OS City and Ethereum Classic Labs Partner to Promote Blockchain Solutions
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OS City and Ethereum Classic Labs partner to promote blockchain solutions for the second largest employer in developing countries — the global artisan community
[San Francisco, CA — January 6, 2020]
OS City, a member of Cohort II in the Ethereum Classic Labs (ETC Labs) Accelerator, is expanding its impact with a new application to give artisans and craftsmen the power to promote their work for a global market. The Artisan Origin (A/O) project, with the support of ETC Labs, uses blockchain to validate the work of craftspeople working in far flung enclaves of the developing world — from Latin America to India, China to Malawi.
Using the tools of the A/O project, the so-called “orange economy” that encompasses creative products and intellectual property can leapfrog old technologies and join the global economy directly by using the most disruptive, and most transparent and traceable technology available to authenticate their work. What’s more, measurement of the contribution that these workers make to local economies in numbers of workers, value of
production, and scope of markets is critical to economic policy. The generation of data on the industry related to the certification processes will benefit local governments and support public policy.
In remarks to the Alliance for Artisan Enterprises in 2015, then Secretary of State John Kerry spoke of a “new startup economy.” But this economy is far from start up. In fact, artisans are the second largest employer (after agriculture) in the developing world. According to the Inter-American Development Bank, if the creative economy were a country it would be the fourth largest economy in the world, with the fourth largest workforce and rank ninth in the value of its exports. It has more workforce members than the automotive industry in Europe, the US, and Japan combined, and more workers than the combined population of Paris, New York, and London.
“OS City and Artisan Origin are using blockchain to co-create an ecosystem of fairness, sustainability and trust for the artisan industries in developing countries around the world. Partnering with ETC Labs has brought fantastic geographic and technical advantages that allow us to increase our technological offering and impact, tapping into the power of Ethereum Classic to build solutions for social good,” said Jesús Cepeda, Founder, OS City
The solutions offered by the A/O project will professionalize the artisanal industry by validating the craftsperson, the techniques, materials, and even the creation story. And A/O is at the forefront of creating supply chain controls that will enable creative workers to realize a fair share of the value of their work at the point of sale with a direct connection to the end users of their creations.
Specialty craftspeople in textiles, pottery, glass, and leather wares; in regional foodstuffs such as honey, wine, chocolate, and coffee; and in rare resources such as gemstones, will use A/O tagging technology for blockchain certification that assures product quality through the supply chain from producers to managing brands and distributors and finally to end users. The technology also protects against counterfeiting, fraud, theft, or tampering.
The result is sustainable local industries and stable local economic development. What is more, the potential of the A/O technology solution to address the Strategic Development Goals of the United Nations is broad: relief from poverty through decent work and economic growth; sustainable local economies; and empowerment and equality for workers.
“Projects like OS City’s Artisan Origin take the application of ETC technology and authentication from a conceptual level to a concrete case. We are committed to applications of this innovative technology that promote social and economic development and improve people’s day-to-day lives,” said Terry Culver, CEO of ETC Labs
About OS City:
A Mexican-based govtech company, and pilot startup program in the ETC Labs Cohort II program, OS City leverages blockchain and artificial intelligence to help governments improve efficiency and trust by increasing transparency and accountability in allocation of public resources.
Unlike other government systems solutions, OS City offers a software framework using cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and blockchain to transform government systems into integrated platforms of digital services. The product includes modular sets of services that work as building blocks to fulfill the most pressing needs of government. The users — the citizenry — have continuous access to new and better modules.
Blockchain solutions are being developed by OS City using tools in the ETC Labs Accelerator that empower civil servants and citizens in developing countries with access to state-of-the-art technology to track and trace data. A
marketplace for institutional technologies, OS City connects app developers with customers in government and economic development to create trust, prevent fraud, and promote rapid innovation. With growing success in areas from mass transit to institutional data use and public services delivery, OS City is promoting blockchain solution development to respond to many economic development challenges.
About Ethereum Classic Labs:
The mission of ETC Labs is to build relevant, accessible, and high-quality technology, and to use that technology to create communities of value in a mature and regulated ecosystem. The ultimate goal is to fulfill the promise of
blockchain to improve people’s lives. The ETC Labs team of experts also foster partnerships with organizations and institutions in order to address fundamental challenges in developing and deploying this innovative technology.
We fulfill the mission through two undertakings: the ETC Labs Accelerator, which hosts up to 25 blockchain projects annually that contribute to sustaining a robust ecosystem; and the Core Team, a team of experts and
developers who maintain the Ethereum Classic blockchain and build key applications, solutions, and tools.
