Founded by WWF-Australia and The Boston Consulting Group Digital Ventures, Manhattan Beach, Calif., OpenSC gives anyone, anywhere access to independently verifiable sustainability and supply chain data.

The initial pilot program will trace milk from farms and producers in New Zealand to Nestlé factories and warehouses in the Middle East. Later, the technology will be tested using palm oil sourced in the United States. These pilots will allow Nestlé to understand how scalable the system is.

“We want our consumers to make an informed decision on their choice of products, to choose products produced responsibly,” says Magdi Batato, executive vice president, head of operations, Nestlé. “Open blockchain technology might allow us to share reliable information with consumers in an accessible way."

"This open blockchain technology will allow anyone, anywhere in the world to assess our responsible sourcing facts and figures," says Benjamin Ware, global head of responsible sourcing, Nestlé S.A. "We believe it is another important step toward the full disclosure of our supply chains announced by Nestlé in February this year, raising the bar for transparency and responsible production globally.”