IBM, Ford and LG Link for Blockchain Cobalt Tracing

What appears to be a good example for the legitimate use of Blockchain models.   A sharable supply chain authentication/governance model.

Ford and IBM among quartet in Congo cobalt blockchain project  in Reuters, with more good detail at the link .... by Barbara Lewis

LONDON (Reuters) - Carmaker Ford (F.N), technology giant IBM (IBM.N), South Korean cathode maker LG Chem (051910.KS) and China’s Huayou Cobalt (603799.SS) have joined forces in the first blockchain project to monitor cobalt supplies from Democratic Republic of Congo.
The pilot, overseen by responsible-sourcing group RCS Global, aims to help manufacturers ensure that cobalt used in lithium-ion batteries has not been mined by children or used to fuel conflict.

Companies are under pressure from consumers and investors to prove that minerals are sourced without human rights abuses, but tracking raw materials throughout their journey is challenging.

The project announced on Wednesday has been quietly under way since December. Starting with industrially mined cobalt in Congo, it is monitoring supplies all the way to lithium-ion batteries for Ford vehicles.  .... "