zk-BeSC: Confidential Blockchain Enabled Supply Chain Based on Polynomial Zero-Knowledge Proofs

Abstract

Blockchain technology promises a disruptive enhancement in trust establishment among supply chain actors. In particular, transparency and traceability can significantly get improved by a blockchain based data exchange platform which provides an immutable source of truth driven by a multi-stakeholder consensus. This also helps authenticate the provenance of products which is an added value that can be monetized by the supply chain participants. Nonetheless, due to the transparent nature of the blockchain, privacy and confidentiality are still a major concern for industries. In this paper, we present zk-BeSC, a blockchain enabled supply chain scheme based on zero-knowledge proofs of polynomials. The scheme allows transactions between supply chain participants in a privacy preserving fashion. It also offers tamper-resistance and replication due to the intrinsic nature of the blockchain. ZK-BeSC is fully implemented using an ethereum testnet and a web3 application. The scheme performs efficient proofs and has reduced gas consumption during verification.