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The Problem

Global supply chains involve dozens of parties - manufacturers, logistics providers, distributors, customs agents, retailers - each with their own systems, incentives, and potential for error or fraud. At every handoff, there is an opportunity for counterfeiting, tampering, record manipulation, or traceability gaps when data crosses organisational boundaries. Traditional traceability systems centralise records in one party’s database. That party becomes the single source of truth - and the single point of trust. If that party is compromised, incentivised to misreport, or simply wrong, the entire traceability record is suspect. Regulators are now requiring supply chain traceability that is verifiable without relying on the producing organisation’s assurance.

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How ROOTKey Solves It

ROOTKey anchors each custody event - production, inspection, handoff, customs clearance, delivery - to the Polygon blockchain as it happens. Each anchor is:
  • Immutable - no party can retroactively alter a custody record once anchored
  • Timestamped by the blockchain - the timestamp cannot be backdated
  • Multi-party verifiable - every participant in the chain, and any regulator, can verify any event independently
  • Cross-organisational - vaults can accept anchors from multiple parties, building a shared, tamper-evident record that no single party controls
The result is a supply chain record where trust is mathematical, not contractual.

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Architecture

Each party in the supply chain writes to the same vault using their own scoped API key. The vault accumulates an immutable, multi-party chain of custody - owned by no single participant.

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Implementation

1

Create a shared vault for the product or batch

Create one vault per product, batch, or shipment. Configure access so that each supply chain participant can write to their custody segment using their own API key.→ Create Vault
2

Anchor the production certificate or origin record

The manufacturer anchors the initial record - product specification, quality certificate, origin declaration, or inspection result - at the point of production.→ Create File
3

Each party anchors their custody event

At every handoff - pickup, customs, receipt, delivery - the relevant party anchors their custody event. The event includes timestamps, location data, condition readings, or any other relevant attestation.→ Create File Version · Records API
4

Record transfer of ownership

When custody formally transfers between parties, use the Transfer endpoint to record the ownership change on-chain - creating an immutable chain-of-custody that documents every entity that held the asset.→ Transfer File
5

Enable independent verification

Provide the vault ID and file IDs to any party requiring verification - regulators, auditors, end customers. They can verify the full chain of custody independently via the ROOTKey API or directly via Polygonscan, without contacting any supply chain participant.→ Get File History · Validate File

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Key API Endpoints

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Compliance Alignment

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