Adulteration is a fact of life for the tea tree oil industry. The industry must continuously find new ways to minimise its impact on producers and all links in the TTO supply chain, including the end user. To resolve this issue, the Australian tea tree oil industry seeks to gain better traceability along their supply chain. Export markets are now demanding proven data sets to show the history and origins of 100% pure Australian tea tree oil (amongst a wide range of other natural ingredients) including tracking the product as it is grown on farm, processed, exported and eventually sold in various products to the end user.
Blockchain technology could be the solution to full traceability. Blockchain technology is emerging as the preferred platform, with large chains such as Walmart already using it to trace fresh produce and pharmaceuticals. With Walmart expected to soon turn their attention to cosmetics and personal care products, the Australian tea tree oil industry must be ready to take advantage when it does.
This report is about the first phase (Stage 1) of a project to provide the tea tree oil industry with an introduction to a viable blockchain solution allowing full, inviolable traceability from the leaf to the bottle.