Fortra Forest Traceability

FORTRA (Forest Traceability) is a platform that the Xunta de Galicia makes available to forestry companies with the aim of providing traceability to products derived from wood, recording the operations carried out by all the companies that form part of the transformation process, from the forest until the final product reaches the market.

FORTRA is a market tool, whose objective is to allow the industry to differentiate itself from its competition, providing traceability information on its product, both at the level of its origin and its transformation process, throughout the entire value chain of the industry.

PROBLEM IDENTIFIED AND SOLUTION PROPOSED

Wood or wood-based products are experiencing a boom in the market. Society is becoming increasingly aware of issues such as carbon footprint, sustainable production, consumption of endogenous and local resources, etc. It is necessary to raise the profile of existing policies on timber legality, transparency and credibility.

The AIM of the FORTRA project is to provide the wood sector with a free tool for voluntary use, enabling it to provide its customers with relevant information to make a conscious purchasing decision, based on principles of respect for the environment, local trade, quality and guarantee of origin.

The SOLUTION has been the creation of a market tool, of a commercial nature (marketing), which allows the sector to differentiate its product and better position it in the national and international market.

The Xunta de Galicia provides the sector with a platform for traceability of origin and transformation, transparent and public, endorsed by the Autonomous Public Administration, to present its products highlighting characteristics such as a product in proximity (Km “0”), with a negative carbon footprint, free of deforestation, under parameters of sustainable forest management (AMS) and certified (PEFC/FSC).

DIFFERENTIATING VALUES

• Value chain: Allows the entire value chain to be digitally connected. Companies collaborate with each other to inform customers and consumers.
• Transparency: The value chain builds a public and transparent network, which can be consulted and audited by anyone, with total independence.
• Trust: The axis on which the FORTRA project is based is the contribution of certified traceability information as a lever to generate consumer confidence.
• Integrity: It allows standardising the integrity of the entire chain of custody up to the final product, according to the ISO 38200 standard, thus promoting the “cascade use” of wood.
• Sustainable Development: Supporting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 12 (responsible production and development), 13 (climate action) and 15 (life of terrestrial ecosystems).

SUCCESS INDICATORS

• 12 companies active on the platform.
• 153 types of traced products.
• 5.485 traceability queries.
• 1.672 users (consumers).
• 925.375 KG of CO2 retained.

IMPACT ON SUSTAINABILITY

FORTRA products are labelled with a QR code, which consumers can scan with their mobile phones to find out the origin of the wood used in this product, its transformation process and its impact on the planet.

It allows Galician wood-based products to be presented as local products (kilometre 0), with a negative carbon footprint (absorbs CO2), free of deforestation, sustainably managed and, in some cases, with forest certification seals (PEFC and/or FSC).

FORTRA is preparing all the controls that producers can use in their eco-labels, such as, among others: “bio-based”, “renewable”, “reusable”, “recyclable”, “circular”, “biodegradable”, “compostable”, “low carbon footprint / XY”, “plastic-free”, etc. It has been considered one of the “best practices” selected by the European Wood Circus project, whose main objective is to boost forest value chains as a key element of the circular bioeconomy in Europe.

These initiatives are part of the digitalisation and valorisation measures for Galician products included in the new Galician Forestry Plan 2021-2040 Towards Carbon Neutrality.

TECHNOLOGIES USED

• Alastria Red T (Consensys Quorum)
• Smart Contracts (Solidity)
• Cliente FORTRA descentralizado (Windows, Linux, MacOS)
• Servidor FORTRA de consulta de trazabilidad (tecnologías corporativas AMTEGA)
• IPFS

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