DNV GL and VeChain use case shared on website of the Cyberspace Administration of China

DNV GL and VeChain use case shared on website of the Cyberspace Administration of China

On July 9th, an article from Guangming Daily began circulating that explained how blockchain technology could be used to fight infections. The article featured DNV GL’s health codes (My Care), which are used to show visitors or clients that the facility has undergone proper measures to ensure the safety of the staff and general public. Relevant third-party certifications and data are linked to the blockchain, providing an immutable record that users can check with their mobile devices. 

Now, the article has also appeared on the website of the Central Cyberspace Administration of China, also known as the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission (CCAC). This is a top-level bureau, answering directly to heads of state, including President Xi Jinping and Premier of State Council Li Keqiang. The CCAC is directly involved in setting online policies and regulating the internet, so having this exposure is tremendous proof of credibility for both the solution, the companies, and the infrastructure behind it. This bureau has an enormous amount of influence within China, and is generally conservative by nature, making it all the more significant when VeChain can appear on the web page. 

The article included multiple references to both VeChain and DNV GL, and even included quotes from VeChain CEO Sunny Lu: 

Sunny Lu, Co-founder and CEO of VeChain, believes: “In the ‘new normal’ brought about by the epidemic, consumers’ pursuit of trust is unprecedentedly high. Blockchain technology will improve data integrity and commercial credibility which is an important guarantee for multi-party cooperation and mutual trust.” As a strategic partner of DNV GL, VeChain’s one-stop blockchain data service platform provides a safe, stable and efficient underlying area for this infection risk resolution system using blockchain technology. Sunny Lu told reporters that with flexible frameworks and tools, this blockchain technology platform [ToolChain] can be customized to research and develop according to the application requirements of different scenarios, greatly reducing development and deployment times, allowing enterprises to operate at both a low cost and risk.

Source: cac.gov.cn

While COVID-19 has proven to be devastating for both industries and society as a whole, it has also given urgency to governments and organizations considering the use of new technologies. It has given blockchain technology a chance to shine in areas like data management, traceability, food safety, and TIC (testing, inspection, and certification). Companies like VeChain and DNV GL who are providing blockchain applications for enterprise and public health scenarios are now seeing opportunities to build strong ties with government and business leaders around the world. 

Guangming Daily, where the article first appeared, is a state-owned publication founded in 1949. It focuses on fields such as education, science, technology, culture and theory. It has 37 domestic news bureaus and 23 overseas news bureaus, and its daily circulation is about 1 million copies. The online platform has about 37 million unique visitors each day. 

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VeChain featured in Global Blockchain Applications report published by Shanghai government

VeChain featured in Global Blockchain Applications report published by Shanghai government

At the start of the blockchain session during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization and the Shanghai Finance Information Association released a joint report entitled 2020 Global Blockchain Innovation Applications. The detailed report showed off a number of existing applications using blockchain technology, including VeChain’s Shanghai Gas project, Walmart China’s Food Safety Platform, and the H&M sustainable fashion deployment. The Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization is an official government bureau under the Shanghai Municipal Government. 

The report screened applications based on four metrics: advancement and innovation, quantifiable economic and social benefits, reproducibility and demonstration, and compliance with application case results. It focused on projects across seven fields: Industrial Finance, Governance, Social Livelihood, Judicial deposit, Culture and Entertainment, Intelligent Manufacturing, and Financial services. VeChain was one of the only public blockchains represented, and with three use cases shown off, has further established a clear positional advantage in the Chinese blockchain space. 

The report was launched in a large ceremony during WAIC featuring Liu Shanquan of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization, Xing Bo, President of the Shanghai Finance Information Industry Association, and Wu Jun, Secretary-General of the Blockchain Technology Application Alliance

Featured Project #1: Shanghai Gas

Shanghai Gas’s Energy as a service platform was featured prominently on page 11 of the report, with an explanation of how VeChain’s technology allowed the company to create the world’s first liquified natural gas (LNG) information digitization platform. The platform helped to link upstream and downstream businesses in the LNG industry, allowing the secure sharing of data between operations, sales, receiving stations, as well as insurance and finance services. Information acquired included LNG storage tank data from the Wuhaogou site (pictured below), LNG quality data, LNG order information (including delivery order number, delivery volume, logistics carrier vehicle and crew information, etc.) and loading information. This helped to remove the data silo effect between the Wuhaogou site, logistics carriers, and downstream customers. 

The report explained how VeChain provided blockchain infrastructure and application architecture support, while partners PriceWaterhouseCoopers gave consulting services on project strategy, research and implementation. Included was a look at the Shanghai Gas project roadmap, which included real-time resource trading, innovation finance services, and logistics operations management services. 

Featured Project #2: Walmart China Blockchain Traceability Platform

The second project featured shared how Walmart China, who also presented later in the day at WAIC, are using VeChain’s technology to help meet shopper demand for higher requirements on quality and food safety. The platform shares product data between the suppliers, Walmart distribution centers and  consumers.

Consumers can scan the QR code to view the information of products uploaded to VeChain’s ToolChain platform, such as the source of goods, the geographic location information when it was received by Wal-Mart, logistics processing time, product inspection reports and other detailed information. While not featured in the report, it is well-known that after the success of the platform, it has expanded to include premium products in membership-only Sam’s Club China stores as well.

Featured Project #3: H&M and Arket

This section featured a look at one of VeChain’s earlier projects where they implemented NFC tags into Arket beanies. They discussed how H&M Group is continuously exploring blockchain application scenarios with VeChain in the field of sustainable fashion. 

By working with VeChain and third-party verifiers DNV GL, H&M Group is able to track product life data from raw textile materials, processing plants, garment production logistics, stores, and finally to the customers. The project used smart devices and IoT sensors and allowed supply chain participants to record and view data using either a web app or a mobile app, making integration more flexible.

The full 125 page report is available in Chinese here.

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Sam’s Club in China – is blockchain really being used?

Sam’s Club in China – is blockchain really being used?

For many “partnerships” in the blockchain space, a new announcement doesn’t always mean what the community would expect. Facts are often overstated, raising investor expectations while little action is actually seen on the blockchain. This week’s major announcement that VeChain would be the public chain infrastructure of Sam’s Club in China might have been no different, except for one key difference: the product is already on the shelves. 

Making a case for Sam’s Club

While parent company Walmart China is a major whale in China’s retail industry, Sam’s Club is no minnow. COVID-19 has encouraged the Chinese marketplace to alter their buying patterns from daily shopping to less frequent bulk grocery shopping trips, a trend that has caused Sam’s Club to grow at a faster pace than regular Walmart outlets in China. This double-digit growth has caused Walmart Inc to announce the planned opening of 100 more Sam’s Clubs over the next 8 years.

Sam’s Club in Shenyang

Sam’s Club in China targets a higher class customer by carrying bulk imported items that focus on quality and safety. Having a members-only policy makes the brand feel exclusive, with a yearly fee of around $35 (US) just to make a purchase. Their signature Member’s Mark stamp is applied to products sold throughout the store, with in-store marketing featuring the country of origin and other provenance data, making it an ideal use case for blockchain solutions.

Member’s Mark marketing on display

High ceilings, stacked products, and over-sized shopping carts encourage the shopping spree mentality

So are they using VeChain or not?

Sam’s Club members are no stranger to technology – the membership is registered through a WeChat Mini-program, and many products throughout the store have QR codes offering more information. Their online service offers home delivery in under one hour, a major attraction for consumers, especially in a country still cautious about potential virus infections.

After a quick look around Shenyang’s spacious Sam’s Club, it didn’t take long to find products tagged with the Blockchain Food Safety & Traceability QR Codes (powered by VeChain’s ToolChain). An entire freezer section of fresh chicken meat from Tyson Foods was tagged. The QR codes shared the details of the product’s journey from being raised and processed in China’s Shandong province to the store in Liaoning’s capital city. It’s worth noting that Tyson Foods China was established in 2001 and is a subsidiary of the US company Tyson Foods.

This entire freezer of Tyson’s chicken products was tagged with VeChain-linked QR codes

Screenshots of the blockchain traceability landing page

It’s clear that efforts from Sam’s Club to validate products from third-party suppliers is swinging into force. A glance at vechainstats.com shows that daily data clauses on weekdays are now routinely over 100k – a marked increase over the inconsistency of previous months. As the traceability program continues to roll out and cover more products, an optimistic outlook becomes more probable over the coming months.

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Norway in a Box launches prize draw to boost NiBchain adoption and obtain feedback

Norway in a Box launches prize draw to boost NiBchain adoption and obtain feedback

We wrote about Norway in a Box last year, when we also documented their attendance in “The 1st Important Product Tracing Expo” in Shanghai.

Norway in a Box is an exporter of high-quality Norwegian products such as seafood, health products, mineral water, household goods. Their core product is known as NiBchain; a supplier and order management system that guarantees the origin, sustainability and safety of their food products. Integrated with MyStory™, NiBchain enables customers to verify information such as certificate of origin, health certificate, product journey, temperature log, producer information or farm information of individual items. Suppliers can enter product information into the NiBchain software suite, which then writes critical data to the VeChain mainnet.

 

The platform has now been used by thousands of end consumers and, to continue increasing user adoption and improve their goods and services, Norway in a Box has announced a monthly prize draw contest in China.

To participate, buyers simply need to locate the My Story™ QR code on their product’s box and scan it with the WeChat app. The user will then be redirected to a login page where they can find, fill and submit a questionnaire to share their suggestions, opinions and experience. It is important to note that to be eligible, customers also need to add the brand’s WeChat account to be added to the sweepstake’s WeChat group; where the winners will likely be announced.

Earlier this May, DNV GL Business Assurance (China) posted an article describing how Norway in a Box, DNV GL, and VeChain were working together to solve China’s food safety problems using digital solutions. This shows a renewed push by Norway in a Box to increase their exposure within China. It will also be encouraging to VeChain supporters to see another region continuing their commitment to the public blockchain platform as a tool to increase trade with China, with now Foodgates in France, APAC Provenance Council in Australia and New Zealand, and DNV GL’s Belt-and-road initiative throughout central and western Asia.  

NiBchain landing page

For more information about Norway in a Box and NiBchain visit their websites here and here.

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VeChain’s video playlist lands on China Media Group’s 5G streaming platform

VeChain’s video playlist turned up on China Media Group’s Yangshipin, a new national-level video platform aimed at the next generation of 5G devices. The platform is optimized to handle 4k and 8k videos and livestreams. CCTV is managed under the State Administration of TV, Film and Radio, a top-level government organization. The app has around 90 million downloads on major app stores, and is a great way to gain more recognition among Chinese enterprises, business owners, and regular citizens.

The playlist includes a number of videos introducing VeChain’s blockchain solutions, as well as their partnership with DNV GL, the low-carbon ecosystem, vehicle solutions, and other information about VeChain.

This appears to be part of VeChain’s plan to keep promoting their blockchain platform in a responsible way, within existing regulation structures. With China forbidding many aspects of cryptocurrency marketing, to have been included in a national-level platform shows that their compliance efforts are not being wasted. By having the blessing of the strict national government, VeChain will continue being one of the only blockchain platforms with access to a lucrative national and private industry sector.

Videos can be viewed here: Link

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