Applying integrated Blockchain and Big Data technologies to improve supply chain traceability and information sharing in the textile sector

Abstract

Nowadays, the textile industry is strutting its stuff. On one hand, customers have a diverse choice of products available on personalized mobile apps, with immediate deliveries and returns. On the other hand, production is more effective and efficient than ever, thanks to increased automation and computerization in textile processes. However current supply chain management systems still face several serious problems such as tampering of products, poor traceability, delay, and lack of real-time information sharing. Today, a new technology called blockchain, which is a ground-breaking innovation in decentralized information technologies, can solve the above-mentioned challenges due to its important features, such as decentralization, transparency, and immutability. In this direction, this paper proposes a new framework for textile supply chain traceability based on blockchain which could offer an information platform, for all supply chain members with transparency and information sharing. Creating a traceable and transparent supply chain for textile industry would help customers to make informed choices about products they buy and the companies they support. For stakeholders in the textile supply chain, having traceability and real time information sharing builds better relationships, increases efficiency, and reduces the risk and cost of product recalls, counterfeit, and unethical labors. However, since blockchain technology is still in its early stages, it has some inherent defects, in which scalability becomes a primary and urgent one when we face the mass data in the real world. Hence, we present a new approach, consisting of the integration between two technologies which are blockchain and Big Data, to fill in the decentralized systems at scale. One of the primary research questions answered is how blockchain empowered by Big Data can be utilized and applied to manage traceability and information sharing more accurately through global supply chains. In this study we examine the necessity of traceability system concept and information sharing, followed by presentation of a blockchain integrated big data framework and its development processes. Finally, performance of this proposition is evaluated, and challenges of such a traceability system that can be addressed through further research are presented.