The REFLOW Operating System

The Reflow Operating System (OS) is an open-source operating system, which with its combination of components allows organisational flows to be facilitated within an organisation and beyond. It is based on Distributed ledger technology where the ownership and access of data are distributed and potentially anonymised. Reflow OS is thereby "an operating system for communities who want to create federated and secure economic networks to foster the creation and coordination of distributed value chains". The OS provides the backbone for the development of web-based and phone applications and allows for e.g., features like matchmaking and Track & Trace of materials to facilitate circular business models such as sharing platforms. 

The components of Reflow OS allow for the following features:  

Cryptographically Verification of information: In a multi-partner situation, Reflow OS can cryptographically certify actions along the value chain, allowing separate actors or companies to trust that the correct information has been provided by the other parties. 

Selective Sharing System: Allows for actors to participate and manage information in terms of common information flows. You can share information, but you do not have to share all your information, which is difference from Blockchain. 

Because of these key features of Reflow OS, users can set up the following systems:  

Track & Trace: Materials can be tracked between actors in the value chain. 

Material Passport: The journey and identity of the materials can be certified. 

Matchmaking: Materials and actors can be matched automatically.  

Verified signatures: Actors can sign transactions at every step, and thereby certify that they or the product/material complies to external legal and environmental requirements.  

Privacy: Despite this detailed tracking and identification, users retain privacy due to the distributed identification coming from the Distributed Ledger Technology, and data can flow between different actors in a secure way, allowing inter-organisational relations and collaboration. 

The Reflow Operating System is relevant for the implementation of circular economy for two main reasons: The growth of digital platforms, and the potential in distributed ledger technology for granular track & trace and matchmaking. The growing phenomenon of digital platforms has led to the creation of new modes of organising a considerable range of human activities and materials. Digital platforms have contributed to the transformation of multiple industries, including transportation (e.g. Uber), hospitality (e.g. Airbnb, CouchSourcing), and food (e.g. Too Good To Go) (Asadullah and Kankanhalli, 2018). This digitalisation of society produces a large amount of data on a range of aspects, such as the flows of humans and materials. Following this shift becomes increasingly important for municipalities aiming for sustainability goals, emission reduction, citizen awareness and energy efficiency.

In the context of circular economy, this data can be used to improve collaboration and connection between actors up and down the value chain and between sectors. Access to such detailed and secure information on supply, quality, and availability of resources is expected to ease the transition to circularity, as it reduces information asymmetries, improves information standards and market transparency. Such an infrastructure of information sharing and platforms for collaboration can thereby facilitate transactions enabling reuse, remanufacturing, recycling, and waste management (Hellemans et al. 2021). In this regard, distributed ledger technologies are considered to provide such infrastructure to stakeholder such as local authorities or municipalitites (Böckel et al., 2021), and can further contribute to increased traceability and transparency of supply chains, improved communication with supply chain actors and customers, as well as improved security, privacy, and trust (Böckel et al. 2021).