1 00:00:01,042 --> 00:00:03,101 In almost all aspects of our lives 2 00:00:03,125 --> 00:00:07,333 we have perfect information available instantaneously. 3 00:00:08,042 --> 00:00:11,309 My phone can tell me everything about my finances, 4 00:00:11,333 --> 00:00:13,559 where precisely I am on a map 5 00:00:13,583 --> 00:00:15,726 and the best way to my next destination, 6 00:00:15,750 --> 00:00:18,309 all with a click of a button. 7 00:00:18,333 --> 00:00:21,434 But this availability of information and transparency 8 00:00:21,458 --> 00:00:25,083 almost completely disappears when it comes to consumer products. 9 00:00:26,208 --> 00:00:29,518 If you go to the seafood counter at your local supermarket, 10 00:00:29,542 --> 00:00:33,351 you can probably choose between several different types of fish. 11 00:00:33,375 --> 00:00:35,934 But chances are, they won't be able to tell you 12 00:00:35,958 --> 00:00:39,101 who caught the fish, where precisely it was caught, 13 00:00:39,125 --> 00:00:41,393 whether it is sustainable to catch it there 14 00:00:41,417 --> 00:00:43,458 and how it got transported. 15 00:00:44,083 --> 00:00:46,976 And that holds true for almost everything we buy. 16 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:48,768 Every can of soup, 17 00:00:48,792 --> 00:00:51,309 every piece of meat, every T-shirt. 18 00:00:51,333 --> 00:00:53,601 We as humans, right now, 19 00:00:53,625 --> 00:00:57,143 are destroying the only thing we really need to survive: 20 00:00:57,167 --> 00:00:58,434 our planet. 21 00:00:58,458 --> 00:01:01,476 And most of the horrible problems that we're facing today, 22 00:01:01,500 --> 00:01:02,768 like climate change 23 00:01:02,792 --> 00:01:05,476 and modern slavery in supply chains, 24 00:01:05,500 --> 00:01:07,226 come down to decisions. 25 00:01:07,250 --> 00:01:12,934 Human decisions to produce something one way and not another. 26 00:01:12,958 --> 00:01:15,184 And that's how we, as consumers, 27 00:01:15,208 --> 00:01:18,184 end up making decisions that harm the planet 28 00:01:18,208 --> 00:01:19,851 or our fellow humans. 29 00:01:19,875 --> 00:01:21,958 By choosing the wrong products. 30 00:01:23,167 --> 00:01:26,518 But I refuse to believe that anybody here in this room, 31 00:01:26,542 --> 00:01:28,601 or frankly, anybody on this planet, 32 00:01:28,625 --> 00:01:30,518 really wants to buy a product 33 00:01:30,542 --> 00:01:33,976 that harms the planet or our fellow humans 34 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:35,333 if given the choice. 35 00:01:36,583 --> 00:01:38,768 But you see, choice is a loaded word. 36 00:01:38,792 --> 00:01:41,143 Choice means there's another option. 37 00:01:41,167 --> 00:01:44,184 Choice means you can afford that option. 38 00:01:44,208 --> 00:01:45,684 But choice also means 39 00:01:45,708 --> 00:01:49,768 you have enough information to make an informed decision. 40 00:01:49,792 --> 00:01:54,851 And that information nowadays simply just doesn't exist. 41 00:01:54,875 --> 00:01:58,125 Or at least it's really, really hard to access. 42 00:01:59,625 --> 00:02:01,643 But I think this is about to change. 43 00:02:01,667 --> 00:02:05,726 Because we can use technology to solve this information problem. 44 00:02:05,750 --> 00:02:08,809 And many of the specific technologies that we need to do that 45 00:02:08,833 --> 00:02:12,518 have become better and cheaper over the recent years, 46 00:02:12,542 --> 00:02:15,434 and are now ready to be used at scale. 47 00:02:15,458 --> 00:02:16,851 So, over the past two years, 48 00:02:16,875 --> 00:02:18,559 my team and I have been working 49 00:02:18,583 --> 00:02:22,809 with one of the world's largest conservation organizations, WWF, 50 00:02:22,833 --> 00:02:26,476 and we've founded a company called OpenSC, 51 00:02:26,500 --> 00:02:28,833 where SC stands for supply chain. 52 00:02:29,708 --> 00:02:32,101 And we believe that by using technology 53 00:02:32,125 --> 00:02:35,476 we can help to create 54 00:02:35,500 --> 00:02:38,809 transparency and traceability in supply chains, 55 00:02:38,833 --> 00:02:42,351 and through that, help to completely revolutionize 56 00:02:42,375 --> 00:02:46,958 the way that we buy and also produce products as humans. 57 00:02:48,333 --> 00:02:52,184 Now, some of this is going to sound a little bit like science fiction, 58 00:02:52,208 --> 00:02:54,059 but it's already happening. 59 00:02:54,083 --> 00:02:55,333 Let me explain. 60 00:02:56,208 --> 00:02:58,809 So, in order to solve this information problem, 61 00:02:58,833 --> 00:03:00,518 we need to do three things: 62 00:03:00,542 --> 00:03:03,809 verify, trace and share. 63 00:03:03,833 --> 00:03:07,309 Verify specific sustainability 64 00:03:07,333 --> 00:03:09,143 and ethical production claims 65 00:03:09,167 --> 00:03:12,018 in a data-based and automated way. 66 00:03:12,042 --> 00:03:14,893 Then trace those individual physical products 67 00:03:14,917 --> 00:03:16,601 throughout their supply chains, 68 00:03:16,625 --> 00:03:19,643 and finally, share that information with consumers 69 00:03:19,667 --> 00:03:22,101 in a way that truly gives them a choice 70 00:03:22,125 --> 00:03:24,101 and lets them make consumption decisions 71 00:03:24,125 --> 00:03:26,934 that are more aligned with their values. 72 00:03:26,958 --> 00:03:30,268 I'm going to use a real product 73 00:03:30,292 --> 00:03:34,726 and a supply chain where we've made all of this a reality already: 74 00:03:34,750 --> 00:03:36,018 a Patagonian toothfish, 75 00:03:36,042 --> 00:03:39,059 or Chilean sea bass, as it's called in the US. 76 00:03:39,083 --> 00:03:40,833 Number one, verify. 77 00:03:41,792 --> 00:03:44,351 Verify how something is produced. 78 00:03:44,375 --> 00:03:47,184 But not just by saying, "Trust me, this is good, 79 00:03:47,208 --> 00:03:49,393 trust me, we've done all the right things," 80 00:03:49,417 --> 00:03:53,434 but by producing evidence for that individual physical product, 81 00:03:53,458 --> 00:03:55,726 and the way it was produced. 82 00:03:55,750 --> 00:03:57,018 By producing evidence 83 00:03:57,042 --> 00:04:00,809 for a specific sustainability or ethical production claim. 84 00:04:00,833 --> 00:04:03,684 So for example, in the case of the fish, 85 00:04:03,708 --> 00:04:07,601 has this fish been caught in an area where there's enough of them, 86 00:04:07,625 --> 00:04:09,643 so that it's sustainable to catch it there 87 00:04:09,667 --> 00:04:12,351 and not in a marine protected area? 88 00:04:12,375 --> 00:04:13,726 So what we're doing here 89 00:04:13,750 --> 00:04:17,643 is we're taking almost real-time GPS data from the ship -- 90 00:04:17,667 --> 00:04:19,184 the ship that's fishing -- 91 00:04:19,208 --> 00:04:21,434 and that tells us where the ship is 92 00:04:21,458 --> 00:04:24,018 and where it's going at what speed. 93 00:04:24,042 --> 00:04:27,184 And we can then combine that with other types of data, 94 00:04:27,208 --> 00:04:29,976 like, for example, how deep the sea floor is. 95 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:32,643 And combining all of this information, 96 00:04:32,667 --> 00:04:36,809 our machine-learning algorithms can then verify, in an automated way, 97 00:04:36,833 --> 00:04:40,625 whether the ship is only fishing where it's supposed to, or not. 98 00:04:41,875 --> 00:04:44,434 And as sensors become cheaper, 99 00:04:44,458 --> 00:04:46,476 we can put them in more places. 100 00:04:46,500 --> 00:04:48,851 And that means we can capture more data, 101 00:04:48,875 --> 00:04:51,684 and combining that with advancements in data science, 102 00:04:51,708 --> 00:04:54,976 it means that we can now verify 103 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:59,018 specific sustainability and ethical production claims 104 00:04:59,042 --> 00:05:03,226 in an automated, real-time and ongoing manner. 105 00:05:03,250 --> 00:05:07,393 And that really lays the basis for this information revolution. 106 00:05:07,417 --> 00:05:09,601 So, number two, trace. 107 00:05:09,625 --> 00:05:12,684 Trace those individual physical products, 108 00:05:12,708 --> 00:05:14,726 so that we can truly say 109 00:05:14,750 --> 00:05:17,476 that the claim that we've verified about a certain product 110 00:05:17,500 --> 00:05:20,476 actually belongs to that individual product 111 00:05:20,500 --> 00:05:23,018 that we as consumers have right in front of us. 112 00:05:23,042 --> 00:05:26,351 Because without that level of traceability, 113 00:05:26,375 --> 00:05:29,226 all that we've really verified in the first place 114 00:05:29,250 --> 00:05:32,101 is that somebody, somewhere, at some point 115 00:05:32,125 --> 00:05:34,434 caught a fish in a sustainable way, 116 00:05:34,458 --> 00:05:39,351 or didn't harm the employee when asking them to produce a T-shirt, 117 00:05:39,375 --> 00:05:44,208 or didn't use pesticides when growing a vegetable that didn't actually need it. 118 00:05:45,292 --> 00:05:49,226 Only if I give a product an identity from the start 119 00:05:49,250 --> 00:05:52,018 and then trace it throughout the whole supply chain, 120 00:05:52,042 --> 00:05:55,643 can this claim and the value that's been created 121 00:05:55,667 --> 00:05:57,976 by producing it in the right way 122 00:05:58,000 --> 00:05:59,583 truly stay with it. 123 00:06:01,542 --> 00:06:04,143 Now, I've talked about cheaper sensors. 124 00:06:04,167 --> 00:06:06,643 There are many other technological developments 125 00:06:06,667 --> 00:06:10,893 that make all of this much more possible today than every before. 126 00:06:10,917 --> 00:06:13,875 For example, the falling costs of tags. 127 00:06:14,792 --> 00:06:17,851 You give a product a name, 128 00:06:17,875 --> 00:06:19,893 a serial number, an identity, 129 00:06:19,917 --> 00:06:22,101 the tag is its passport. 130 00:06:22,125 --> 00:06:25,434 What you can see here is a toothfish being caught. 131 00:06:25,458 --> 00:06:27,768 This is what's called a longline fishery, 132 00:06:27,792 --> 00:06:32,018 so the fish are coming up onto the boat on individual hooks. 133 00:06:32,042 --> 00:06:34,309 And as soon as the fish is on board, 134 00:06:34,333 --> 00:06:36,601 it is killed, and then after that, 135 00:06:36,625 --> 00:06:40,059 we insert a small tag into the fish's flesh. 136 00:06:40,083 --> 00:06:44,601 And in that tag, there is an RFID chip with a unique serial number, 137 00:06:44,625 --> 00:06:47,643 and that tag follows the fish throughout the whole supply chain 138 00:06:47,667 --> 00:06:49,851 and makes it really easy to sense its presence 139 00:06:49,875 --> 00:06:53,393 at any port, on any truck or in any processing plant. 140 00:06:53,417 --> 00:06:56,684 But consumers can't really read RFID tags. 141 00:06:56,708 --> 00:07:00,934 And so, when it comes to filleting and packaging the fish, 142 00:07:00,958 --> 00:07:03,851 we read the RFID tag and then remove it. 143 00:07:03,875 --> 00:07:08,101 And then we add a unique QR code to the packaging of the fish. 144 00:07:08,125 --> 00:07:12,601 And that QR code then points back to the same information 145 00:07:12,625 --> 00:07:15,375 that we've verified about the fish in the first place. 146 00:07:17,083 --> 00:07:20,934 And so, depending on the type of product that we're working with, 147 00:07:20,958 --> 00:07:24,726 we may use QR codes, bar codes, RFID tags 148 00:07:24,750 --> 00:07:26,518 or other tag technologies. 149 00:07:26,542 --> 00:07:28,643 But there are also technologies 150 00:07:28,667 --> 00:07:31,059 that are at the brink of large-scale breakthrough 151 00:07:31,083 --> 00:07:33,059 that make tags themselves obsolete. 152 00:07:33,083 --> 00:07:34,684 Like, for example, 153 00:07:34,708 --> 00:07:37,434 analyzing a product for trace elements 154 00:07:37,458 --> 00:07:40,976 that can then tell you quite accurately where it is actually from. 155 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:42,393 Then there's blockchain. 156 00:07:42,417 --> 00:07:47,226 A decentralized technology can act as a catalyst for this revolution. 157 00:07:47,250 --> 00:07:51,018 Because it can help mitigate some of the trust issues 158 00:07:51,042 --> 00:07:54,518 that are inherent to giving people information 159 00:07:54,542 --> 00:07:57,726 and then asking them to change their consumption behavior 160 00:07:57,750 --> 00:08:00,101 because of that information. 161 00:08:00,125 --> 00:08:02,809 And so, we use blockchain technology 162 00:08:02,833 --> 00:08:06,059 where it adds value to what we're doing. 163 00:08:06,083 --> 00:08:07,351 But importantly, 164 00:08:07,375 --> 00:08:10,518 we don't let the limitations that this technology still has today, 165 00:08:10,542 --> 00:08:12,601 like, for example, with regards to scaling, 166 00:08:12,625 --> 00:08:14,601 we don't let that stand in our way. 167 00:08:14,625 --> 00:08:17,101 And that brings us to the third point. 168 00:08:17,125 --> 00:08:18,393 Share. 169 00:08:18,417 --> 00:08:22,268 How to share the information that we've verified and tracked 170 00:08:22,292 --> 00:08:25,101 about where a product is from, how it was produced 171 00:08:25,125 --> 00:08:27,601 and how it got to where it is? 172 00:08:27,625 --> 00:08:29,559 How to share this information 173 00:08:29,583 --> 00:08:32,434 is really different from product to product. 174 00:08:32,458 --> 00:08:34,768 And different from where you buy it. 175 00:08:34,792 --> 00:08:37,351 You behave differently in those situations. 176 00:08:37,375 --> 00:08:41,018 You are stressed and time-poor in the supermarket. 177 00:08:41,042 --> 00:08:43,309 Or with short attention span over dinner, 178 00:08:43,333 --> 00:08:45,518 because your date is so cute. 179 00:08:45,542 --> 00:08:48,559 Or you are critical and inquisitive 180 00:08:48,583 --> 00:08:51,750 when researching for a larger purchase online. 181 00:08:52,750 --> 00:08:54,351 And so for our fish, 182 00:08:54,375 --> 00:08:57,309 we've developed a digital experience 183 00:08:57,333 --> 00:09:03,101 that works when buying the fish in a freezer in a fish specialty store 184 00:09:03,125 --> 00:09:06,934 and that gives you all of the information about the fish and its journey. 185 00:09:06,958 --> 00:09:09,601 But we also worked with a restaurant 186 00:09:09,625 --> 00:09:12,601 and developed a different digital experience 187 00:09:12,625 --> 00:09:16,184 that only summarizes the key facts about the fish and its journey, 188 00:09:16,208 --> 00:09:18,643 and works better in a dinner setting 189 00:09:18,667 --> 00:09:22,226 and, hopefully, there doesn't annoy your date too much. 190 00:09:22,250 --> 00:09:24,601 Now, that brings us full circle. 191 00:09:24,625 --> 00:09:27,643 We've verified that the fish was caught 192 00:09:27,667 --> 00:09:30,643 in an area where it's sustainable to do so. 193 00:09:30,667 --> 00:09:33,268 We've then traced it throughout the entire supply chain 194 00:09:33,292 --> 00:09:37,393 to maintain its identity and all the information that's attached to it. 195 00:09:37,417 --> 00:09:39,976 And then, we've shared that information with consumers 196 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:41,809 in a way that gives them a choice 197 00:09:41,833 --> 00:09:43,976 and lets them make consumption decisions 198 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:46,542 that are more in line with their values. 199 00:09:47,542 --> 00:09:51,643 Now, for this fish example, this is already rolled out at scale. 200 00:09:51,667 --> 00:09:52,934 This season, 201 00:09:52,958 --> 00:09:56,518 the entire fleet of the world's largest toothfish fishing company, 202 00:09:56,542 --> 00:09:57,893 Austral Fisheries, 203 00:09:57,917 --> 00:10:00,768 is tagging every single fish that they catch 204 00:10:00,792 --> 00:10:04,125 and that ends up in their premium branded "Glacier 51" product. 205 00:10:05,208 --> 00:10:07,351 And you can already buy this fish. 206 00:10:07,375 --> 00:10:11,268 And with it, you can have all of the information I talked about today, 207 00:10:11,292 --> 00:10:12,768 and much more, 208 00:10:12,792 --> 00:10:17,042 attached to each individual fish or portion of the fish that you may buy. 209 00:10:18,583 --> 00:10:22,643 But this is not a fish or seafood thing. 210 00:10:22,667 --> 00:10:25,851 We're working on many, many different commodities and products 211 00:10:25,875 --> 00:10:28,268 and their supply chains across the globe. 212 00:10:28,292 --> 00:10:30,893 From dairy to fruit and vegetables, 213 00:10:30,917 --> 00:10:33,684 to nonfood products made out of wood. 214 00:10:33,708 --> 00:10:38,226 As a consumer, all of this may sound like a huge burden, 215 00:10:38,250 --> 00:10:41,768 because you don't have time to look at all of this information 216 00:10:41,792 --> 00:10:44,268 every time you buy something. 217 00:10:44,292 --> 00:10:46,018 And I don't expect you to, 218 00:10:46,042 --> 00:10:49,143 because you'll have help with that. 219 00:10:49,167 --> 00:10:54,518 In the future, we'll leave the decision of which specific product to buy 220 00:10:54,542 --> 00:10:56,726 increasingly up to machines. 221 00:10:56,750 --> 00:10:58,976 An algorithm will know enough about you 222 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:03,476 to make those decisions for you, so you don't have to. 223 00:11:03,500 --> 00:11:06,351 And maybe it will even do a better job at it. 224 00:11:06,375 --> 00:11:08,809 In a recent study, 85 percent of those 225 00:11:08,833 --> 00:11:11,851 buying a product through a virtual assistant 226 00:11:11,875 --> 00:11:13,684 said that they, on occasion, 227 00:11:13,708 --> 00:11:16,059 actually went with the top product recommendation 228 00:11:16,083 --> 00:11:17,351 of that virtual assistant, 229 00:11:17,375 --> 00:11:19,434 rather than the specific product or brand 230 00:11:19,458 --> 00:11:22,184 that they set out to buy in the first place. 231 00:11:22,208 --> 00:11:24,018 You just say you need toilet paper, 232 00:11:24,042 --> 00:11:28,476 it's then an algorithm that decides which brand, price point 233 00:11:28,500 --> 00:11:31,559 or whether you go with recycled or not. 234 00:11:31,583 --> 00:11:35,809 Well, nowadays this is usually based on what you bought in the past, 235 00:11:35,833 --> 00:11:40,018 or whoever pays the most to the company behind the virtual assistant. 236 00:11:40,042 --> 00:11:44,458 But why shouldn't that be also based on your values? 237 00:11:45,625 --> 00:11:48,184 Knowing that you want to buy planet-friendly 238 00:11:48,208 --> 00:11:53,684 and knowing whether and how much you're willing and able to pay for that. 239 00:11:53,708 --> 00:11:57,226 Now, that will make it easy and seamless, 240 00:11:57,250 --> 00:11:59,518 but still based on granular effects and data 241 00:11:59,542 --> 00:12:01,601 to choose the right products. 242 00:12:01,625 --> 00:12:03,851 Not by necessarily doing it yourself 243 00:12:03,875 --> 00:12:06,184 but by asking an algorithm 244 00:12:06,208 --> 00:12:09,768 that knows how much you care about this planet. 245 00:12:09,792 --> 00:12:11,768 Not by necessarily doing it yourself 246 00:12:11,792 --> 00:12:13,893 but by asking an algorithm 247 00:12:13,917 --> 00:12:16,708 that is never time-poor or distracted, 248 00:12:17,792 --> 00:12:21,601 or with short attention span because of the cute date, 249 00:12:21,625 --> 00:12:24,351 and that knows how much you care about this planet 250 00:12:24,375 --> 00:12:25,809 and the people living on it, 251 00:12:25,833 --> 00:12:29,684 by asking that algorithm to look at all of that information for you 252 00:12:29,708 --> 00:12:31,208 and to decide for you. 253 00:12:32,500 --> 00:12:36,684 If we have reliable and trustworthy information like that 254 00:12:36,708 --> 00:12:39,184 and the right systems that make use of it, 255 00:12:39,208 --> 00:12:42,559 consumers will support those who are doing the right thing 256 00:12:42,583 --> 00:12:46,684 by producing products in a sustainable and ethical way. 257 00:12:46,708 --> 00:12:48,726 They will support them every time 258 00:12:48,750 --> 00:12:51,083 by choosing their goods over others. 259 00:12:52,042 --> 00:12:56,976 And that means that good producers and processors and retailers 260 00:12:57,000 --> 00:12:58,268 will get rewarded. 261 00:12:58,292 --> 00:13:02,643 And bad actors will be forced to adjust their practices 262 00:13:02,667 --> 00:13:04,542 or get out of business. 263 00:13:05,333 --> 00:13:06,976 And we need that. 264 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:10,768 If we want to continue to live together on this beautiful planet, 265 00:13:10,792 --> 00:13:12,643 we really need it. 266 00:13:12,667 --> 00:13:13,934 Thank you. 267 00:13:13,958 --> 00:13:16,458 (Applause)