made a name for itself using blockchain to create transparency in the agri-food industry. 

As part of this collaboration, BASF will use its tailored calculation tool,  AgBalance Livestock to provide science-based information on environmental impacts along the animal production value chain.

With global pressure to reduce emissions from the agricultural and livestock sectors, consumers and regulators worldwide are becoming more focused on setting defined sustainability criteria.

BASF and arc-net are collaborating to support the animal production value chain in meeting these demands. BASF’s calculation tool AgBalance Livestock considers the life cycle impact of all inputs and outputs of animal protein production, i.e. from feedstuffs and feed production, to animal farming and manure management, to the slaughter.

By combining this tool with arc-net’s blockchain technology, the pair hope to create valuable sustainability information and verifiable data on provenance of meat, milk and eggs.

The preliminary phase of the pilot project will focus on collecting data for evaluating sustainability measures within a controlled setting at the farm level.

In parallel, automated farm-level data capture and environmental output calculation will be combined via blockchain technology. This information is expected to provide environmental footprint along with full transparency and traceability along the entire value chain.

In the future, the collaborators hope it will enable consumers to make informed choices about the meat they eat via an on-pack unique scannable code, providing information on the product’s provenance and environmental footprint.

“Venturing into this collaboration with arc-net is a key milestone in our efforts to enable our customers to grow sustainably,” said Alexa Beaver, Digital Innovation, BASF. “We never stop thinking about what more we can do to create valuable sustainable measures, and this project is a great step forward.”

 Kieran Kelly, CEO of arc-net, added: “The pilot aims to show how this application of the arc-net Blockchain and AgBalance Livestock tool can support a connected community to increase collaboration and provide valuable insights on how environmental impacts can be mitigated across the livestock sector.

“Working with BASF to promote sustainability and innovation to deliver better outcomes is extremely exciting and arc-net is looking forward to helping BASF and its customers achieve their goals and objectives worldwide.”