A gamified QR code app is set to pull a company’s carbon offsets out of its sustainability report and onto retail shelves says the developer, supply chain digitalisation specialist Fresh Supply Company (FSC).
FSC co-founder and CEO David Inderias told PKN that while companies are doing the right thing by purchasing carbon offsets as part of an over-arching environmental commitment, the value is not reflected downstream.
Launched this week, FSC’s C2Zero project means organisations can buy offsets, calculate how many apply to each product, and then, using a QR code, tell consumers how much they have contributed to carbon reduction by purchasing the item.
“Of course, it is correct to be a good corporate citizen, but the problem is that value is lost inside the organisation. It doesn’t travel down to my vendors or my consumers, it isn’t tangible to them. That is the block we are addressing.
“Years ago, we talked about the QR code and traceability. We thought, what if we apply that same train of thought to the purchase of Australian Carbon Units,” Inderias said.
C2Zero has a consumer facing front end, where they can accumulate their credits in a digital vault. There will be scope for the people to share their offsets on socials and with each other – think offset leader boards – as well as for brands to further gamify the app with competitions and prizes.
The offset can apply to the entire product, just the packaging or just the product, and is powered by MasterCard Provenance data solution blockchain, Inderias said.
The first public test of the app is at Sydney Writer’s Festival, from 26 April to 2 May, with Little Marionette Coffee. A consumer product is next in line, followed by a large food company later this year.
