Transforming supply chain visibility with Wholechain

December 1, 2023

Impact

Written by: Algorand Foundation

Blockchain-based supply chain traceability platform Wholechain announced at the Algorand Impact Summit that it is partnering with large soy ingredient manufacturers and Rever Consulting, a Brazil-based sustainability consulting firm, to trace deforestation-free soy back to the farm, including soy for aquaculture feed.

Traceable soy will enable companies to make more informed decisions to reduce carbon emissions (soy production for aquaculture feed alone is responsible for 60-90% of emissions in farmed seafood supply chains). It also has the potential for wide scale impact. Companies across the food and agriculture, cosmetics, manufacturing and other industries sourcing soy ingredients will soon need to comply with the EU Deforestation Rule, which requires proof of deforestation free sources.

Traceability will begin with soy cooperatives located in Brazil’s Cerrado biome, where soy production accounted for 28.3% of the biome’s deforestation in 2020. Soy farmers will benefit from verifiable traceability data to sell their deforestation-free product at a premium. The supply chain data for traceable soy will be recorded on the Algorand blockchain. 

Founded in 2019, Wholechain was created by Jayson Berryhill and Mark Kaplan to bring visibility to fragmented supply chains. The founders recognized that over 80% of companies lack end-to-end visibility needed to effectively manage risk, meet consumer demand for transparency, and comply with a growing number of regulations requiring traceability such as the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Rule 204. Wholechain has developed a user-friendly solution offering item-level traceability from source to distribution and retail. The solution is aligned with GS1 standards and is currently being used at scale across commodities and industries, including food and agriculture, cosmetics, manufacturing, and others.

Wholechain allows companies to connect previously disconnected suppliers through mapping entire networks. Its flexible templating system allows for dynamic applications across industries, enabling companies to collect verifiable traceability data for reporting on anything from food safety to carbon emissions to fair labor practices.

6569c73e79ab2f7b64b06ed8_Soy supply chain WC map (1)

Trusted leaders in sustainability are using Wholechain traceability to substantiate ESG claims. These companies are also using Wholechain’s consumer transparency tool to share lot-level supply chain stories using QR codes on packaging. Wholechain’s integrations with other traceability systems, ERP and data collection systems allow Wholechain to serve partners at scale and across supply chains.

The latest release of Wholechain, Version 4, enhances its capabilities through its integration with Algorand. Leveraging the Algorand blockchain allows seamless scaling without compromising environmental impact. It also streamlines onboarding and end-to-end coordination for supply chain partners.

“Wholechain is thrilled to partner with Algorand, providing industry leaders with a trusted blockchain network while they leverage traceability to transform their supply chain practices. Algorand is a great ally in our mission to enable visibility in global supply chains so businesses and consumers can make more responsible decisions.” - Jayson Berryhill, Co-Founder, Wholechain