Beverage giant Coca-Cola and the U.S. State Department are joining forces to fight the worldwide problem of forced labor using blockchain technology.
Coca-Cola and the State Department, along with two blockchain startups – The Bitfury Group and Emercoin, are launching a project to create a secure registry for workers using blockchain technology, Reuters reported. Coca-Cola said that it has been looking into multiple blockchain projects for over a year.
“We are partnering with the pilot of this project to further increase transparency and efficiency of the verification process related to labor policies within our supply chain,” Brent Wilton, the Coca-Cola’s global head of workplace rights, told Reuters.
Using blockchain technology’s validation and digital notary capabilities, the project will focus on creating a secure registry for workers and their contracts, explained Blockchain Trust Accelerator (BTA), a non-profit organization involved in the project.
The blockchain solution will be built by The Bitfury Group, while Emercoin will provide blockchain services. The State Department will provide its expertise on labor protection.
“The Department of State is excited to work on this innovative blockchain-based pilot,” Deputy Assistant Secretary Scott Busby told Reuters. He said that while blockchain cannot force companies to comply with labor contracts, it creates a validated chain of evidence that will encourage compliance with such contracts.
Established in 2016, the BTA is a platform for harnessing blockchain technology to solve social impact and governance challenges. It operates as a not-for-profit collaboration between New America, The Bitfury Group, and the National Democratic Institute.
