This week we have added 11 ‘blockchain for sustainability’ projects to our platform which now has ~350projects1
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Water Management
Sustainable fish farming through blockchain, IoT, and big data | Hong Kong
Project Description: Fishing is one of the oldest occupations in Hong Kong. The pandemic caused the market to saturate, forcing many fishermen to quit fishing. This led to some farmers practicing unethical fishing practices. To address this situation, Smart Farming Hong Kong is using blockchain, IoT, and Big Data to run semi-intensive fish farming in Hong Kong. The company constructed 12 circular pools, each containing 40 metric tons of water. A camera is monitoring each pool’s activity, along with an underwater camera recording fish behavior in real-time. A separate water filtration system installed in each pool recycles the water. The water consumption is one-tenth that of a traditional fishery, which saves considerable sewage treatment costs. The company uses recycled fish food to feed the fish. This food has been recycled from nearby restaurants, and the company can process up to 30 tons of food waste a day. This method uses advanced agricultural techniques to to improve fish density and hence, overall yield. All the data is then deployed on the blockchain, enabling the company to share it in a secure, safe, and transparent manner in real-time. By analyzing the collected data, the company determines the most efficient and healthy way of fishing, shortens the fish growth cycle, and builds a database for further research with other fishermen or local universities. This information, including fry hatcheries, farming, packaging, and product sales, is then shared with the customers via a QR code.
Expected Benefits:
This project will bring transparency to the fishing industry in Hong Kong, eliminating unethical activities within this industry.
The QR code will eliminate any fake or inferior quality product, ensuring consumer trust stays intact.
Due to transparent operations, the company can command a higher premium on the product, which the consumer is willing to pay.
More Information: China Daily
Encouraging water conservation through NFTs | Global
Project Description: Climate change has forced companies and governments to drive their sustainability initiatives at a faster pace. One major implication of climate change has been water scarcity. According to the WWF, 51% of the global population could be at high water risk. This demands water-focused initiatives to be at the climate action forefront. However, incentivizing farmers and corporations to take water-positive initiatives is challenging. To address this challenge, Kilimo has partnered with WakeUp Labs to launch Water Neutrality NFTs, which will act as a water credit for corporations and farmers. WakeUp Labs has been built on top of a bitcoin’s sidechain (separate blockchain that is attached to a parent blockchain), Rootstock. Providing security and transparency in its operations. Kilimo verifies water conservation and water efficiency in farming operations. This partnership will create NFT certifications providing evidence of water saving by farmers and companies. These water neutrality NFTs can be brought by companies to offset their water footprint, acting as a water credit. Rootstock will be used to mint these NFTs, providing the required security and immutability in their financial transactions. Kilimo will be leveraging Big Data and Machine Learning to authenticate water conservation initiatives implemented by the farmers. This data would be stored on the NFT, in addition to the credit’s vintage year, total water conserved, and price.
Expected Benefits:
Water Neutrality NFTs will encourage farmers to adopt water conservation techniques in their farming operations.
The NFTs would create a new and secure revenue stream for farmers.
This project will expedite water conservation initiatives throughout the world.
More Information: Cryptodaily UK and WWF
Waste Management
Driving circularity in the semiconductor industry | United States
Project Description: The imbalance in demand and supply in the semiconductor industry has created a massive spiral effect among the stakeholders. This has forced companies to overstock their inventories and add to wastage. A sustainable option would be to reuse usable components and deploy a strong waste management solution. However, tracking genuine refurbished suppliers and trust building has been a major concern in this process, discouraging mass adoption. To address this situation, Uticor, a division of AVG Group, is partnering with TrustClarity to purchase refurbished spare parts and components in their semiconductor manufacturing unit. TrustClarity’s software-as-a-service (SasS) platform uses artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain technology to help end users easily identify, list, sell, and redeploy new and used surplus equipment. The company operates end-to-end using the company’s inventory, removing friction during the selling process and logistics issues. All this data is securely deployed on a blockchain network, ensuing trust-building among the buyer and seller. Blockchain eliminates any fraudulent and illicit activity in the whole process, making it transparent and easily traceable.
Expected Benefits:
Reduce the company’s waiting time from 26-52 weeks to mere days, according to the press release.
Eliminate the use of manual intervention during excess inventory selling, saving valuable resources.
This project will force companies not to throw out their usable components, which otherwise end up in a landfill.
This project is facilitating a circular economy in the semiconductor industry in the US.
More Information: Control Global
GHG Emissions
Tokenizing elements to avoid unsustainable mining | Canada
Project Description: Mining is considered the backbone of an economy. However, due to certain unsustainable components in mining operations, especially hard rock mining and toxic tailings, investors feel certain discomfort including mining companies in their portfolios. This creates an opportunity for mining companies to indulge investors more sustainably. To do this, Element United and CanRock Mining have signed a contract to cease mining operations as part of a partnership to digitize CanRock’s entire Red Granite Mine. To do this, the company is using the Ethereum blockchain. Element United will tokenize an undisclosed amount of Red Granite, which will represent one token. This token will be sold to investors by the company, saving the company time and resources if the element had been mined. These digital tokens interact with the unmined Granite in a way that is collectible and rewarding while leaving the elements in the ground and the natural environment untouched. Blockchain will provide authenticity, security, financial safety, and immutability, which would be attractive for new investors. All the data, including the quality and size of Granite, price, token details, and purity, would be stored on the blockchain. It will eliminate any data manipulation, creating a trustworthy ecosystem. This is the first potentially profitable mine deciding that there is more value in the digital application of its assayed elements than in their actual extraction, making this project unique.
Expected Benefits:
This will create an alternative funding route for mining companies to sustainably include new investors.
This project will help mining companies to further drive their sustainable initiatives.
Local communities need not worry about the harmful mining effects after this tokenization.
This project will encourage other mining sites to tokenize their unmined elements, creating a positive environmental impact.
More Information: EIN Newswire
Making carbon credits accessible to purchase | Global
Project Description: Carbon credits demand has been rising since they came out after the Kyoto Protocol. However, this demand has been generally dominated by large corporations that want to offset their massive footprint. In addition to this, the marketplace is complex and fragmented. This has led to a decreased interest in carbon credits in small enterprises or even individuals. To address this, Flowcarbon is partnering with various DeFi service providers including Uberswap, Node Finance, Valora, and Flywallet. Combing all this, this parentship will open doors to new and fresh entrants into the market, increase liquidity, and decrease financial friction. Uberswap will allow Celo users to trade between two Celo tokens (carbon credits). Node Finance will enable users to transact in fewer steps, increasing price transparency. Valora will offer an easy-to-use experience for non-native web3 audiences, by proving them access to different decentralized applications (dApps). Flywallet will enable users to offset their air travel by enabling them to buy Flowcarbon’s carbon credits, which would be linked to their flights. The data generated from all these transactions will get deployed on the blockchain, enabling companies to share this in a secure and immutable manner with each other. All these integrations validate blockchain’s interoperability feature, which can also be further leveraged in different industries.
Expected Benefits:
This project paves way for other DeFi-focused services to create custom partnerships, each leveraging its best-in-class service.
This partnership will create an open and secure marketplace, where anyone can buy carbon credits and offset their carbon footprint.
Carbon credit creates a secure and recurring funding funnel for carbon-negative projects, ensuring smooth operations.
More Information: Business Wire
Blockchain encouraging tree-plantation | Costa Rica
Project Description: Reforestation initiatives are a great and successful way to sequester carbon. However, it becomes difficult for project developers to develop an active interest in the participants, eventually losing interest in the project. To address and curtail these challenges, Alóki has developed a blockchain-based video game allowing users to contribute to sustainable development. This game mirrors real-world action via NFT ownership. The company has bought 750 acres of land in Costa Rica, which will be used as a map in the game. Players can plant a tree in-game, then the company will plant the same tree in real life. The company will also offer staking opportunities, community tokens (blockchain-backed), second NFT sales (in-game reward), and more. All the data, including the mintage of NFTs, would be done using a blockchain network. The data stored in the said blockchain would enable the company to share this data in a secure and immutable manner with all the relevant stakeholders. This game will be launched in the fourth quarter of 2023, according to the press release.
Expected Benefits:
This project will expedite Costa Rica’s goal of becoming fully carbon-neutral.
This project will encourage the young, untapped web3 audience to actively participate in eco-friendly initiatives.
The NFTs can be traded on a secondary marketplace, encouraging users to collect more.
More Information: Crypto News
Encouraging energy efficient practices through blockchain | Malta
Project Description: The current energy crisis demands corporations to use energy efficiently. However, the energy efficiency market is a complex financial ecosystem. The scarcity of funds hinders the transition to energy-efficient models. To address this, Efforce is tokenizing the energy efficiency sector. Efforce connects individuals and entities who want to implement energy-efficient models with others who wish to invest (fund) these models. In exchange, fund providers (consumers or contributors) receive their returns in tokens representing the energy savings achieved. These tokens are minted on a blockchain network, providing easy and secure access to all the relevant information. By registering on the platform, anyone who wants to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings or industrial processes can quickly access investments. All the data generated from this demand-supply matching would get stored on the blockchain, including all the commutation and financial transactions between the parties. The energy generated from this new and improved energy-efficient model will also get authenticated on the blockchain.
Expected Benefits:
This project will expedite the global energy efficiency rate to meet the 2030 targets.
This project will create a new investment opportunity for impact investors, that are growing their portfolios at a steady pace.
Blockchain will eliminate any unscrupulous activity from this process, ensuring trust between parties.
More Information: IB Times
Responsible Supply Chain
Transparent agri-commodity trading on blockchain | Malaysia
Agriculture is one of the biggest industries in Asia. According to Asian Development Bank (ABD), more than 2.2 billion people in Asia rely on agriculture for their livelihoods. However, due to the lack of digitization and opaqueness in this market, it becomes difficult for farmers to procure their input components at a fair price. In addition to this, the traceability of the produce is a challenging issue. To address this, Digital Commodity Exchange (DCX) and KL Tech City have created a vehicle to promote seamless digitalization and internal transparency in agricultural markets in Asia. DCX is a holding company of Rice Exchange, a subsidiary of Fujitsu Ventures Ltd. The company uses hyperledger fabric as a blockchain solution. The partnership will also be leveraging blockchain to build a private marketplace for agri-commodities distribution, including seeds, fertilizers, rice, pulses, grains, and more. Blockchain will be maintaining the day-to-day operations of this marketplace, providing secure and immutable data storing and sharing, and eliminating data manipulation and fraudulent activities. This would enable stakeholders to trace their order from dispatch to delivery, eliminating fake and inferior commodities. Asia would be a suitable place to test this market as it is one of the biggest consumers and producers of Agri products.
Expected Benefits:
A transparent marketplace would enable fair price trading among buyers and sellers.
This marketplace would eliminate profit pools and intermediaries in the agricultural sector.
Farmers can command a higher premium by using sustainable agricultural practices, as all the data would be stored on the blockchain.
More Information: DCX, ABD and Fujitsu
Quality Education
Blockchain driving educational fundraising | United States
Project Description: Many academic institutions lack external funding which leads them to increase tuition or cut research or scholarship expenditure, creating a severe funding gap. According to UNESCO, this funding gap is estimated to be around $39B in the low- and lower-income countries, calling for immediate action. To address this funding gap, BlueRidge Data (BRD) is teaming up with Mint Werx to develop custom-made web3 solutions to facilitate fundraising services. To do this, this partnership will be leveraging blockchain technology. The solution, called DonorFi, developed by Mint Werx, will integrate with existing websites and donation pages, providing an easy way for donors to donate cryptocurrency. Blockchain provides custom processes for end-to-end settlement of donor transactions, simplifying the ability to accept crypto donations and eliminating the need for donors to liquidate their cryptocurrency before donating, all this while being secure and immutable. This will also eliminate any unnecessary intermediaries in this process, making the transaction inexpensive for the donor. All the financial details related to transactions will be recorded on the blockchain, eliminating any fraudulent and illicit activities. This partnership will also utilize NFTs and various other web3 services in the near future, according to the press release.
Expected Benefits:
Blockchain would provide a seamless experience in the fund-raising process, while also maintaining security, encouraging many potential donors to donate.
A steady flow of donations would allow academic institutions to lower their tuition, allowing easy access to education for many students.
This project will open a new funnel of fundraising for underrepresented academic institutions.
This project will enable newer, untapped web3 enthusiasts to donate to various similar projects.
More Information: PR Newswire and UNESCO
Community Health and Wellness
Blockchain enabling secure sharing of medical records | Ukraine
Project Description: More than 12.8 million citizens have been displaced as a consequence of the war between Russia and Ukraine, according to the UN Human Rights Council (OHCHR). Due to this ongoing conflict, many of these people are unable to access their medical records leading to a decreased quality of care and increased risk of preventable complications. To combat this TransCrypts, a document verification platform, launched a blockchain-based medical records service to help make medical records portable for fleeing Ukrainians. Ukrainians seeking treatment abroad will be able to share their verified medical history via a QR code and can translate it to the local language of the host country. Through the TransCrypts platform, physicians can access a patient's complete medical documentation and are also able to view the healthcare provider responsible for creating the respective document. By linking everything with blockchain, the validity of the documents is maintained, and through AES encryption (Advanced Encryption Standard), the documents are kept private and secure from unauthorized access (immutable). According to the press release, during the pilot phase, the company partnered with various grassroots NGOs throughout the EU, making their refugee database more comprehensive.
Expected Benefits:
Blockchain will eliminate any paper trail related to medical records.
This service can also be used to store citizens’ identification and other relevant documents.
Through this service, Ukrainians will be able to securely share their medical documents even remotely.
More Information: Menafn and OHCHR
Biodiversity
Cryptocurrency driving ocean-focused Initiative | Global
Project Description: In order to address the objectives set out in SDG #14 (Life below water), there is an urgent need for a sustainable funding funnel focused on ocean-specific initiatives. To address this, Big Eyes Coin (BIG) has partnered with Save the Oceans Campaign, a charity dedicated to protecting aquatic life and preserving fragile marine ecosystems. According to their website, 5% of the total supply will be held in a charity wallet and thus donated to ocean-saving charities. A separate secure digital wallet will be rated by the developers to store these coins, which will be accessible only to the charity project leaders. Save the Oceans Campaign would significantly make the waters safe for both human and marine life and ensure food security for humans and animals. It would also do a lot to undo the damage caused by unchecked human activity. Blockchain would provide the required security and immutability, eliminating any fraudulent activity in the charity wallet. In near future, BIG will be launching its own NFTs, staking services, swap pools, and creating a like-minded community.
Expected Benefits:
The 5% lock-in would encourage more investors to invest in this coin, building their trust in the project.
Other cryptocurrency projects could get motivated to lock in a certain number of tokens for charities.
This project would create a bridge to overcome the funding gap in SDG #14 financing.
More Information: Tron Weekly and Big Eyes Coins
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