ARMONK, N.Y., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE:
IBM) and Covalent, a fashion brand recently launched by Newlight
Technologies, today announced that Covalent is using IBM Blockchain
technology on IBM LinuxONE so consumers can track the carbon
footprint and supply chain of its sustainable, AirCarbon-based
fashion accessories, from eyewear to handbags.
Purchasing sustainable products is a growing motivation for
consumers. A recent study by IBM showed 57% of consumers
surveyed were willing to change their shopping habits to reduce
environmental impact.
Covalent's products, which can be purchased on its website,
are made with AirCarbon, a biomaterial made by microorganisms that
is meltable and can be used as an alternative to fiber,
plastic and leather. Because it is made using renewable power,
AirCarbon is certified as carbon-negative by the Carbon
Trust, meaning it reduces the amount of carbon in the
air.
In addition to being part of a new category of "regenerative"
products emerging that can have a positive impact on the amount of
carbon in the atmosphere, Covalent's AirCarbon-based products
provide a new level of traceability through the application of IBM
Blockchain technology. Often, when consumers buy products labeled
as sustainable fashion, they cannot see a verified record of how
the product was made or how it affects the environment. Covalent's
products bridge that gap with a blockchain-based number that can be
used to show the steps in the production process for that specific
product as well as its third-party-verified carbon impact so
customers can view impact the product is having on the
environment.
A unique 12-digit number printed on each Covalent product, known
as the "Carbon Date," represents the time when the AirCarbon used
to create that specific product was created. The number can be
entered into Covalent's website to trace the steps that
went into creating the product. The supply chain journey that
brought each product to life is stored in an immutable record on
the blockchain and stretches from when the AirCarbon was formed and
molded into a handbag to who independently verified its carbon
footprint and when it was moved to a stockroom.
"Our goal was to give people the information they need to decide
what kind of impact they want to make," Newlight CEO Mark Herrema said. "With IBM Blockchain and
LinuxONE technology, we can now provide visibility into not only
the steps used to make each Covalent product, but also the carbon
impact that each specific product has on the
environment. For us, that's important, because it helps
make tangible the unique pathway that led to the creation of that
product."
By working with IBM Business Partner Cognition Foundry, a
services provider and systems integrator, Covalent is able to host
its IBM Blockchain solution on IBM LinuxONE, a highly secured
server for mission critical workloads and that provides scalability
and resiliency, including the industry's first and only FIPS 140-2
Level 4 certified Hardware Security Module
(HSM).[1]
"Blockchain's ability to foster trust gives Covalent's customers
a better understanding of how their products were made," said
Alistair Rennie, General Manager of
IBM Blockchain. "In turn, Covalent can create a better
customer experience, and a better opportunity for consumers to
understand how their choices impact the environment. This is
another great example of how blockchain is supporting our mission
of using technology for good."
For information on how IBM is using blockchain for social good,
please visit here.
About Newlight Technologies
Founded in 2003, Newlight Technologies is a biotechnology
company in Huntington Beach,
California dedicated to producing materials that help
improve life. After over ten years of research, Newlight
developed AirCarbon: a regenerative material made by natural ocean
microorganisms that is being used to replace synthetic plastic and
fibers to help solve plastics pollution and climate
change. AirCarbon was named "Biomaterial of the Year" by
the Nova Institute and "Innovation of the Year" by Popular
Science. Newlight was also recognized as a "Technology
Pioneer" by the World Economic Forum and awarded the Presidential
Green Chemistry Challenge Award by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency.
About IBM Blockchain
IBM is recognized as the leading enterprise blockchain
provider. The company's research, technical and business experts
have broken barriers in transaction processing speeds, developed
the most advanced cryptography to secure transactions, and are
contributing millions of lines of open source code to advance
blockchain for businesses. IBM is the leader in open-source
blockchain solutions built for the enterprise. Since 2016, IBM has
worked with hundreds of clients across financial services, supply
chain, government, retail, digital rights management and healthcare
to implement blockchain applications, and operates a number of
networks running live and in production. The cloud-based IBM
Blockchain Platform delivers the end-to-end capabilities that
clients need to quickly activate and successfully develop, operate,
govern and secure their own business networks. IBM is an early
member of Hyperledger, an open source collaborative effort created
to advance cross-industry blockchain technologies. For more
information about IBM Blockchain,
visit https://www.ibm.com/blockchain/ or follow us on
Twitter at @ibmblockchain.
Media Contact:
Anthony Colucci, IBM External
Relations
Anthony.colucci@ibm.com
[1] The Federal Information Processing
Standard (FIPS) Publication 140-2 is a U.S. government computer
security standard used to approve cryptographic modules. It is
issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST). Level 4 is the highest level of security.
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SOURCE IBM