iTraceiT

iTraceiT is a Belgian company offering end-to-end traceability solutions, with a strong focus on the diamond and jewelry sector since 2021. Responding to growing consumer demand for transparency and sustainability, iTraceiT provides a secure, user-friendly platform using blockchain and QR code technology.

It documents the full journey of products such as jewelry and diamonds, from origin to finished piece, ensuring integrity and trust at every stage. By enabling full visibility “from mine to finger,” iTraceiT helps jewelry brands to meet expectations around ethical sourcing and environmental responsibility.

Innovation challenge

Reliable gemstone traceability systems, such as iTraceiT's solution focused on diamonds, encounter significant hurdles when implemented in remote, artisanal and small-scale mining regions like the DR Congo. Practical challenges include inconsistent access to essential infrastructure like mobile phones and stable internet connectivity directly at the mine sites. Furthermore, varying literacy levels among miners can present considerable barriers to effectively using digital data-entry tools. This reality directly conflicts with the requirements for secure digital record-keeping, often utilizing technologies like blockchain, underscoring the critical need for robust, yet user-friendly solutions specifically adapted to these unique operational environments and constraints.

Solution developed

Through collaborative co-creation workshops, the city of Antwerp and innovation agency Verhaert worked closely with iTraceiT to tackle several technological and user experience (UX/UI) challenges inherent in gemstone traceability for difficult field environments. The primary goal was to develop a system that is not only exceptionally simple to operate, effectively 'dummy proof' regarding complexity, but also boasts a highly intuitive and user-friendly interface suitable for users with varying literacy levels. A key outcome of this process was the design of a clickable wireframe, intended for crucial user feedback and market validation phases. Several core technical building blocks underpin the proposed solution: Offline Capability: Data and images are captured and stored in a local database on the mobile device, ensuring functionality without constant connectivity. This data automatically syncs later when an internet connection is established. Location Tracking: To capture reasonably accurate location data even with weak GPS signals (e.g., underground), the system defaults to GPS but uses fallback methods like cell tower triangulation. Innovative grids like what3words are also explored as alternatives for precisely distinguishing between conflict and non-conflict zones. Data Synchronization: Specialized libraries (such as Replicache or TinyBase) are employed to seamlessly and reliably merge data from multiple offline devices once they regain connectivity, preventing data conflicts.