Coca-Cola Joins State Dept., Blockchain Firms, In Effort To Reduce Forced Labor

Coca-Cola is working with the U.S. government and two blockchain companies on a project whose goal is to use the technology to develop a secure registry for workers to help reduce the use of forced labor. The U.S. Department of State will provide expertise on labor protection to the project. Nearly 25 million people work in forced-labor conditions worldwide, 47 percent in the Asia-Pacific region. For food and beverage companies, the forced-labor problem exists in areas that produce sugar cane. Blockchain technology can create a validated chain of evidence that will encourage supplier compliance with worker contracts. Coca-Cola will conduct 28 country-level studies on child labor, forced labor, and land rights for its sugar supply chains by 2020. Blockchain companies involved in the project include the Bitfury Group and Emercoin.