An innovative Smart agrifood project launched by a business network of leaders in environmental and social sustainability is now entering its final phase
Altromercato, a non-profit social enterprise active nationwide in fair trade, Mangiarsano, one of the leading players in the organic sector in Italy, and Perlage Wines, among the first B Corps in the country, have teamed up with an innovative startup, Vicenza Organic Food, and with the Verona Science and Technology Park to pilot a Supply Chain 4.0 concept.
Transparency and traceability, but also the sharing of information within and beyond the supply chain and the engagement of the end consumer, are the goals of this innovative project. To achieve this, a digital tool was developed capable of highlighting the distinctive features of companies that place sustainability — social, environmental and economic — at the heart of their mission. The project was recognised as being of interest by the Veneto Region within the framework of collaborative R&D activities for piloting new sustainable technologies, products and services, and was supported by funding made available through the European Regional Development Fund.
The project stems from the awareness that, for a growing number of consumers worldwide, the quality of a food product is also measured by its ability to bring benefits to the community and the area in which the producing company operates. There are many small and medium-sized enterprises, particularly in Italy, that pursue product quality and sustainability. Today, however, they have to contend with a proliferation of “green” claims — the result of purely commercial operations that cause economic harm to those in the agri-food sector who have made sustainable development a cornerstone of their business.
Over the course of the project, which began in 2019, the aim was to create a first digital platform capable of tracking every step taken by the products of two sustainable supply chains: organic Prosecco Superiore DOCG and fair-trade sugar. Supply Chain 4.0 seeks not only to guarantee the origin and quality of the product, but also to trace the social and environmental impacts linked to the two projects — in particular: the price paid to farmers, the way relationships with suppliers are managed, and how the final price paid by the customer is distributed among the various players, such as producer, processor and distributor. The platform is supported by a data-protection system known as blockchain, which makes the information entered tamper-proof and offers the end customer a further guarantee.
