The Potential of Traceability: A Strategic Tool for Accountability in Supply Chain Management
This policy brief makes the case for how supply chain traceability can be used as a strategic tool to enable more sustainable agriculture and food systems. It also outlines key policy recommendations for scaling traceability technology within agri-food systems.
Subject Tags
- Agriculture
- Regenerative food systems
- Policy
Abstract
The intersecting pressures of climate change, population growth, and ecological degradation are replacing unprecedented strain on global food systems. Agriculture must undergo a fundamental transformation. The era of opaque, untraceable supply chains is rapidly closing, underscored by a simple reality: sustainability claims without verification lack credibility. Traceability could help address this gap. By creating a verifiable, data-driven link between a product and its path from origin to destination, traceability systems underpin modern environmental, social, and economic governance. When treated as a strategic tool, rather than a standalone solution, traceability could help enable the validation of deforestation-free commitments and regenerative practices, strengthen global accountability, and safeguard a more resilient and sustainable future.
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Suggested Citation
The Nature Conservancy. The Potential of Traceability: A Strategic Tool for Accountability in Supply Chain Management. Policy Brief no. 6. Arlington, VA: The Nature Conservancy, July 2026.