Blockchain for Sustainable Supply Chains: Enhancing Transparency from Producer to Consumer

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Topic focuses on the transformative application of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) in Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SCM), addressing the inherent complexities of traceability and verification across multiple, critical sectors. The scope is broadened beyond traditional agri-food to include high-complexity areas like the energy sector (oil and gas), advanced manufacturing, and global logistics transport. The "Farm" symbolizes any point of origin of value, and the "Consumer" represents the final point of custody transfer. The core aim is to leverage blockchain to develop solutions that not only verify origin and sustainability but also ensure regulatory compliance (tariffs, sanctions), integrate securely with Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) and AI systems, and analyze the energy cost-efficiency of the DLT implementations themselves. The call is strongly multidisciplinary, seeking contributions from experts in Computer Science, Industrial Engineering, Logistics, International Commercial Law, Economics, and Cybersecurity.

Dr. Cándido Caballero-Gil
Prof. Dr. Mike Burmester
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Administrative Sciences admsci	3.9	6.6	2011	21.3 Days	CHF 1600	Submit
Computers computers	5.2	9.1	2012	17.5 Days	CHF 1800	Submit
Future Internet futureinternet	4.6	10.0	2009	16.1 Days	CHF 1800	Submit
Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research jtaer	4.5	7.1	2006	27.9 Days	CHF 1400	Submit
Sustainability sustainability	4.1	8.9	2009	17.9 Days	CHF 2400	Submit
Technologies technologies	5.2	6.7	2013	19.1 Days	CHF 1800	Submit

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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All Sustainability Computers Future Internet Technologies JTAER Administrative Sciences

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38 pages, 2490 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Benefits and Drawbacks of Blockchain Technology for Traceability in Coffee Supply Chain

by Christian Gómez and Benoit Garbinato

Technologies 2026, 14(6), 369; https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies14060369 - 17 Jun 2026

Viewed by 138

Abstract

This research examines stakeholders’ perspectives in Colombia and Switzerland on blockchain traceability systems in the coffee industry. Adopting the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) as an interpretive framework, the study analyzes these perceptions through the constructs of performance expectancy, [...] Read more.

This research examines stakeholders’ perspectives in Colombia and Switzerland on blockchain traceability systems in the coffee industry. Adopting the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) as an interpretive framework, the study analyzes these perceptions through the constructs of performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions. Using a quantitative cross-sectional design with an exploratory scope, we survey 360 participants, comprising 60 coffee supply chain companies and 300 consumers. Results reveal that 78.3% of stakeholders consider traceability essential, yet only 46.7% are familiar with blockchain. Stakeholders identify three primary benefits: improved transparency (91.7%), fraud prevention (88.3%), and enhanced security (86.7%). However, significant barriers persist: high implementation costs (95%), limited expertise (91.7%), and lack of awareness (93.3%). Geographic differences emerge: Colombian stakeholders prioritize cost reduction and fraud prevention, while Swiss participants focus on data management and privacy protection. Among consumers, 62.7% express interest in provenance information, 56.7% are willing to pay for blockchain systems, and 59% are interested in tipping farmers. The study classifies benefits and drawbacks across nine dimensions, providing a comprehensive framework for understanding the multidimensional impacts of blockchain on the coffee supply chain. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Blockchain for Sustainable Supply Chains: Enhancing Transparency from Producer to Consumer)

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25 pages, 2256 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Stateless Hierarchical Deterministic Wallet Custody for Institutional Blockchain Adoption

by Juan Minango, Alberto Paradisi, Silvia Marion and Andreza Lona

Technologies 2026, 14(6), 331; https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies14060331 - 29 May 2026

Viewed by 234

Abstract

Institutional adoption of blockchain technology in supply chains, healthcare, and public administration remains constrained. Organizations that manage digital assets on behalf of large numbers of non-technical users lack custody architectures suited to their scale. Existing approaches either require users to manage private keys [...] Read more.

Institutional adoption of blockchain technology in supply chains, healthcare, and public administration remains constrained. Organizations that manage digital assets on behalf of large numbers of non-technical users lack custody architectures suited to their scale. Existing approaches either require users to manage private keys directly; rely on centralized custodians that store encrypted keys; or depend on distributed protocols such as multi-party computation, which impose substantial infrastructure and coordination overhead. This paper presents CryptoVault, a stateless custody architecture for institutional blockchain deployments that derives private keys on demand from a single master seed using BIP-44 hierarchical deterministic (HD) wallets, eliminating persistent storage entirely. Only an AES-256-GCM-encrypted derivation index is persisted per wallet; the corresponding private key is re-derived at signing time and discarded immediately after use, ensuring no private key material ever rests on disk. The security model requires the simultaneous compromise of three independent components (the encrypted derivation index, the encryption key, and the master seed) for full key recovery, compared to two components in custody systems that persist encrypted private keys. An empirical evaluation under concurrent load demonstrates 13 to 22 ms steady-state signing latency on development hardware, with re-derivation accounting for approximately 4 to 7% of that total, confirming that on-demand derivation introduces negligible overhead. Thus, CryptoVault has been validated against an agricultural cooperative deployment as a representative institutional scenario, with an architecture that generalizes to any organization managing wallets on behalf of users who have no direct interaction with cryptographic material. A reference implementation is available as open-source software. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Blockchain for Sustainable Supply Chains: Enhancing Transparency from Producer to Consumer)

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20 pages, 1137 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Enhancing Trust and Sustainability in Higher Education Through Blockchain-Based Academic Document Verification

by Yenlik Begimbayeva, Olga Ussatova, Vladislav Karyukin, Galimkair Mutanov, Yerlan Kistaubayev and Medet Turdaliyev

Sustainability 2026, 18(7), 3547; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18073547 - 4 Apr 2026

Viewed by 618

Abstract

The sustainability of higher education systems increasingly depends on the integrity, transparency, and long-term verifiability of academic credentials. Widespread diploma fraud, unauthorized modification of academic records, and fragmented verification mechanisms undermine institutional trust, graduate mobility, and public confidence in educational outcomes. These challenges [...] Read more.

The sustainability of higher education systems increasingly depends on the integrity, transparency, and long-term verifiability of academic credentials. Widespread diploma fraud, unauthorized modification of academic records, and fragmented verification mechanisms undermine institutional trust, graduate mobility, and public confidence in educational outcomes. These challenges directly affect the social and governance dimensions of sustainable development, particularly in the context of universities’ digital transformation. This study proposes a blockchain-based approach to support the sustainable governance of academic documents by strengthening transparency, accountability, and auditability. The proposed system employs cryptographic hash anchoring and smart contract–based enforcement to verify academic credentials such as diplomas, transcripts, and certificates. Document contents are processed and stored off-chain, while cryptographic representations and essential metadata are immutably recorded on an EVM-compatible blockchain, ensuring data privacy and resistance to tampering. Any modification to a document results in a mismatch between the original and recomputed hashes, making fraudulent alterations immediately detectable. A web-based application and a role-restricted smart contract were implemented to support document issuance, verification, and immutable audit logging. System evaluation based on blockchain transaction evidence confirms reliable document registration, deterministic verification outcomes, and verifiable linkage between institutional actions and on-chain records. The results indicate that blockchain-based document verification can contribute to the reduction in corruption risks and improve transparency, strengthening institutional trust and supporting sustainable digital governance in higher education systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Blockchain for Sustainable Supply Chains: Enhancing Transparency from Producer to Consumer)

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