Resumen de Blockchain technology for supply chain traceability:: the case of SMEs of the Made in Italy
Purpose. This research aims at investigating why and how blockchain technology (BCT) is used for supply chain (SC) traceability in SMEs of the Made in Italy.
Methodology. Expert interviews with managerial and technical staff of Italian SMEs adopting BCT for SC traceability of Made in Italy products and tech companies providing it.
Findings. BCT is used to increase transparency in SC traceability and trust among stakeholders, however, not many firms and consumers know about this technology or how to use it, and there is a lack of clear regulations. Most SMEs of the Made in Italy use BCT in their SCs for B2C marketing purposes. Many of the blockchain solutions provided notarize on public 3rd generation blockchains the hashes of the off-chain documents in which the adopters state the traceability information about their products, which is accessible via the provider’s App. This kind of solution brings some risks to data reliability.
Practical implications. Managerial implications are presented, helping firms understating if they need BCT for traceability and what solution they can adopt based on their objective.
Originality of the study. The study provides empirical evidence on a novel topic which has not been thoroughly addressed in the academic literature.
