SustainChain

Inspiration

"Green business" is a growing trend on the market, with an increasing number of consumers placing value on an organization's commitment to sustainability. Local groups like Sustain Dane and the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Network are eagerly seeking ways to prove their work in these areas, in order to develop business in a way that is sustainable for people, planet, and profit.

To promote a business' commitment to sustainability, a number of sustainability certification organizations have evolved in this space to conduct inspections and grant certifications ranging in areas from energy efficiency to green building construction to social welfare. However, with a growing number of organizations in the certification space, it becomes hard to track multiple certifications and for consumers to gain the full picture of a business' commitment to sustainability.

What it does

SustainChain creates an easy-to-use solution for tracking multiple certifications, in order to ensure a consumer has access to the full business information needed to make conscious, empowered decisions. By using innovative blockchain technology, SustainChain creates a public ledger in which certification approvals are tracked and documented in detail. This allows multiple certifying organizations to document certification checklists about a company in a single location, and for consumers to access checklist details in a centralized, transparent manner.

Doing so would provide consumers with a broader snapshot of a company's sustainability profile, and create a platform where companies can demonstrate their commitment to sustainability initiatives. The City of Madison's Plan for Economic Development cites the need to encourage a marketplace of users who rank sustainability as an essential decision point when locating a business or household. SustainChain would push for this marketplace by providing a decision-making tool.

How we built it

We used IBM's Hyperledger Fabric and composer for the back end, and node.js, html/css, and D3 for the web landing page and visualizations.

Challenges we ran into

We had a tough time narrowing down our use case and setting up the technical structure. This took up quite a bit of our time.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Learning new frameworks, exploring a new technology, and growing as a team!

What we learned

The possible applications of blockchain towards human decision-making, and beyond!

What's next for SustainChain

Next, SustainChain hopes to forge partnerships with existing accreditation organizations, and expand the range of data that is collected and displayed within our network.