Blockchain-Based Framework for Supply Chain Traceability

Abstract

Alcohol counterfeiting, which negatively affects people’s lives in terms of economic, health, and social aspects, is one of the crucial problems that arise in many countries. For this reason, information should be made visible and traceable in all current flows of manufactured products from the raw material supplier to the retailer. In this study, a blockchain-based system architecture is proposed to ensure the traceability of raki (an anise-flavored Turkish drink), which is heavily counterfeited in Turkey. The information that adds value to the product is recorded in blocks in the blockchain, which is the building block of the system architecture, and this recorded information can be viewed by the relevant stakeholders. Product traceability is carried out with two smart contracts. With the Asset Registration Smart Contract (ARSC), assets are identified in the digital layer and the lot ID is assigned to the assets. The security of these smart contracts is ensured by storing recorded information in the blockchain, where it cannot be deleted or changed. Hyperledger Fabric, a blockchain platform, is used in the proposed architecture. In addition, QR codes integrated into the system act as a bridge between the physical and digital layers, directing consumers to the blockchain layer for traceability. Thus, the consumer will be able to see all the stages of the product that have transparently reached him and will be able to notice any counterfeiting event that may occur. In this context, it is foreseen that the proposed architecture will prevent raki counterfeiting as much as possible and provide transparency and traceability in all processes from raw material to bottle. This paper is arranged as follows. In Sec.  1 , the problem is defined, the solution for the problem is explained, information is given about the technologies proposed for the solution, and current studies on the subject are discussed. In Sec.  2 , the system architecture created for traceability is explained in detail. Section  3 describes the results.