Creating a blockchain platform to show sustainability credentials and provenance of Queensland sugar

The application of blockchain technology in the Queensland sugar industry offers improved traceability and a platform to show validated provenance of sugar produced in Queensland. By using Smartcane BMP and blockchain technology, CANEGROWERS is seeking to provide provenance for sugar, increase market access and provide greater value to growers and the market. CANEGROWERS worked with KPMG Australia to prototype the application of a blockchain platform to prove the amount (on mass balance) of sustainable sugar entering the supply chain from Australia. Industry stakeholders were consulted to develop a Queensland sugar-industry supply-chain map to show how sugar could be digitally represented and traded across the supply chain. A data taxonomy was created to define and identify data so linkages could be created for traceability from the grower to the end-user. The data taxonomy was used to build the blockchain prototype on the KPMG Origins blockchain platform. The research showed that developing a digital supply-chain platform using blockchain technology was possible and can improve the visibility of Queensland’s sustainably produced sugar. This has the potential to leverage market access for sugar, strengthen the industry against global competition, identify means of improving value for growers, and ensure shifting regulatory and consumer changes are addressed. The was the first time blockchain has been developed for the Queensland sugar industry. Future work has been scoped to test end-to-end traceability of Smartcane BMP- accredited sugar through the supply chain using the KPMG Origins platform. Key words Blockchain, provenance, mass balance, market access, sustainable sugar, Smartcane BMP