SourceMap

Getting Started with Open Supply Chains from Matthew Hockenberry on Vimeo.

Dear businesses: pay attention to this!!

I just came across SourceMap on visualcomplexity.com and wanted to post it as an example of the direction that brands and companies should all be taking towards transparency and environmental awareness (Manuel Lima).

SourceMap is a tool created by those bright folks at MIT to help us understand where the products we purchase come and what they’re made of.  The project is also a social network which allows you to create your own manufacturing and transporting supply chains and then view their geographical location and environmental implications.

You can embed supply chains on external websites, print them onto products, and even use them as QR codes (which are much most popular in Asia than the rest of the world).  What this means for business and consumers is that we’ll be able to create and view a geographic catalogue of materials that make up the products we use on a daily basis.

It will also visualize your dinner party ingredients: “When you invite people to an event, buy the ingredients for a recipe, or design the parts of a product, your choices have a significant impact. Some things have vast supply chains that stretch across the world while others are completely regional. Understanding the reach of our sourcing is fundamental to improving economic, social and environmental conditions”.

SourceMap is currently in Beta (and a bit clunky) but with the right design and UI this could signal a huge shift in the way that both businesses and consumers think about the products they use and the food they eat.

Check it out here.

SourceMap of IKEA's Sultan Alsarp bed (via visualcomplexity.com)SourceMap of IKEA's Sultan Alsarp bed (via visualcomplexity.com)

More of this, please!