Using blockchain to improve vaccine and food distribution

Over the past few months, billions have rolled up their sleeves for a COVID vaccine. However, very few take the time to think about how that vaccine dose made its way from the production facility, which may be on the other side of the world, and into their arms. The same goes for almost anything including food, electronics, cars, and anything in between.

When it comes to supply chains, they can be extremely complex, especially if they necessitate cold storage. Known as cold chains, these particular supply chains require substantial energy to ensure the goods being produced and transported remain at an appropriate temperature. Unfortunately, these cold chains are far from perfect, and as a result, many vaccines will go bad due to cold chain failures. Furthermore, due to high energy costs and inefficiencies in cold chains, close to 80% of the costs of producing vaccines can be attributed to the supply chain.

StaTwig hopes to resolve these supply chain issues by utilizing blockchain technology to improve the efficiency of food and vaccine supply chains. By making use of the immutable, tamper-proof nature of blockchains, StaTwig utilizes open ledgers to create a transparent supply chain.

StaTwig’s platform allows you to track important resources and products, such as vaccines, from start to finish, as they go through all steps from production to distribution:

As the resources go through different segments of the supply chain, the quality and other vital information such as temperature, location, purchase orders, and invoices are recorded. This data is distributed, decentralized and immutable, and therefore establishes trust, transparency, and authenticity in these supply chains.

So, how does this project apply when looking at it from a social justice lens? As highlighted above, due to inefficiencies and flaws in traditional supply chains, a large amount of vaccines go to waste, and the same can be said for food. In fact, according to StaTwig, the percentages of food and vaccines that end up going to waste due to supply chain failures are 30% and 50-60% respectively.

With consideration for the number of people in developing countries awaiting vaccination, and that billions around the world are currently struggling with food insecurity, improving these inefficiencies and failures could go a long way in resolving both of these issues.

How does it work? 

Through their research, StaTwig found that one of the primary issues with supply chains is that they are fragmented and that data collected throughout each of the steps is stuck in organizational silos. They realized that to address this, “we needed to change the way we collect, validate, record and manage data”:

StaTwig’s solution leverages new technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence, and Blockchain to track all products in the supply chain and gather data about each product. Access to such data helps in preventing failures of distribution, predicting the demand and capacity levels, and reducing the cost and wastage of all limited resources.

The solution is open source which allows for easy collaboration and community contribution. With input from other developers and start-ups, this solution can hopefully be scaled more broadly within the supply-chain industry.

This project is still in the early stages, but has already been recognized with support from the World Economic Forum and the UNICEF Innovation Fund, among others. With support from big players, an amazing vision, and a solid team of developers, this project certainly has the potential to disrupt the supply chain industry and improve lives for the better.

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What do you think about the potential of this technology to disrupt the supply chain industry? Tweet us at @Crypto_Altruism to let us know what you think, we’d love to hear from you!