Questions about traceability

What is blockchain, in a few words ?

Blockchain is a distributed database technology, which allows the creation of a secure, auditable and accountable information sharing network between different actors with different interests.

What does blockchain bring to traceability ?

Blockchain technology acts as a technical proof by guaranteeing “who said what, and when”, while allowing data auditability. It thus contributes to solving the business challenges linked to the historical difficulty of supply chain actors to exchange data in a reliable, accountable and transparent way.

How is data confidentiality ensured ?

Everything is encrypted and signed from end to end, and the data is only accessible to those players authorized by you. When you own a network node, as soon as the data arrives on that node, it is signed with a private key that belongs to you, and encrypted with keys that are yours and that you control. The transport of the encrypted data is itself encrypted. The same mechanism applies to the definition of channels that allow you to designate the recipients of the data you share.

Who owns the data ?

It belongs to you. At any time, you can choose to share copies of your data – which you retain ownership of – with other participants in the Footbridge powered by Tilkal network through sharing channels that you set up yourself. You can also close these channels at any time. We never use your data for anything other than contractual purposes.

How can we be sure that the data is true ?

There are two distinct aspects: the validity of the information and its veracity.

Validity: the Tilkal system ensures that the data sent by an actor is complete in the sense that it is attached to that actor and has not been modified since it was entered.

Veracity: the system makes the actor who provides the data accountable. In addition to the auditing procedures already in place, Footbridge powered by Tilkal performs real-time consistency checks on information using big data analysis and machine learning methods to detect and correct problems as they occur.

In addition to your subscription, Good Fabric can also assist you in verifying certifications and uploaded documents.

What about data capture, how does it fit with existing tools ?

To ensure broad value and access to all Footbridge powered by Tilkal network participants, we offer standard APIs and connectors for GS1/EPCIS, DESADV, and others as needed (e.g., interconnection with existing SAP/ATTP).

What about the energy consumption of the Tilkal blockchain ?

It should be noted that our blockchain network is a B2B network where the actors are all identified companies. This governance model is the opposite of that of crypto-currency networks in which the stakeholders are anonymous, anonymity that directly generates the well-known problems of absurd energy consumption. Our network is therefore not faced with this type of excessive energy consumption.

How is the security of the Footbridge powered by Tilkal solution ensured ?

We are committed to ensuring the security and privacy of our solution. Therefore, evaluating and proving is fundamental, as when it comes to security, doubt alone is salvation. In 2019, we organized security tests (pentests) and intrusion tests in white box mode with the independent organization Synacktiv and this on our entire product and its infrastructure. The verdict? The expected level of security was confirmed on all audited elements and it was not possible to access other customers’ data during the tests (i.e., neither from the outside nor from an account created for the occasion).

Why use Footbridge for the textile industry ?

The textile industry has a unique organization: a complex value chain with diverse raw materials, seasonal and sometimes ephemeral production, grouped into collections, and a host of other specificities that make traceability complex. Footbridge is a solution that takes into account all of these specificities: relevant data is collected and analyzed in an adapted manner.

Questions about LCA

What is Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) ?

LCA is a scientific and standardized method of calculating the environmental impact of products. This calculation takes into account all the incoming and outgoing flows (materials, energy…) throughout the life cycle of the product. These flows are aggregated and converted into impact indicators, such as climate change, water pollution, use of fossil resources…

What is LCA used for ?

There are two main applications of LCA that are addressed in Footbridge: eco-design and environmental communication.

Eco-design: LCA results allow you to identify the most impactful steps or components in the product, so you can make the right decisions to design greener, more sustainable products.

Environmental communication: you can communicate the results via the consumer app to bring transparency on the environmental impact of your products.

What data is needed to perform the LCA ?

An accurate LCA requires a wide range of data, which Footbridge collects throughout the life cycle, including product weight, percentages of each material, countries of production, distances and types of transportation between stakeholders, and types of treatments applied, for each product.

How are these data collected ?

They are collected from each actor at the same time as the data that allows us to establish traceability. This ensures that certain steps or components are not forgotten during the calculation. We are convinced that LCA cannot be done without traceability, which is one of the reasons Footbridge exists.

How are the impacts assessed ?

The data collected is transferred to LCA software where the product life cycle is modeled. This modeling is the result of the Good Fabric team’s expertise in textiles and LCA. It is also made possible thanks to LCA databases specialized in textiles. The calculation is performed by the software that translates the flows into impact indicators.