Summary
This paper addresses the greenwashing risk in regenerative agri-food systems by proposing an integrated framework that combines climate-resilience assessment with digital-verification technologies. Using scenario analysis, SWOT evaluation, and an EU case study, the authors demonstrate that regenerative claims are often decoupled from verifiable data streams, that digital traceability faces structural and cost barriers, and that consumer trust is driven more by emotional and localism cues than formal certification. The framework offers a replicable approach for policymakers and certifying bodies to strengthen the nexus between sustainability narrative, technological infrastructure, and measurable environmental outcomes.
Regional applicability
The study draws empirical evidence from an emerging EU agri-food market, making the findings directly relevant to European policy contexts and EU sustainability-certification frameworks. The proposed framework is designed as a low-resource, replicable tool applicable to United Kingdom policymakers and certifying bodies post-Brexit, particularly for schemes seeking to align regenerative claims with verifiable climate-resilience metrics and digital-traceability infrastructure.
Key measures
Adoption barriers to blockchain-, IoT-, and AI-enabled traceability; alignment between regenerative claims and verifiable data; consumer-trust factors; climate-resilience assessment indicators
Outcomes reported
The study developed an integrated framework combining scenario analysis, SWOT evaluation, and case-study evidence to assess how digital-traceability technologies can verify sustainability claims in regenerative agricultural systems. It identified disconnects between regenerative claims and verifiable data, barriers to digital-traceability adoption, and the role of consumer trust mechanisms in agri-food supply chains.
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