Context and problem

Today, counterfeit goods with no transparency on their origin or manufacturing processes flood the markets, many times hurting people –physically and economically. Even with standards and controls, the veracity and accuracy in the tracking of the provenance of goods, remains dubious since this black-box process is prone to corruption and falsification.

Recorded and verified cases of the impact of counterfeit goods include:

  • Each year, more than 250,000 children with malaria and pneumonia, common illnesses in poor countries, do not survive after treatment with fake and substandard drugs.

    World Health Organization

  • Since 2012, smugglers caught selling fake drugs sold up to 63 medications to over 3,000 doctors, clinics and hospitals across the U.S.

    WHO.org 2017

  • In 2017, regulators in Mexico seized 10,000 gallons of tainted alcohol from a local supplier after raiding dozens of resorts and nightclubs across Cancun and Playa del Carmen

    VICE.com August 2017

  • Chiapas artisans face major threat from knockoff handicrafts, mostly made in China

    PRI.org August 2018

Something had to be done...

Analysis

Citlalpol is a women’s collective in the central state of Queretaro, in Mexico. Its mission is to support and promote women-manufactured textiles and hand-made apparel. These artisans pride themselves on their ethics and ancestral methods. Each piece is a work of art! For example, Natividad Juarez is from the municipality of Venustiano Carranza, in Chiapas. With her sisters and aunts, they have handcrafted these fabulous dresses. They are 100% handmade, with traditional sewing and stitching, using ancestral techniques such as Bordado de Rococo, Nuditos, Rosqueta, Flor de Olivo. They are an important partner in their community since they buy raw materials from local producers and transformers. But, to a consumer, this is not so evident...

There is no way for a consumer to know that, the hand-made dress she is holding and considering to buy, has really come from Natividad’s shop, or that the raw materials were grown and processed with ethics and quality by her local partners. The only thing the consumer relies on is word of mouth and trust. But with the flood of counterfeit products, it makes it hard to have the certainty that the money she is willing to spend will go to the organizations and people she cares about.

Enter Sello Violeta — The Violet Seal.

Solution

Sello Violeta is a technology platform that democratizes the provenance information of goods and things that consumers hold important to them. It is decentralized, transparent and immutable. Sello Violeta uses Blockchain technology, an incorruptible digital ledger of economic transactions that can be easily programmed to record not just financial transactions but virtually everything of value in a supply chain. Since it is a shared and immutable ledger, the information in it is open for anyone and everyone to see. Hence, anything that is entered on it is, by its very nature, transparent and everyone involved is accountable for their actions.

Natividad and her relatives can now track the whole process from raw materials to finished fabrics within her trusted chain of partners and suppliers who share her same ethics and quality values. And not only that, but the retailer can also verify the origin and journey of a piece at the store he is about to put on display, making sure he advertises and prices it accordingly: as a unique hand-made piece of art that can be worn. Finally, the consumer can rest assured that her money will go support the causes and people she cares about by scanning the Sello Violeta on the garment at the retail store and obtaining the information she needs before she buys it.

Sello Violeta lets you track the provenance of the things that are important to you.

If you want more info on more use cases for Sello Violeta, please fill out the form and we will reach back.