0:00:01.024,0:00:03.079
In almost all aspects of our lives

0:00:03.103,0:00:07.341
we have perfect information[br]available instantaneously,

0:00:08.071,0:00:11.307
My phone can tell me[br]everything about my finances,

0:00:11.331,0:00:13.569
where precisely I am on a map,

0:00:13.593,0:00:15.744
and the best way to my next destination,

0:00:15.768,0:00:17.701
all with a click of a button.

0:00:18.331,0:00:21.426
But this availability[br]of information and transparency

0:00:21.450,0:00:25.151
almost completely disappears[br]when it comes to consumer products.

0:00:26.188,0:00:29.537
If you go to the seafood counter[br]at your local supermarket,

0:00:29.561,0:00:33.331
you can probably choose[br]between several different types of fish.

0:00:33.355,0:00:35.950
But chances are,[br]they won't be able to tell you

0:00:35.974,0:00:39.093
who caught the fish,[br]where precisely it was caught,

0:00:39.117,0:00:41.410
whether it is sustainable[br]to catch it there,

0:00:41.434,0:00:43.234
and how it got transported.

0:00:44.085,0:00:46.966
And that holds true[br]for almost everything we buy.

0:00:46.990,0:00:48.783
Every can of soup,

0:00:48.807,0:00:51.315
every piece of meat, every T-shirt.

0:00:51.339,0:00:53.601
We as humans, right now,

0:00:53.625,0:00:57.156
are destroying the only thing[br]we really need to survive:

0:00:57.180,0:00:58.362
Our planet.

0:00:58.386,0:01:01.458
And most of the horrible problems[br]that we're facing today,

0:01:01.482,0:01:02.695
like climate change

0:01:02.719,0:01:05.458
and modern slavery in supply chains,

0:01:05.482,0:01:07.228
come down to decisions.

0:01:07.252,0:01:12.260
Human decisions to produce something[br]one way and not another.

0:01:12.950,0:01:15.172
And that's how we, as consumers,

0:01:15.196,0:01:18.203
end up making decisions[br]that harm the planet

0:01:18.227,0:01:19.854
or our fellow humans.

0:01:19.878,0:01:21.945
By choosing the wrong products.

0:01:23.164,0:01:26.521
But I refuse to believe[br]that anybody here in this room,

0:01:26.545,0:01:28.609
or frankly, anybody on this planet,

0:01:28.633,0:01:30.537
really wants to buy a product

0:01:30.561,0:01:33.495
that harms the planet[br]or our fellow humans.

0:01:34.006,0:01:35.339
If given the choice.

0:01:36.572,0:01:38.786
But you see, choice is a loaded word.

0:01:38.810,0:01:41.136
Choice means there's another option.

0:01:41.160,0:01:43.826
Choice means you can afford that option.

0:01:44.223,0:01:45.698
But choice also means

0:01:45.722,0:01:49.195
you have enough information[br]to make an informed decision.

0:01:49.783,0:01:54.838
And that information nowadays[br]simply just doesn't exist.

0:01:54.862,0:01:57.929
Or at least it's really,[br]really hard to access,

0:01:59.627,0:02:01.643
But I think this is about to change.

0:02:01.667,0:02:05.373
Because we can use technology[br]to solve this information problem.

0:02:05.746,0:02:08.809
And many of the specific technologies[br]that we need to do that

0:02:08.833,0:02:12.514
have become better and cheaper[br]over the recent years,

0:02:12.538,0:02:15.030
and are now ready to be used at scale.

0:02:15.443,0:02:16.832
So, over the past two years,

0:02:16.856,0:02:18.545
my team and I have been working

0:02:18.569,0:02:22.829
with one of the world's largest[br]conservation organizations, WWF,

0:02:22.853,0:02:26.472
and we've founded[br]a company called OpenSC,

0:02:26.496,0:02:28.813
where SC stands for supply chain.

0:02:29.718,0:02:32.101
And we believe that by using technology

0:02:32.125,0:02:35.490
we can help to create

0:02:35.514,0:02:38.807
transparency and traceability[br]in supply chains,

0:02:38.831,0:02:42.338
and through that,[br]help to completely revolutionize

0:02:42.362,0:02:46.972
the way that we buy[br]and also produce products as humans.

0:02:48.354,0:02:52.194
Now, some of this is going to sound[br]a little bit like science fiction,

0:02:52.218,0:02:54.059
but it's already happening.

0:02:54.083,0:02:55.233
Let me explain.

0:02:56.210,0:02:58.789
So, in order to solve[br]this information problem,

0:02:58.813,0:03:00.535
we need to do three things:

0:03:00.559,0:03:03.410
Verify, trace and share.

0:03:03.831,0:03:07.299
Verify specific sustainability

0:03:07.323,0:03:09.149
and ethical production claims

0:03:09.173,0:03:12.029
in a data-based and automated way.

0:03:12.053,0:03:14.895
Then trace those[br]individual physical products

0:03:14.919,0:03:16.617
throughout their supply chains,

0:03:16.641,0:03:19.661
and finally, share[br]that information with consumers

0:03:19.685,0:03:22.085
in a way that truly gives them a choice,

0:03:22.109,0:03:24.117
and lets them make consumption decisions

0:03:24.141,0:03:26.936
that are more aligned with their values.

0:03:26.960,0:03:30.284
I'm going to use a real product,

0:03:30.308,0:03:34.674
and a supply chain where we've made[br]all of this a reality already.

0:03:34.698,0:03:36.027
A Patagonian toothfish,

0:03:36.051,0:03:38.784
or Chilean sea bass,[br]as it's called in the US.

0:03:39.125,0:03:41.029
Number one, verify.

0:03:41.752,0:03:44.339
Verify how something is produced.

0:03:44.363,0:03:47.188
But not just by saying,[br]"Trust me, this is good,

0:03:47.212,0:03:49.410
trust me, we've done[br]all the right things,"

0:03:49.434,0:03:53.567
but by producing evidence[br]for that individual physical product,

0:03:53.591,0:03:55.709
and the way it was produced.

0:03:55.733,0:03:57.031
By producing evidence

0:03:57.055,0:04:00.813
for a specific sustainability[br]or ethical production claim.

0:04:00.837,0:04:03.664
So for example, in the case of the fish,

0:04:03.688,0:04:07.593
has this fish been caught in an area[br]where there's enough of them

0:04:07.617,0:04:09.633
so that it's sustainable[br]to catch it there,

0:04:09.657,0:04:11.853
and not in a marine protected area?

0:04:12.364,0:04:13.734
So what we're doing here

0:04:13.758,0:04:17.636
is we're taking almost real-time[br]GPS data from the ship,

0:04:17.660,0:04:19.205
the ship that's fishing,

0:04:19.229,0:04:21.434
and that tells us where the ship is,

0:04:21.458,0:04:23.656
and where it's going at what speed.

0:04:24.030,0:04:27.164
And we can then combine that[br]with other types of data,

0:04:27.188,0:04:29.638
like, for example,[br]how deep the sea floor is.

0:04:30.011,0:04:32.630
And combining all of this information,

0:04:32.654,0:04:36.828
our machine-learning algorithms[br]can then verify in an automated way

0:04:36.852,0:04:40.618
whether the ship is only fishing[br]where it's supposed to, or not.

0:04:41.861,0:04:44.432
And as sensors become cheaper,

0:04:44.456,0:04:46.464
we can put them in more places.

0:04:46.488,0:04:48.862
And that means we can capture more data,

0:04:48.886,0:04:51.688
and combining that[br]with advancements in data science,

0:04:51.712,0:04:54.983
it means that we can now verify

0:04:55.007,0:04:59.014
specific sustainability[br]and ethical production claims

0:04:59.038,0:05:02.812
in an automated, real-time,[br]and ongoing manner.

0:05:03.257,0:05:07.392
And that really lays the basis[br]for this information revolution.

0:05:07.416,0:05:09.599
So, number two, trace.

0:05:09.623,0:05:12.680
Trace those individual physical products

0:05:12.704,0:05:14.710
so that we can truly say

0:05:14.734,0:05:17.482
that the claim that we've verified[br]about a certain product

0:05:17.506,0:05:20.458
actually belongs[br]to that individual product,

0:05:20.482,0:05:22.998
that we as consumers[br]have right in front of us.

0:05:23.022,0:05:26.371
Because, without[br]that level of traceability,

0:05:26.395,0:05:29.242
all that we've really[br]verified in the first place

0:05:29.266,0:05:32.106
is that somebody, somewhere, at some point

0:05:32.130,0:05:34.440
caught a fish in a sustainable way

0:05:34.464,0:05:39.355
or didn't harm the employee[br]when asking them to produce a T-shirt,

0:05:39.379,0:05:44.204
or didn't use pesticides when growing[br]a vegetable that didn't actually need it.

0:05:45.292,0:05:49.223
Only if I give a product[br]an identity from the start

0:05:49.247,0:05:52.016
and then trace it[br]throughout the whole supply chain,

0:05:52.040,0:05:55.643
can this claim and the value[br]that's been created

0:05:55.667,0:05:57.990
by producing it in the right way

0:05:58.014,0:05:59.640
truly stay with it.

0:06:01.553,0:06:04.141
Now, I've talked about cheaper sensors.

0:06:04.165,0:06:06.641
There are many other[br]technological developments

0:06:06.665,0:06:10.458
that make all of this much more possible[br]today than every before.

0:06:10.934,0:06:13.855
For example, the falling costs of tags.

0:06:14.807,0:06:17.838
You give a product a name,

0:06:17.862,0:06:19.899
a serial number, an identity,

0:06:19.923,0:06:21.612
the tag is its passport.

0:06:22.129,0:06:25.164
What you can see here[br]is a toothfish being caught.

0:06:25.477,0:06:27.767
This is what's called a long line fishery,

0:06:27.791,0:06:31.502
so the fish are coming up[br]onto the boat on individual hooks.

0:06:32.048,0:06:34.306
And as soon as the fish is on board,

0:06:34.330,0:06:36.619
it is killed, and then after that,

0:06:36.643,0:06:40.080
we insert a small tag[br]into the fish's flesh.

0:06:40.104,0:06:44.617
And in that tag, there is an RFID chip[br]with a unique serial number,

0:06:44.641,0:06:47.650
and that tag follows the fish[br]throughout the whole supply chain,

0:06:47.674,0:06:49.855
and makes it really easy[br]to sense its presence

0:06:49.879,0:06:53.403
at any port, on any truck[br]or in any processing plant.

0:06:53.427,0:06:56.680
But consumers can't really read RFID tags.

0:06:56.704,0:07:00.925
And so, when it comes to filleting[br]and packaging the fish,

0:07:00.949,0:07:03.838
we read the RFID tag and then remove it.

0:07:03.862,0:07:07.774
And then we add a unique QR code[br]to the packaging of the fish.

0:07:08.076,0:07:12.610
And that QR code then points back[br]to the same information

0:07:12.634,0:07:15.697
that we've verified about the fish[br]in the first place.

0:07:17.094,0:07:20.931
And so, depending on the type[br]of product that we're working with,

0:07:20.955,0:07:24.715
we may use QR codes, bar codes, RFID tags

0:07:24.739,0:07:26.537
or other tag technologies.

0:07:26.561,0:07:28.629
But there are also technologies

0:07:28.653,0:07:31.061
that are at the brink[br]of large-scale breakthrough,

0:07:31.085,0:07:33.077
that make tags themselves obsolete.

0:07:33.101,0:07:34.704
Like, for example,

0:07:34.728,0:07:37.426
analyzing a product for trace elements,

0:07:37.450,0:07:41.101
that can then tell you quite accurately[br]where it is actually from.

0:07:41.125,0:07:42.395
Then there's blockchain.

0:07:42.419,0:07:47.220
A decentralized technology[br]can act as a catalyst for this revolution.

0:07:47.244,0:07:51.038
Because it can help mitigate[br]some of the trust issues

0:07:51.062,0:07:54.498
that are inherent[br]to giving people information,

0:07:54.522,0:07:57.706
and then asking them[br]to change their consumption behavior

0:07:57.730,0:07:59.498
because of that information.

0:08:00.117,0:08:02.815
And so, we use blockchain technology

0:08:02.839,0:08:05.506
where it adds value to what we're doing.

0:08:06.069,0:08:07.243
But importantly,

0:08:07.267,0:08:10.365
we don't let the limitations[br]that this technology still has today,

0:08:10.389,0:08:12.476
like, for example,[br]with regards to scaling,

0:08:12.500,0:08:14.594
we don't let that stand in our way.

0:08:14.618,0:08:17.110
And that brings us to the third point.

0:08:17.134,0:08:18.300
Share.

0:08:18.324,0:08:22.283
How to share the information[br]that we've verified and tracked

0:08:22.307,0:08:25.086
about where a product is from,[br]how it was produced,

0:08:25.110,0:08:27.044
and how it got to where it is?

0:08:27.624,0:08:29.553
How to share this information

0:08:29.577,0:08:32.441
is really different[br]from product to product.

0:08:32.465,0:08:34.783
And different from where you buy it.

0:08:34.807,0:08:37.331
You behave differently[br]in those situations.

0:08:37.355,0:08:40.580
You are stressed and time-poor[br]in the supermarket.

0:08:41.061,0:08:43.304
Or with short attention span over dinner,

0:08:43.328,0:08:44.771
because your date is so cute.

0:08:45.538,0:08:48.561
Or you are critical and inquisitive

0:08:48.585,0:08:51.878
when researching[br]for a larger purchase online.

0:08:52.768,0:08:54.363
And so for our fish,

0:08:54.387,0:08:57.294
we've developed a digital experience

0:08:57.318,0:09:03.111
that works when buying the fish[br]in a freezer in a fish specialty store,

0:09:03.135,0:09:06.921
and that gives you all of the information[br]about the fish and its journey.

0:09:06.945,0:09:09.588
But we also worked with a restaurant

0:09:09.612,0:09:12.601
and developed a different[br]digital experience

0:09:12.625,0:09:16.172
that only summarizes the key facts[br]about the fish and its journey,

0:09:16.196,0:09:18.656
and works better in a dinner setting,

0:09:18.680,0:09:22.238
and hopefully, there[br]doesn't annoy your date too much.

0:09:22.262,0:09:24.595
Now, that brings us full circle.

0:09:24.619,0:09:27.652
We've verified that the fish was caught

0:09:27.676,0:09:30.159
in an area where[br]it's sustainable to do so.

0:09:30.659,0:09:33.260
We've then traced it throughout[br]the entire supply chain

0:09:33.284,0:09:37.061
to maintain its identity and all[br]the information that's attached to it.

0:09:37.434,0:09:39.965
And then, we've shared[br]that information with consumers

0:09:39.989,0:09:41.794
in a way that gives them a choice

0:09:41.818,0:09:43.985
and lets them make consumption decisions

0:09:44.009,0:09:46.540
that are more in line with their values.

0:09:47.541,0:09:51.357
Now, for this fish example,[br]this is already rolled out at scale.

0:09:51.674,0:09:52.897
This season,

0:09:52.921,0:09:56.500
the entire fleet of the world's largest[br]toothfish fishing company,

0:09:56.524,0:09:57.904
Austral Fisheries,

0:09:57.928,0:10:00.759
is tagging every single fish[br]that they catch

0:10:00.783,0:10:04.045
and that ends up in their premium[br]branded "Glacier 51" product.

0:10:05.220,0:10:07.339
And you can already buy this fish.

0:10:07.363,0:10:11.272
And with it, you can have all[br]of the information I talked about today

0:10:11.296,0:10:12.760
and much more,

0:10:12.784,0:10:17.061
attached to each individual fish[br]or portion of the fish that you may buy.

0:10:18.586,0:10:22.657
But this is not a fish or seafood thing.

0:10:22.681,0:10:25.831
We're working on many,[br]many different commodities and products

0:10:25.855,0:10:28.276
and their supply chains across the globe.

0:10:28.300,0:10:30.879
From dairy to fruit and vegetables,

0:10:30.903,0:10:33.672
to non-food products made out of wood.

0:10:33.696,0:10:38.219
As a consumer, all of this[br]may sound like a huge burden.

0:10:38.243,0:10:41.782
Because you don't have time[br]to look at all of this information

0:10:41.806,0:10:43.739
every time you buy something.

0:10:44.298,0:10:46.004
And I don't expect you to,

0:10:46.028,0:10:48.362
because you'll have help with that.

0:10:49.147,0:10:54.536
In the future, we'll leave the decision[br]of which specific product to buy

0:10:54.560,0:10:56.426
increasingly up to machines.

0:10:56.766,0:10:58.974
An algorithm will know enough about you

0:10:58.998,0:11:03.180
to make those decisions for you,[br]so you don't have to.

0:11:03.489,0:11:06.339
And maybe it will even do[br]a better job at it.

0:11:06.363,0:11:08.823
In a recent study, 85 percent of those

0:11:08.847,0:11:11.855
buying a product[br]through a virtual assistant

0:11:11.879,0:11:13.700
said that they, on occasion,

0:11:13.724,0:11:16.045
actually went with the top[br]product recommendation

0:11:16.069,0:11:17.355
of that virtual assistant,

0:11:17.379,0:11:19.438
rather than the specific product or brand

0:11:19.462,0:11:22.165
that they set out[br]to buy in the first place.

0:11:22.189,0:11:24.126
You just say you need toilet paper,

0:11:24.150,0:11:28.460
it's then an algorithm that decides[br]which brand, price point,

0:11:28.484,0:11:30.864
or whether you go with recycled or not.

0:11:31.569,0:11:35.823
Well, nowadays this is usually based[br]on what you bought in the past,

0:11:35.847,0:11:39.263
or whoever pays the most to the company[br]behind the virtual assistant.

0:11:40.038,0:11:44.570
But why shouldn't that be also[br]based on your values?

0:11:45.634,0:11:48.194
Knowing that you want[br]to buy planet-friendly

0:11:48.218,0:11:53.348
and knowing whether and how much[br]you're willing and able to pay for that.

0:11:53.706,0:11:57.207
Now, that will make it easy and seamless,

0:11:57.231,0:11:59.535
but still based[br]on granular effects and data

0:11:59.559,0:12:01.583
to choose the right product.

0:12:01.607,0:12:03.837
Not by necessarily doing it yourself,

0:12:03.861,0:12:06.164
but by asking an algorithm

0:12:06.188,0:12:09.760
that knows how much you care[br]about this planet.

0:12:09.784,0:12:11.776
Not by necessarily doing it yourself,

0:12:11.800,0:12:13.903
but by asking an algorithm

0:12:13.927,0:12:16.728
that is never time-poor or distracted,

0:12:17.784,0:12:21.585
or with short attention span[br]because of the cute date,

0:12:21.609,0:12:24.347
and that knows how much[br]you care about this planet

0:12:24.371,0:12:25.799
and the people living on it,

0:12:25.823,0:12:29.704
by asking that algorithm to look[br]at all of that information for you

0:12:29.728,0:12:31.195
and to decide for you.

0:12:32.490,0:12:36.678
If we have reliable[br]and trustworthy information like that

0:12:36.702,0:12:39.172
and the right systems that make use of it,

0:12:39.196,0:12:42.570
consumers will support those[br]who are doing the right thing

0:12:42.594,0:12:46.291
by producing products[br]in a sustainable and ethical way.

0:12:46.704,0:12:48.720
They will support them every time

0:12:48.744,0:12:51.077
by choosing their good over others.

0:12:52.030,0:12:56.984
And that means that goods,[br]producers and processors and retailers

0:12:57.008,0:12:58.278
will get rewarded.

0:12:58.302,0:13:02.627
And bad actors will be forced[br]to adjust their practices,

0:13:02.651,0:13:04.341
or get out of business.

0:13:05.325,0:13:06.475
And we need that.

0:13:07.008,0:13:10.762
If we want to continue to live together[br]on this beautiful planet,

0:13:10.786,0:13:11.986
we really need it.

0:13:12.659,0:13:13.825
Thank you.

0:13:13.849,0:13:16.468
(Applause)