Today, the Responsible Mica Initiative (RMI) and the blockchain-based traceability platform Tilkal announced a solution to enhance the traceability of mica, a mineral dust that is found in makeup products, insulation cables and cement.
RMI has been mapping the mica supply chain in India since 2017, but the process has been manual and thus labor-intensive. The Paris-based NGO – which includes Sephora, H&M, L’Oreal, BASF and Porsche among its 70 active members – aims to combat this transparency issue by using Tilkal’s blockchain technology to create an end-to-end, real-time traceability platform.
For workers involved in mica sourcing, long term inhalation of the mineral can be a severe health risk. The primary regions in India that produce mica, known as the ‘mica belt’, are poor and prone to child labor.
Tilkal’s blockchain traceability tool will help RMI verify the supply chains of its members and will equip them with the relevant information to implement responsible workplace practices.
Information is captured along the mica supply chain in a decentralized network. The confidential data can be uploaded onto a shared common database that can be accessed by supply chain stakeholders whilst maintaining security.
“The state-of-the-art blockchain tool from Tilkal that we’re going to use will take our program to the next level, giving us more detailed and timely data. Blockchain will help us monitor our supply chains, identify where & who RMI can further support,” said Fany Fremont, Executive Director of RMI.
Unique to Tilkal is its Control Tower, which offers a 360° visualization of the supply chain through a customizable SaaS portal. Tilkal’s technology is currently being used by the major global food retailer Groupe Casino on their eggs, honey, and poultry supply chains.
The partnership certainly points toward growing momentum in the application of blockchain to the mineral-sourcing sector. Cobalt and tantalum, which are both used in batteries, were two of the first mineral supply chains to use blockchain technology.
Meanwhile, last month the blockchain mineral traceability firm Circulor raised $14 million in its Series A funding.
