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Adoption of Blockchain Technology: A Case Study of Walmart

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DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-8081-3.ch013

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Chapter 13
Adoption of Blockchain
Technology:
A Case Study of Walmart

Minky Sharma
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9956-6754
Chandigarh University, India

Pawan Kumar
Chandigarh University, India

ABSTRACT
In today’s world, society has become totally digitalized where technology is playing
a very important role in everyone’s life. Blockchain is a method that is useful in
recording information and makes its difficult to change, hack, or fraud system. A
blockchain is fundamentally a digital ledger of volume of transactions that is distributed
across the overall network of IT system on the blockchain. This technology acts as
a reliable layer in the evolution of e-commerce. Walmart has been working with
IBM on a food safety blockchain solution to add transparency to the decentralized
food supply ecosystem by digitizing the food supply chain process. This chapter will
cover the concept and origin/emergence of blockchain technology and implications
of blockchain technology in supply chain (Walmart), the significance and role of
blockchain technology for the users and the stakeholders, the implications for the
users, challenges faced by Walmart during the adoption of blockchain technology,
and the approachability of Walmart to IBM for the implication of blockchain to
their organization.

DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-8081-3.ch013

Copyright © 2021, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited.
Adoption of Blockchain Technology

INTRODUCTION: EMERGENCE OF BLOCK

CHAIN IN MODERN ECONOMIES

A block chain is fundamentally a digital ledger of volume of transactions that is

distributed across the overall network of IT system on the block chain. This technology
act as a reliable layer in the evolution of E-commerce. Block chain working like a
machine of recording of transactions in such a manner that it will secure the device
or computer from any kind of fraud and manipulation. Block chain is an innovation
in the digital world and it has become famous among the innovators, technocrats
at present.
This technology is revolutionary in nature in terms of information and computation
technology (ICT), the Block chain technology is based on Cryptography which
is used as a software protocol by the public. A public choice/modern structural
approach to block chain economics will help shed light on how this new technology
can influence the economy. Backfeed is an Ethereum-based network (Ethereum is a
decentralised generalised block chain that serves as the basis for a cryptographically
safe transaction-based state machine). We can discuss this in detail from the
beginning, which was only eight year ago (Nakamoto 2008). The block chain
technology that underpins Bitcoin is probably the most well-known (Swan 2015).
It is a decentralised distributed Ledger scheme (Evans 2014). The blockchain, is
considered as a specific technology in relation to digital currencies, Block chain is
a solution which is technological in terms of double-spending problem, which had
previously won all efforts to establish not decentralised Peer to peer electronic cash
system. The block chain, according to Nakamoto2, give solution to this issue by
integrating the shared file information system (or ledger) with network established
processes that update the database using a proof-of-work consensus mechanism.
As per (Buterin 2015), the value and prospects of Bitcoin, on the other hand,
have no impact on the worth and importance of Blockchain Bitcoin is a blockchain-
based application in which the bitcoin ledger entries recorded are generated by the
protocol. Block chain should be regarded in terms of modern form of “general purpose
technology”. In the form of a distributed public ledger that is highly transparent,
robust, and effective (i.e. decentralised database). Any centralised system that
coordinates important information can be broken using such a distributed ledger. One
example of a centralised ledger is government money; another is government property
titles or identities registration. This technology is not trust worthy, which means it
doesn’t rely on third-party verification (i.e. trust), however rather on a consensus
with powerful mechanism based on crypto economic rewards to be checked by the
validity of a transaction in the information management system. This keeps them
secure even though there are strong or malicious third party seeking to discourage
users from participating.

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 Adoption of Blockchain Technology

In the 15th century the Venetian Republic established double entry bookkeeping
where Ledgers are traditional technology that hasn’t replaced much after all this.
They were digitised since 20th century, but they remained centralised until the
blockchain was invented in 2008. As per (Nussbaum 1933, Allen 2011) The ledger
is an accounting technology that keeps track of owners who own what and is vital
to modern capitalism.

Block Chain Consists of Three Important Concepts:

Blocks, Nodes and Miners (bulletin.com)

Blocks

Every chain is made up of several blocks, each of which has three basic elements:

• The details contained in the block.

• A nonce is a 32-bit whole number. When a block is formed, a nonce is
generated at random, which then generates a block header hash.
• The hash is a 256-bit number that is associated with the nonce. It has to begin
with a large number of zeros (i.e., be extremely small).

A nonce generates the cryptographic hash when the first block of a chain is
generated. Unless it is mined, the data in the block is considered signed and forever
linked to the nonce and hash.

Miners

Mining is the mechanism by which miners add new blocks to the chain. When a
block is successfully mined, all nodes on the network approve the update, and the
miner is compensated financially.

Nodes

Decentralization is one of the most significant principles of blockchain technology.

The chain cannot be owned by a single machine or entity. Instead, the nodes attached
to the chain form a distributed ledger. Any type of electronic device that holds copies
of the blockchain and keeps the network going is referred to as a node.
According to McDermott (2017), “Block chain solves problems of the business
where confidence is a factor” by offering what conventional databases can’t: data
immutability, speed, and security of dissemination. Walmart worked with IBM to
develop and implement its food provenance pilots using blockchain technology

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Adoption of Blockchain Technology

(Tiwari, 2016). Walmart’s block chain pilot’s progress hinged on cooperation with
government departments. Blockchain technology and its potential piqued regulators’
attention because it coincided with their work (McDermott, 2017). Walmart was
able to introduce blockchain technology to pork protection and supply chain
management after forming a team and obtaining regulatory approval. Blockchain
outperformed other innovations [supply chain with restricted infrastructure, social
media, radio frequency identification (RFID), enterprise resource planning (ERP),
and IoT combined with RFID] in a report on the Indian organic food industry using
analytic hierarchy method research. A network based on blockchain technologies
ensures fair trade and a circular economy, and blockchain will help farmers increase
the quality of their products in the supply chain.
Albertsons Companies (Eugene, Oregon, USA) is one of the leading food and drug
stores in the United States, with approximately 2300 outlets throughout the world. In
Albertsons, food safety is a crucial step. The opportunity to trace any move from the
field to the customer’s cart, due to product provenance, can be very empowering for
their consumers. Albertsons aims to test IBM Food Trust to help solve the problems
that have historically arisen when tracing high-risk foods like romaine lettuce. The
world’s largest grocery retailer will begin by tracing bulk romaine lettuce from one
of its delivery centres, then extend to other food categories through its distribution
network. The need for more reliable methods of tracing items and easily finding
possible causes of pollution. As a result, retailers are experimenting with emerging
technology in order to strengthen the system that serves the global food supply
chain. Furthermore, Albertsons would support both customers and market players
in achieving food traceability. Furthermore, a system of record can be developed
for food items and can be used to monitor and authenticate artefacts as they pass
through the supply chain, as well as a digital record of any purchase or contact.
From the date of packaging to the temperature at which an item was delivered to
its appearance on a grocery store shelf, all is registered. For major retailers and
customers, improved openness will resolve a wide variety of food safety concerns.
According to the Website 101Blockchains1, The Block chain technology was
first introduce in 1991-2008 by “Stuart Haber and Scott Stornetta” who worked
first time on this technology. In year 2009-2013 the various coins were introduced
in the line of block chain technology which includes Bitcoin, Ethereum & NOE. In
year 2009 Satoshi Nakamoto Publish Bitcoin White Paper and in year 2010 the First
Bitcoin of 10,000BTC was purchased .In year 2013 Bitcoin Marketplace Surpasses
$1 Billion and “Vitalik Butetin” released Ethereum White Paper. EOS.IO is a new
blockchain protocol for the implementation of decentralised applications that was
announced by block one in year 2017. In fig 1 the step by step view is explained
to show how Blockchain works as it starts from the 1st step i.e A user requests for
a transaction than in 2nd step A block representing the transaction is created than

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 Adoption of Blockchain Technology

in 3rd step The block is broadcasted to all the nodes of the network than in 4th step
All the nodes validate the block and the transaction after that in 5th step The block
is added to the chain and at last step 6th step is The transaction gets verified and
executed till transactions get verified and executed is being presented in a flow as
a process. In year 2015-2018 The Evolution of Blockchain Technology Increased
use of cryptocurrency, as well as companies using technology to improve efficiency,
demonstrate this trend.

Figure 1. Process of blockchain technology

Note- The step by step process of Blockchain has been shown in above Fig: 1 https://101blockchains.
com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/How_Does_a_Blockchain_work.jpg

IMPLICATION AND APPLICATION OF BLOCK CHAIN

TECHNOLOGY IN SUPPLY CHAIN (WALMART)

Block chain when connected with the supply chain than it will be considered as a part
of Marketing. Saberi et al. (2019, p. 2120) discuss many aspects of the blockchain
that can be used in the sense of supply chain management. When it comes to the
flow of knowledge in supply chains, attributes like reliability, traceability, and
authenticity become important. These characteristics, combined with the help of
smart contracts, have the potential to allow supply chains to be built without relying
on the trust layer as a foundation (Saberi et al., 2019, p. 2120). Unlike the many
implementations of blockchain in financial contexts, however, all of the technology’s
usable roles in the supply chain setting have yet to be decided. As a result, there are
still opportunities to interpret and apply the data.

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Adoption of Blockchain Technology

Blockchain facilitates monitoring through the entire supply chain by encouraging

all users of the blockchain network to see the same data. The risk of cheating other
participants is excluded when all members have access to the same material (Tribis et
al., 2018, p. 5). Furthermore, the advantages of blockchain in supply chain management
are built on the technology’s ability to minimize costs by, for example, replacing
intermediaries such as auditors. As a result, the technology allows the supply chain
manager to reduce the cost per unit. Inside supply chains, block chain technologies
have the power to make additional improvements to society’s sustainability. The
traceability feature allows you to ensure that the whole process, from sourcing to
customer execution, is carried out correctly (Saberi et al., 2019, p. 2122) Important
considerations like civil rights and labor practices can be reflected on the blockchain,
assisting consumers in making well-informed purchasing choices. Furthermore,
environmental claims could be another domain where blockchain could be useful
(Saberi et al., 2019, p. 2123). Aspects such as greenhouse gas emissions and used
goods could both be viewed and handled using blockchain (Saberi et al., 2019, p.
2123), effectively assisting in the development of transparency in these areas. This,
though, necessitates a degree of clarity that enables consumers to see this data. This
must be decided early on in the process of developing the blockchain solution, since
this is where the extent of privacy and network users must be determined (Saberi
et al., 2019, p. 2120).
The food Supply Chain, in particular, started to recognize the value of strategic
Supply Chain collaboration, with the aim of bolstering customer trust in the global
food system . After the E.coli outbreak at Chipotle Mexican Grill, which resulted in
55 cases of contamination, the relevance of openness and accountability across supply
networks was highlighted. As a result, a number of the world’s leading supermarkets
and food firms, including Dole, Unilever, and Walmart, began collaborating with IBM
on Blockchain technology accessibility for providing food traceability information.

1. https://101blockchains.com/ultimate-blockchain-technology-guide/

About the fact that Block chain technology has yet to be established as a proven
technological medium for optimum Supply chain results, engineers have already begun
combining block chain and the Internet of Things to include “resilient, genuinely
peer-to-peer distributed networks, providing the freedom to communicate with
peers in a “trustless” (Firms can do business without having trust on one another),
auditable manner,” rather than as another IT or database solution ([17], p. 2301). They
believe it will not only enhance trust among system participants (who are involved
in a transactional relationship such as buyers, suppliers, and distributors), but also
allow a trustless system that ensures the protection of transactions. Its advantages
include improved product protection and security, quality control, reduced unlawful

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counterfeiting, Supply chain longevity, inventory management and replenishment

expansion, new product design and production, and reduced SC transaction costs. The
block chain, a relatively new IT network, has mostly been used in electronic money
markets. Because of Block chain technology features like information transparency,
software immutability, and smart contracts, its implementation to Supply chain
cooperation is supposed to be beneficial.

ADOPTION OF BLOCKCHAIN BY E-COMMERCE COMPANIES

Customer, inventory, and sale details are all abundant in the E-commerce store.
For accurate performance, these data must be properly stored and managed. This
problem is addressed by block chain technology, which combines transactions into
blocks and connects each block into a chain. Since each block is saved on its own
disk, it is stable, scalable, and durable. If you run a Magento 2 e-commerce store,
you can consider integrating it with Blockchain technology to get the best results.
Despite the positive effect that the e-commerce market has had on the global
economy, things have not been looking well for e-commerce retailers, who have
faced several obstacles since the industry’s birth. It has been searching for a stable
technical infrastructure that can sustain it and solve the many problems it faces for
years. Fortunately, Blockchain technology is now capable of doing the same2 .
When Blockchain approaches major economic markets, a growing array of
e-Commerce software development companies are discussing the potential use
of Blockchain in a variety of fields other than banking, such as E-commerce. The
e-commerce industry has changed the way people buy all over the world. Now,
Blockchain is poised to revolutionize the way the E-commerce industry works.
E-commerce using Blockchain would help to create a revolutionized economy.
Although both Blockchain and E-commerce allow for transfers, Blockchain allows
them both faster and more safe.
Block chains are specialized networks that are linked to the outside world using
cutting-edge technologies.
However, not every Blockchain is the same. There are four kinds of Block chains
which are widely used in E-commerce. For E-commerce retailers, all four of these
options are readily available.

1. Bitcoin
2. Ethereum
3. IBM
4. Custom

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Adoption of Blockchain Technology

Bitcoin: Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency that is the driving force behind the development
of Blockchain technology. Several well-known companies have embraced Bitcoin,
including Tesla, Microsoft, Google, and Shopify. Following that, a slew of other
companies began to consider Bitcoin as a payment option. Accepting Bitcoin for
payment processing is a convenient way to use Blockchain, as well as a way to tap
into the vast cryptocurrency market.
Ethereum: It is also a cryptocurrency like Bitcoin. However, as opposed to its
competitor, it has its own combination of advantages and disadvantages. While it has
not gained the same level of popularity as Bitcoin, the network is capable of hosting
a variety of other cryptocurrencies. Hosting smart contracts is one of Ethereum’s
most common applications. The fact that Ethereum provides merchants with a place
to operate their full-fledged Block chains makes it perfect for E-commerce vendors.
IBM: IBM does not have a block chain of its own. The Blockchain technology
that it offers, on the other hand, is incredibly useful for large, diverse online retailers.
Custom: This is the most straightforward and adaptable Blockchain solution
for E-commerce merchants. Companies would be able to customize Blockchain to
suit their unique needs with the help of a Blockchain development company. It is
therefore very cost-effective in the long run for increasing gross margins3.

The E-Commerce companies which are following Block chain technology:

There are different categories of E-commerce which are adopting the Block chain
technology or are in the process of doing so are mentioned as:

1. Banking and Finance: includes HSBC, VISA etc4.

2. Supply Chain: includes Unilever, Walmart etc.
3. Healthcare: includes DHL, Pfizer etc.
4. Insurance: includes MET life, AIG etc.
5. Energy: includes Shell, Siemen etc.
6. Trade: includes Scotiabank, SEB etc.
7. Internet of things: includes Common wealth bank, Van dorp etc.
8. Travel: includes Lufthansa, British Airways etc.
9. Real Estate: includes Westfield, JLL etc.­

1. Banking & Finance: the various Organisation of Banking & finance are also
working on the adoption of block chain industry some of them are discussed
below:
a. A.1. HSBC: By the end of March 2020, HSBC intends to launch a
blockchain-based network. More importantly, they would migrate from
paper-based records to a completely digital, decentralised Vault platform.

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 Adoption of Blockchain Technology

As a result, their investors can now monitor their funds in real time. It
will also have some private functions.
b. A.2. VISA: Visa is one of the Blockchain technology firms that has
progressed significantly in the industry. They had previously launched a
Blockchain network for business-to-business payment services in 2016.
However, putting the project online took some time. By the end of 2019,
they hoped to have covered 90 markets in which companies could make
payments.
2. B. Supply Chain: The block chain technology has been adopted by different
organisation Supply chain few of which are explained below:
a. B.1. Unilever: Unilever is another company that uses block chain in
its supply chain. In fact, Unilever is using technology to manage its tea
business. They can monitor all of their supply chain transactions with
the aid of technology. Furthermore, they can monitor suppliers to ensure
that quality is maintained at all times.
b. B.2. Walmart: Walmart has long been a supporter of block chain
technology. In fact, IBM’s supply chain technology – the hyper ledger
Fabric platform – is being used to support the company’s supply chain
operation. They also plan to monitor their foods all the way back to their
farmers and allow consumers to verify the provenance before purchasing
an item.
3. C. Healthcare: In the health care industry they are also moving ahead for the
adoption of Block chain technology some of the organisations are mentioned
below:
a. C.1. DHL: DHL is another major corporation that has adopted block
chain technology. They’re working on a proof of concept with Accenture
to monitor pharmaceuticals from the point of origin to the end user. As
a result, businesses will be able to finally eliminate any tampering or
counterfeit drug problems that they face on a daily basis.
b. C.2. Pfizer: Pfizer is another major corporation that has adopted block chain
technology. Clinical Supply Block chain Working Group (CSBWG), led
by Biogen and Pfizer, recently completed proof of concept for monitoring
records and maintaining the digital inventory of pharmaceutical products.

In fact, the group includes GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, AstraZeneca, and Deloitte,

among others.

4. D. Insurance: There are different Insurance companies which are accepting

Block chain technology and some are going to adopted:

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Adoption of Blockchain Technology

a. D.1. MetLife: MetLife is another major corporation that has adopted

block chain technology. In reality, Lumen Lab is MetLife’s Singapore-
based incubator business, and they’re working on Life chain with NTUC
Income and Singapore Press Holdings (SPH). You can use this website to
assist your loved ones in determining whether the deceased had insurance
or not, and it will automatically file an insurance claim if needed.
b. D.2. AIG: AIG, or American International Group, is a publicly traded
corporation that uses Blockchain technology. They are currently
collaborating with International Business Machines Corp on the creation
of a smart insurance platform. They will eventually cover all of the
complicated foreign insurance issues with the help of the web.
5. E. Energy: Organisations related to Energy are as following which have adopted
Block chain industry and those who are going to adopt this in coming future.
a. E.1. Shell: Shell is one of the energy firms that has adopted block chain
technology. Shell plans to use block chain for crude oil trading alongside
Sinochem Energy Technology Co Ltd and Macquarie. Furthermore, they
have previously investigated the technology for use in the oil industry.
In either case, the platform makes it simple to monitor goods while still
encouraging openness and preventing fraternisation.
b. E.2. Siemen: Another corporation that is investing in block chain for
energy is Siemens. Furthermore, the firm recently stated that it intends
to bring creativity to the energy sector. In any case, they plan to extend
the solution to include Power Generation Services as well. They hope to
create more sustainable energy systems as a result of this.
6. F. Trade: on the basis of trade there are different organisations adopting the
block chain technology
a. F.1. Scotiabank: For the trade market, Scotiabank is using Alpha point’s
network. They do, however, send out trial trading documents to test the
platform’s functionality. They’re still going strong, so it’s fair to say the
project was a success. The project will assist you in digitising your money,
managing trading paperwork, and a variety of other tasks.
b. F.2. SEB: With block chain, SEB is also in the trading niche. They are
now using CGI’s Trade360 platform to manage all of their regulatory and
transactional needs. The best part is that the platform is entirely capable
of managing financial aspects of trading while still providing a solid
architecture.
7. G. Internet of things: the block chain technology adopted by various
organisations on the basis internet of things such as:

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 Adoption of Blockchain Technology

a. G.1. Common wealth bank: The Commonwealth Bank is another

interesting example in the IoT block chain market. They’re using the
distributed ledger to solve two big problems: global trading and wealth
sharing. In any case, incorporating IoT into the block chain framework
allows them to monitor all global trading processes in real time.
b. G.2. Van dorp: Van Dorp is also using the technology in the IoT room.
In fact, they’re working with Time series on a smart home project that
will connect any smart home device to the block chain platform. Since
block chain is encrypted, smart home devices will be completely safe
when communicating with one another.
8. H. Travel: In the Travel industry there are different organisations which adopted
and working with Block chain technology in present or coming future.
a. H.1. Lufthansa: One of the big players in the travel sector is Lufthansa
Industry Solutions. And, in order to fully realise the value of block chain,
they launched the Block chain for Aviation project (BC4A). Participants
are expected to include aircraft manufacturers, logistics companies, MRO
service providers, software developers, and others.
b. H.2. British Airways: British Airways is collaborating with the start up
VChain to improve the efficiency of their security checkpoints. In fact,
security audits consume a significant amount of time and resources. It
can also cause flight delays, which is inconvenient for both the airlines
and the passengers. As a result of the technology, they can ensure a faster
performance.
9. Real Estate: block chain technology has been adopted by various Real estate
organisation are as follows:
a. I.1. Westfield: For real estate bank guarantees, Westfield is using block
chain. It is primarily intended for leaseholders in retail markets. In either
case, Westfield’s live project will last eight weeks, during which time
they will decide if the technology is suitable for them. They are, however,
certain that it would make it easier for them to grant commercial leases.
b. I.2. JLL: JLL is another large corporation that has adopted block chain
technology. It is currently being used in the valuation of commercial real
estate in Spain. They say that they can use this method in the development
and financing of real estate, as well as in the sale and rental of land. JLL
Japan was the driving force behind the initiative.

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Adoption of Blockchain Technology

GROWTH STORY OF BLOCK CHAIN ADOPTION BY

WALMART AND ITS IMPACT ON ITS BUSINESS:

The case study on Walmart is being conducted on the bases of their market shares
as we have taken the market share value of different companies such as Walmart,
Hindustan Unilever, UPS, VISA, Ford and FedEx as shown in Table 1
Table: 1 presents the companies’ percentage who had adopted the Blockchain
technology for their organisational work from which it is justified that the market
share holding of Walmart is the highest (66%) among other stated organisations with
38.90%, 35%, 16%, 5.94%, 5.50% so that why the case study has been conducted on
Walmart in this chapter. The detail growth history of Walmart has been explained
with the basic introduction of the Walmart and the hyperledger.

Table 1. Market share percentage of companies

Companies adopted Blockchain technology Market share in 2019

Walmart 66%
Hindustan Unilever 38.90%
UPS 35%
VISA 16%
Ford 5.94%
FedEx 5.50%
Note: on the bases of the market share as shown in above table: 1 the case study of this chapter has been done.

Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps consumers save money and live better in
grocery stores, online, and on their mobile devices all over the world. Every week,
nearly 265 million customers and members visit our more than 11,200 stores and
e-commerce websites through 55 banners in 27 countries. Walmart hires over 2.2
million associates worldwide and produced $500.3 billion in sales in fiscal year 2018.
Hyperledger is an open source community project aimed at advancing block
chain technology through industries. It’s a multinational partnership involving
leaders in banking, finance, IoT, manufacturing, supply chain, and technology. The
Hyperledger Project is hosted by the Linux Foundation.
“Creating a (traceability) mechanism for the entire food supply ecosystem has
been a problem for years, and no one had found it out,” says Karl Bedwell, Senior
Director of Walmart Technology. Because of its emphasis on confidence, immutability,
and transparency, we thought block chain technology could be a good fit for this
problem.” With its open, shared ledger, block chain seemed tailor-made for the food

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 Adoption of Blockchain Technology

system!” Walmart began working on two proof of concept (POC) projects with IBM
after the company’s interest in block chain technology was verified.
In October 2016, Walmart and its technology partner IBM revealed two projects:
one to track the origin of mangos sold in Walmart stores in the United States, and the
other to trace pork sold in Walmart stores in China. “Yiannas” began by establishing
a benchmark for the mango POC. He purchased a bag of sliced mangoes from a
nearby Walmart and asked his team to figure out where they came from as quickly
as possible. After calling and emailing distributors and suppliers, the team received a
response about seven days later. By market standards, this was not bad, but Walmart
needed to do a lot better5.
As a result, they collaborated with IBM to develop a block chain-based food
traceability framework. Archana Sristy, Director of Engineering at Walmart she
explained the core design and the main setup of the applicability and integration
of enterprise system with IBM. She explained the concept of GS1 (the standards
authority in barcodes and labelling) to define the data attributes for block chain
upload the chain code was written by IBM.
Suppliers used new labels and used a web-based interface to upload their results.
For the two products, the Hyperledger Fabric block chain-based food traceability
framework worked. It allowed for the uploading of certificates of authenticity to
the block chain for pork in China, adding more trust to a system where trust was
previously a major problem. And the time it took to trace the provenance of mangoes
in the United States went from 7 days to... 2.2 seconds!
Working with Hyperledger was a good experience for the Walmart team. “It
seemed that the Hyperledger group had already been working on answering every
question we had,” Bedwell says. The Walmart team, for example, was concerned with
interoperability with other block chain-based traceability systems when designing
a fully open system. Hyperledger recently revealed its partnership with Ethereum,
as if in response to their concern. “It seems that the Hyperledger group is solving
all that companies are concerned about,” he adds. As shown in Fig 2 the working
of Walmart year wise has been explained as in October 2016 Walmart announces
two POCs for Blockchain based food tracking after that in August 2017 After the
Successful POCs, Walmart works with IBM, Nestle, and Unilever to Launch IBM
Food Trust Likewise in year September 2018 Walmart traces over 20 products
with the system powered by Hyperledger and after that in same duration Walmart
announces that all supplies of the fresh leafy greens will be required to start using
the Blockchain-based system in 2019.
Walmart also uses IBM Block chain, which is based on Hyperledger Fabric, to
monitor over 25 items from five different suppliers. Produce like mangoes, bananas,
and leafy greens; meat and poultry like chicken and pork; dairy like yoghurt and
almond milk; and even multi-ingredient goods like packaged salads and baby foods

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Adoption of Blockchain Technology

are among the items on the list. “This solution allows us to see the entire chain in
seconds!” Yiannas says of the effect. We can take a jar of baby food and look at
where it was made, as well as track all of the ingredients back to the farms!”

Figure 2. Year wise working of Walmart

Note: In different years various announcements were made by Walmart has been shown in above fig:
2 hyperledger.org/wpcontent/uploads/2019/02/Hyperledger_CaseStudy_Walmart_Graphics_Timeline2.
png5-https://www.hyperledger.org/learn/publications/walmart-case-study

In collaboration with IBM Food Trust, Walmart expects to expand the system
to more goods and categories in the near future. In reality, the company recently
announced that it would begin requiring all of its fresh leafy greens (such as salad
and spinach) suppliers to use the system to monitor their products.
In a letter to suppliers, Walmart wrote, “We have shown that using the IBM Food
Trust network, which relies on block chain technology, we can reduce the amount of
time it takes to monitor a food item from a Walmart Store back to source in seconds,
as opposed to days or sometimes weeks.”
The company may start tracking other data, such as sustainability, in addition
to the products’ journey.

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 Adoption of Blockchain Technology

REFERENCES

Brauer, J., & Linnala Eriksson, B. (2020). Blockchain’s influence on digital

marketing: An exploratory study examining blockchain in relation to big data and
digital marketing. Academic Press.
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