The Internet of Business reports that Unilever-owned ice cream retailer Ben & Jerry’s is teaming with the Poseidon Foundation to create what is being billed as the “world’s first retail platform that connects consumers to their own carbon footprints.”
According to the story, the “platform uses blockchain technology to integrate carbon markets into transactions at the point of sale, giving retailers and their customers the opportunity to support climate change action via conservation projects when they buy or sell goods … The technology allows both sellers and buyers to make each purchase/sale climate neutral or positive, by embedding the item’s carbon footprint into the deal, offering Poseidon users the opportunity to offset it, while enabling them to track the impact of any carbon credits they purchase on conservation projects.”
The story goes on to explain how the pilot program works: “A retailer’s point of sale system reveals the carbon impact of each product. On purchase, this is then added to the customer’s bill as an optional item. When the shopper pays for the good(s) with a credit or debit card, the Poseidon back end matches the details with that person’s profile, buys Poseidon’s native tokens on their behalf, and acquires the equivalent offset in the form of carbon credits. These are added to the customer’s profile, and the blockchain is updated with all the transaction details … The aim is to transform people’s relationship with their carbon footprints, encouraging behaviour change, and using the growth potential of carbon markets to address environmental challenges directly.”
According to the story, the “platform uses blockchain technology to integrate carbon markets into transactions at the point of sale, giving retailers and their customers the opportunity to support climate change action via conservation projects when they buy or sell goods … The technology allows both sellers and buyers to make each purchase/sale climate neutral or positive, by embedding the item’s carbon footprint into the deal, offering Poseidon users the opportunity to offset it, while enabling them to track the impact of any carbon credits they purchase on conservation projects.”
The story goes on to explain how the pilot program works: “A retailer’s point of sale system reveals the carbon impact of each product. On purchase, this is then added to the customer’s bill as an optional item. When the shopper pays for the good(s) with a credit or debit card, the Poseidon back end matches the details with that person’s profile, buys Poseidon’s native tokens on their behalf, and acquires the equivalent offset in the form of carbon credits. These are added to the customer’s profile, and the blockchain is updated with all the transaction details … The aim is to transform people’s relationship with their carbon footprints, encouraging behaviour change, and using the growth potential of carbon markets to address environmental challenges directly.”
- KC's View:
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This is a little abstract, I think, but intriguing … it is an entirely different level of transparency that can be embraced or not by consumers, depending on their interests and priorities.
