We started implementing our Proof of Concept within the textile industry first because it is one of the biggest polluter industries in the world. For example, the amount of water required for making one pair of jeans, equals one week of drinking water for a village of 600 people. The most water intensive part of the manufacturing is actually the cotton farming. To grow one kilogram of cotton, using the most common irrigation system i.e flood irrigation, the water needed amounts to about 22000 litres of clean water. However, there is another irrigation technique called drip irrigation, which saves about 50% of the water used. We can reduce a lot of waste water by simply supporting the right methods. Thanks to our Environmental Calculator which gives you the choice now to do exactly that.

Since the blockchain confirms which materials are being used as well as the subcontractors within the supply chain, the system simply calculates how much water and CO2-emissions are being saved, in comparison to the most common sources and techniques.

Since this technology is being continuously developed, the possibilities are almost endless in regards of implementing other perspectives.

The development of this platform is far from at its fullest potential and we see that a lot of different authentication points will be added with time, but we believe that the current operations and information being confirmed by the blockchain, is a great foundation to start with. We believe we have created a “Proof of Concept” and it is now up to you as a consumer of the world to decide if this technology should be further developed or not, by showing the brands what you want; continuing with business as usual – let’s call it “Not PaperTaled”, or disrupting the exploitation of both people and the environment i.e. “PaperTaled”.We truly believe this technology can serve as a new industry standard and in the future it can be implemented in several industries, and not just the textile industry.

THE JOURNEY – FROM COTTON FIELD TO YOUR DOORSTEP

Fashion brands are making all sorts of claims but can we really trust them? Just as an example, only 0.7 % of all the cotton in the world is produced organically, but if you take a look around, would you say that only 0.7 % of all the clothing and fabrics you see in the stores are claimed as being made out of organic cotton? How many times have you seen articles which are showing all sorts of false claims being made by the fashion brands? However, we can not put the blame for all the problems in the textile industry only, because how much insight do you think they actually have in their complete supply chains? Since almost all apparel production is being outsourced to low-cost developing countries, the brands only see what the factories are showing them.

In the name of sustainability, many different certification methods have risen during the last decade or so, but the problem is that in general it’s both easier and a lot cheaper for the factories to simply bribe the inspector and thus receive the certificate, than to actually implement the procedures and processes which are needed to receive the certificate. To prove this point, just have a look at the incident at Rana Plaza in Bangladesh, where more than 1 100 people died and in excess of 2500 people got injured in the collapse of the factory – which had several of the major certificates and hence were supposed to be fully secure and practising good working conditions. What’s the point with all these certificates when they are simply being bought instead of implemented?

Unfortunately, it is almost impossible for a consumer to find out the truth behind the claims being made by the brands they love. We want to change that and give the consumer insight of the journey of every product they shop starting from the cotton field and through all the steps of the creation, ending with the transportation company which delivers the product at your doorstep. And now you have that power. Just try our Environmental Calculator and see for yourself.

Have you ever wondered who is that guy making your products on the other side of the world. For example, who made your clothes? How his or her life looks like? Did you know that in most cases, workers are not even registered or have employment contracts, since the factories need to keep the costs low so they don’t lose business from the brands. As an example, in the developing countries, a garment worker often earns around 3 dollars per day and there is no such thing as 8-hour work day. The garment industry is one of the most labour intensive industries and a huge number of people in the developing world are connected to the supply chain of this industry. During the last 3 decades, import prices for all goods in the US increased by +36% while during the same period, the US import prices for Apparel declined with -19%. The import prices for yarn and fabrics actually declined even more, fabrics declined the most with around -48%.

To further complicate the equation, living costs in the developing world have increased heavily. Considering these conditions, how are the people in the textile industry supposed to be able to make ends meet? How is it possible to uphold sustainability when no one is paying for it? Instead, the planet and all the people living in these regions as well as the people in the developed parts of the world, have to pay a higher price in the form of heavy pollution, poisoned water and other environmental catastrophes as well as exploitation of people to such an extent which shouldn’t be possible in the 21st century.

There are estimated 36 million people being enslaved still today and 78% of them are actually forced labour. The garment industry is estimated to be the second largest exploiter of the forced labor. Furthermore, 1 out of 4 forced labor are kids under the age of 18. But for us consumers, there is no way of finding out if the fashion brands are a part of the exploitation and destroying the environment, either unknowingly or even knowingly.

The time for fake claims is down for counting, as long as we consumers show the brands that we demand true change by action. With PaperTale, which is based on blockchain technology, we cannot only confirm the identities of the workers or confirm that all workers are having employee contracts and being officially registered workers, but we are also making sure that there is no child labour behind the products that we buy. Furthermore, the technology is also confirming that the particular worker who made that product, actually receive salaries as per law i.e. both in regards to the salary amount and that the salary is being paid on time. The consumer also get a basic idea of the life of the worker behind each product, through the possibility of viewing their basic profiles, such as his or her number of dependants (i.e. spouse and number of children). Since the technology is based on blockchain, most of the confirmations being made on the network are non-corruptible, because the data is being gathered and sent into the blockchain automatically.

HOW IT WORKS:

The main materials, such as cotton or bamboo, are being ordered through smart contracts within the blockchain platform, meaning that all orders are being made, confirmed, as well as paid through the blockchain. Furthermore, once the cotton arrives, it’s first processed to yarn, then fabric and afterwards the fabric is being dyed. The journey of the material as well as the development of the product until it arrives in the sewing factory, is also being processed through the blockchain with smart contracts. Once the completed fabrics arrive in the garment factory, the first operation is to stitch the PaperTale tag onto the garment. From that moment, all the processes of production are being logged continuously for that particular piece of clothing, giving the exact data for each and every garment in the factory. This infrastructure is also a security and a great working tool for the workers, as they are able to see exactly all their work being logged per garment as well as for the total number of clothing. The workers can at any point in time see exactly all their work done. Before any piece of clothing is leaving the factory, the following three points has to be fulfilled;

1) The salaries for the workers on each garment have been paid as per law
2) All the workers on each garment have employment contracts
3) All the workers have received their salary slips.

Our technology is making sure that the garment you are wearing is free from slavery, child labor and that the workers are being paid fairly, being a part of the social security system and having the security of employment contracts. For this reason, we are calling PaperTale “Workers approved”

The PaperTale platform will show you every single worker who made any form of operation on the piece of clothing in your hands or a sofa in your house. The workers are voluntarily setting up their profiles with some basic information and if you are satisfied with the craftsmanship and you want to make someone’s day, we have created the option of sending a tip or a smiley to any or all of the workers involved in the creation of your garment. Any such gift is fully traceable in the blockchain and in a matter of minutes, you can verify that the transaction took place and was received by the intended person/s.

In developing countries where most of the world’s worker force exists, quality education is merely a fantasy. This is the main reason poor people tend to end up in the vicious cycle of poverty generation after generation. The child of a sweeper usually ends up as a sweeper.

We believe education is the best way to lift people out of poverty and to make them self-reliant. Around 80% of the world’s population lives in the developing countries and since large part of the population don’t have access to good education, they cannot be part of innovation and creativity. We want to equip people with good education which will create more scientists, engineers, doctors and so on, to make the world a better place for all of us.

QUALITY EDUCATION FOR KIDS OR SKILL ENHANCEMENT FOR THE WORKERS

PaperTale educational crowdfunding platform allows you to contribute towards either education for the children of the workers, or skill enhancement programs that would increase the earning capacity of the worker as well as climbing the professional ladder, thus making the lives of their whole family better. Please note that you will be charged by the school ONLY when the person is enrolled and once the identities of the worker or their kids have been confirmed. Also, you can actually see the transaction history to the school and be confident that even a small support is actually creating a big impact.

Now, we as consumers have the power to change the lives of the creators of our products, by simply adding a small contribution to enable future self-reliant assets to the whole society. And unlike other charitable causes, your contribution is transparent and traceable with the power of Blockchain.

Let’s start an educational revolution together bit by bit.

The best sustainability practice is not to consume at all, which of course is not a sustainable approach in itself. However, we believe that one should not be forced to buy products for the sake of social contribution only and for that reason we introduced the donation’s module.

Have you ever wondered what part of your donations actually end up for the cause itself? Our experience tells us that often large parts of donations are used to cover administration and other costs, meaning that only fraction of the donations actually reach to the source.

Our Donation’s Module enables you to directly impact people’s lives for the better. You can filter out the workers from our network of factories and send a direct donation for quality education for the workers or their kids and all is transparent and traceable. For the educational donations, you will be charged directly by the school ONLY if the person is enrolled and only after the identity of the worker or his/her kids have been confirmed. This eliminates the risk of corruption which exists in most other charities, since the use of their received donations can never be verified.

Let’s bring another purpose in our lives and educate the developing world.