Levi Strauss putting factory health and safety audits on the blockchain

Clothing manufacturer Levi Strauss & Co has decided to put their factory health and safety audits on a blockchain-based system, according to a press release. Earlier this week, the company announced a collaboration with Harvard T.H. Chan public health school and US think tank New America to develop a brand new self-reporting infrastructure for factory workers.

“For the last 25 years, work in supply chains has been monitored mainly by audits,” said Dr Eileen McNeely from Harvard T.H. Chan’s Department of Environmental Health. “A distributed system of inquiry on the blockchain that goes right to the source offers a new solution.” Once implemented, the project will place the workers’ annual survey on the blockchain.

The project’s blockchain infrastructure will be provided by ConsenSys. “Our goal is to develop, test, and scale a system that could empower employees, suppliers, and consumers to make informed decisions about factories, products, and brands,” said ConsenSys Founder Joe Lubin.

Levi Strauss hopes to have its first pilot ready by the second quarter of 2019 when the system will be tested in the company’s factories in Mexico.