Merck KGaA Pilots Cocoa Traceability System On Hedera Ahead Of EU Deforestation Rule
Merck KGaA, The Hashgraph Group and PwC Germany are piloting a cocoa traceability system on Hedera ahead of the EU deforestation regulation deadline, but no cocoa company has been named as a participant.
Why it matters
The announcement signals that supply-chain blockchain vendors are racing to offer compliance tools ahead of the EU deforestation regulation deadline, but the absence of any named cocoa customer or production metrics means the pilot's real-world impact remains unproven.
Key facts
Merck KGaA, The Hashgraph Group and PwC Germany are piloting a cocoa traceability system on the Hedera network.
Reported by The Defiant
The system links physical authentication scans to records written on the Hedera network.
Reported by The Defiant
No cocoa company was named as a customer in the announcement.
Reported by The Defiant
The three partners disclosed no tonnage, farm count, cost or date for moving beyond the pilot stage.
Reported by The Defiant
Large and medium EU operators must comply with Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 from Dec. 30, 2026, with micro and small operators following on June 30, 2027.
Reported by The Defiant
What happened
Merck KGaA, The Hashgraph Group and PwC Germany announced a pilot cocoa traceability system that links physical authentication scans to records on the Hedera network, The Defiant reported. The pilot arrives less than four months before the EU deforestation regulation begins applying to large and medium operators on Dec. 30, 2026. No cocoa company appears in the announcement, and the three partners disclosed no tonnage, farm count, cost or timeline for moving past the pilot stage. According to The Defiant, this is the third announcement about the passport platform since February with no named customer and the second involving Merck KGaA. The article notes that quotes in the release came only from the three technology vendors selling the system.
How the story developed
- First report
First report by The Defiant
Merck KGaA Pilots Cocoa Traceability On Hedera
- Update
Merck KGaA, The Hashgraph Group and PwC Germany announce cocoa traceability pilot on Hedera
Announcement made with no named cocoa customer, no tonnage, no farm count and no timeline for moving past the pilot.
Affected entities
Original sources
| Publisher | Report | Role | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Defiant Crypto media | Merck KGaA Pilots Cocoa Traceability On Hedera | Original |
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