Blockchain for Good: The Transformative Impacts on Industry, Community and the Planet

Blockchain, a technology originally developed for cryptocurrency, has evolved into a versatile tool capable of driving significant change across industries and communities. Its decentralised, secure, and transparent nature has proven valuable in applications that transcend finance, impacting supply chains, digital governance, and sustainability practices. By enabling greater trust and accountability, blockchain technology can foster ethical solutions to global challenges, promoting transparency, inclusivity, and efficiency within sectors like agriculture, healthcare, and environmental management. This book explores blockchain’s role as a catalyst for meaningful change and its potential to contribute positively to our digital future.

Structured into three parts―Industry, Community, and Planet―this book examines blockchain’s role in advancing (i) sustainable business practices, (ii) supporting fairer social systems, and (iii) addressing environmental goals. Each section presents diverse case studies and theoretical insights, showing how blockchain can be applied responsibly and ethically. From enhancing transparency in fashion supply chains to supporting smallholder farmers, and from reshaping public governance to promoting the circular economy, the book offers a thorough understanding of blockchain’s transformative capabilities. It highlights interdisciplinary research and applied projects across the globe that exemplify blockchain’s capacity to serve societal and environmental purposes.

Ideal for researchers, policymakers, and industry professionals, this book provides practical insights into blockchain’s potential beyond the hype. Whether you are in technology, social sciences, or environmental studies, Blockchain for Good serves as an essential resource for anyone interested in exploring how blockchain can contribute to a more equitable and sustainable world.

Dr Shoufeng Cao is an Industry Fellow at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Australia. His research focuses on blockchain applications for business digitalisation and supply chain innovation in agri-food industries. He currently explores the transformative role of blockchain and NFTs in promoting an Indigenous-led bush food industry. His previous projects funded by Food Agility CRC and Future Food Systems CRC won two Good Design Australia Awards 2020.

Marcus Foth is a Professor of Urban Informatics in the QUT School of Design. For more than two decades, Marcus has led ubiquitous computing and interaction design research into interactive digital media, screen, mobile and smart city applications. He is a Fellow of the Australian Computer Society and the Queensland Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Distinguished Member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), and currently serves on Australia’s national College of Experts.