On this episode of The Road Forward we’re sitting down with Ellen Carey, VP of global policy and public affairs for Circulor, a company that specializes in blockchain tracking.

Circulor’s mission is to bring transparency for better and greater business opportunities. They are a global tech company that tracks materials across the supply chain from raw materials to finished products. This means customers can be informed about exactly what they are buying.

A prime example of this is batteries– a commodity that is becoming increasingly important as more things are going electric. Circulor can track cobalt–a material used in batteries–from the time it is mined until the finished battery is produced, ensuring that it was ethically sourced and no child labor was used in its mining. 

“We want to ensure the products that we’re buying come from places that are treating people and our environment well.”

–Ellen Carey

How does the tracking work? Put simply, it’s a system of checks and balances. There are different data inputs such as QR codes that ensure all the information received is accurate, giving the customer peace of mind.

Some of Circulor’s top customers include Volvo, Mercedes, and BHP.

Circulor also has the potential to track products even after they have reached the end user. Take a smartphone for example: once it has reached the end of its life, instead of sitting on a shelf somewhere, Circulor’s technology could actually track the phone to let the customer know that it will be recycled and how the materials will be used. 

Why is this beneficial? Not only is it good for the environment, but having the ability to track and reuse materials instead of having to outsource for new materials has economic benefits as well. 

If companies and consumers are able to have full transparency on the materials and goods they purchase from start to finish, they can contribute towards systematic improvements to make the world healthier as a whole. 

Be sure to check out the full episode to learn more about the work Circulor is doing, get the latest in trucking news, and see some real drive cam footage. 

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