Blockchain-based certification of sustainable cement production

Purpose Cement manufacturing is a vital yet emission-intensive industry that faces challenges in certifying sustainable production practices, driven by the need for transparency, accountability and regulatory compliance. This paper provides a blockchain-based certification framework to enhance traceability and sustainability in cement production. Design/methodology/approach Leveraging Ethereum smart contracts (SCs) and blockchain technology, our solution ensures decentralized, immutable tracking of emissions data, production processes and compliance through secure interactions among regulators, manufacturers and auditors. The framework facilitates deployment, registration, reporting, auditing and certification. Detailed insights into system architecture, algorithms, SC implementation and validation are provided. Security analysis evaluates access controls, data privacy and vulnerability mitigation, while cost analysis highlights the framework's economic feasibility by examining gas costs for key functions. Findings The blockchain-based framework successfully produced a scalable solution with a modular design to allow for flexible deployment by different regulatory bodies. Transparency was achieved through blockchain events announcement, and accuracy was ensured through periodic auditing rounds. Security analysis results show no serious vulnerabilities. The developed framework proves a cost-effective solution for certifying sustainable production practices in the cement industry, with potential applications across other heavy manufacturing sectors. Research limitations/implications Cement manufacturing is a vital yet emission-intensive industry that faces significant challenges in certifying sustainable production practices, driven by the need for transparency, accountability and regulatory compliance. Practical implications We believe that this paper provides the following practical implications: Innovative Framework: A blockchain-based certification system promoting adherence to sustainable processes in cement manufacturing. SC Implementation: Detailed insights into the system architecture, implementation and validation of algorithms and SCs. Comprehensive Analysis: A thorough security analysis of SC coding and a cost analysis highlighting the economic feasibility of our proposed framework. Social implications The proposed methodology will help all stakeholder involved in the cement production and supply chain have a better understanding and a robust tool to observe and learn about operations, tasks and other activities made through sustainable cement production Originality/value The study contributes a novel blockchain-based method to certify sustainable production in energy-intensive industries, especially cement, offering a valuable tool that ensures transparency and immutability.