Provenance

Verifying social and environmental impact for consumers.

Past and Current Partners

Unreasonable Group, Omidyar Network Plug & Play accelerator programme

Active Countries

Over 16 countries

Thematic area(s)

Climate

Technology

Open Source, SaaS, Blockchain

Organisation Name

Provenance

The Problem

A lack of actionable information and an increase in greenwashing means that billions of shoppers are unable to shop in line with their values, and brands making real progress on sustainability aren't always winning. There's no sustainability without transparency. Sustainability data today doesn't lend itself easily to simple messaging that is accessible to shoppers. Technical and complex, it stays trapped in B2B systems and annual CSR reports.

The Solution

Provenance software helps brands communicate verified and/or evidenced product-level impact data at the point of sale. Each impact claim requires a minimum level of evidence or verification by a third party. These digital proofs are stored on a blockchain in a transparent, fully auditable, immutable and decentralized format.

How it works?

Step 1: Prove. Brands use the Provenance Framework, an open source rulebook for communicating consistent and credible impact, to prove and communicate their impact. The Framework encompasses five impact areas - Climate, Nature, Workers, Waste and Communities - and translates sustainability initiatives into Proof Points.
Step 2: Create. Brands gather and create content into shopper-facing experiences, consolidating supply chain data in one place and translating that into engaging published content with Proof Points that can scale across multiple products and channels.
Step 3: Activate. Brands publish their Proof Points across a variety of channels including e-commerce and websites, off-pack (QR codes), social media and campaigns. These activations are dynamic, interactive, and engaging content for shoppers.
Step 4: Learn. Using Provenance Analytics, brands discover what shoppers care about and can inform their sustainability communications and wider ESG and sustainability initiatives with customer insights.

Bridging the digital divide

Provenance is designed to be accessible to all citizens wherever they make purchasing decisions - in-store via QR codes and online via e-commerce embeds. Provenance breaks down technical sustainability jargon and enables shoppers to learn more about the standards behind third-party certifications with interactive Proof Points. Encouraging shoppers to dig deeper, Interactive Proof Points allow shoppers to learn about the standards and practices behind a certification.

Impact and highlights

Over 4,000 products are linked with Provenance globally.
Over 7,000 impact claims (Proof Points) across 5 Impact Categories (37.3% Climate, 29.4% Nature, 17.3% Waste, 13.3% Communities, 2.7% Workers) with over 1 million shopper impressions each month.
Working with 70+ verifiers globally, digitising certifications and evidence from over 16 countries (52% UK, 37% USA and Canada, 11% Rest of World).

Plans for expansion

In the next 6-12 months, Provenance is focused on expanding its customer base in Europe and in particular, the DACH and Nordics region. In order to achieve this, Provenance has partnered with the leading European beauty retailer, Douglas, who is present across 23 countries. In the next 12-24 months, Provenance will be targeting expansion into the North American market.

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