Scholarly record
SUSTAINABLE LIFE AND DIGITAL ASSET: A SELF-SOVEREIGN FRAMEWORK FOR TRACEABLE AND INCENTIVIZED ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIONS THROUGH DECENTRALIZED TOKENS AND RE-EXPERIENCABLE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
Abstract
This study addresses the limitations of conventional incentive systems in encouraging sustainable behaviors -- such as donations, ethical consumption, and CO2 reduction -- by highlighting their lack of transparency, long-term viability, and respect for privacy. To overcome these issues, we propose a decentralized reward framework built upon a blockchain-based Self-Sovereign Information Environment (SSIE). Verified actions are recorded through NFTs and smart contracts, ensuring immutable traceability without disclosing personal information. Our system features a four-layered architecture: (1) sensing individual actions, (2) third-party measurement and MRV, (3) blockchain-based tokenization, and (4) value circulation via non-monetary or carbon-linked incentives. Field applications in Japan and India demonstrate real-world feasibility. In Japan, university students act as fundraisers linking elderly donors to underserved recipients, earning NFT-based social credits. In India, donations for girls- education are released via escrow only after blockchain-verifiable milestones are met. Environmental use cases include household energy-saving behaviors and coastal ecosystem restoration. Tokenized data enables accurate reporting of Scope 3 emissions while separately visualizing emission reduction, which, once verified, may serve as a reference for the basis for voluntary carbon market transactions. Unlike centralized models, our system ensures data provenance, supports multi-stakeholder engagement, and enables DAO-style coordination. Ultimately, this research presents a scalable, field-tested framework integrating behavioral science, privacy-preserving infrastructure, and decentralized governance. It offers practical tools for incentivizing sustainability, contributing to resilient social credit systems rooted in inclusion, autonomy, and trust.
Publication Impact Profile
Publication details
References19
Lipinski P. A., Kunkle S., Lange F., Effects of financial incentives on pro-environmental behavior before and after incentive discontinuation, Journal of Environmental Psychology, Netherlands, vol. 105, Article 102638, 2025. DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102638
Osbaldiston R., Schott J. P., Environmental sustainability and behavioral science: Meta-analysis of pro-environmental behavior experiments, Environment and Behavior, USA, vol. 44, no. 2, pp. 257�299, 2012. DOI: 10.1177/0013916511402673
Abrahamse W., Steg L., Vlek C., Rothengatter T., A review of intervention studies aimed at household energy conservation, Journal of Environmental Psychology, Netherlands, vol. 25, issue 3, pp. 273�291, 2005. DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2005.08.002
Deci E. L., Koestner R., Ryan R. M., A meta-analytic review of experiments examining the effects of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation, Psychological Bulletin, USA, vol. 125, no. 6, pp. 627�668, 1999. DOI: 10.1037/0033-2909.125.6.627
Zuboff S., The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power, PublicAffairs, USA, 2019.
Couldry N., Mejias U. A., The Costs of Connection: How Data Is Colonizing Human Life and Appropriating It for Capitalism, Stanford University Press, USA, 2019. DOI: 10.1515/9781503609754
Ostrom E., Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action, Cambridge University Press, UK, 1990. DOI: 10.1017/cbo9780511807763
Greenhouse Gas Protocol, Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Standard, World Resources Institute (WRI) and World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Switzerland, 2021, pp. 1�140, ISBN 978-1-56973-746-9.
Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI), �Claims Code of Practice�, United Kingdom, 2023.
Beldad A., de Jong M., Steehouder M., How shall I trust the faceless and the intangible? A literature review on the antecedents of online trust, Computers in Human Behavior, Netherlands, vol. 26, no. 5, pp. 857�869, 2010. DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2010.03.013
Acquisti A., Brandimarte L., Loewenstein G., Privacy and human behavior in the age of information, Science, USA, vol. 347, issue 6221, pp. 509�514, 2015. DOI: 10.1126/science.aaa1465
Zarifis A., Kawalek P., Azadegan A., Evaluating if trust and personal information privacy concerns are barriers to using health insurance that explicitly utilizes AI, Journal of Internet Commerce, UK, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 66�83, 2021. DOI: 10.1080/15332861.2020.1832817
Saura J. R., Palacios-Marqu�s D., Ribeiro-Soriano D., Privacy concerns in social media UGC communities: Understanding user behavior sentiments in complex networks, Information Systems and e-Business Management, Switzerland, vol. 23, pp. 125�145, 2025. DOI: 10.1007/s10257-023-00631-5
European Commission, Proposal for a Regulation on European Data Governance (Data Governance Act), Brussels, 2022.
OECD, Enhancing Access to and Sharing of Data: Reconciling Risks and Benefits for Data Re-use across Societies, Paris, 2021.
Chen L., Tong T. W., Tang S., Han N., Governance and design of digital platforms: A review and future research directions on a meta-organization, Journal of Management, USA, vol. 48, no. 1, pp. 147�184, 2022. DOI: 10.1177/01492063211045023
Perscheid M., Riehle D., Murau F., Centralized versus decentralized governance in digital ecosystems: A comparative study, Journal of Management, USA, vol. 47, no. 5, pp. 1305�1337, 2021. DOI: 10.1177/0149206320916755
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) & Ministry of the Environment (MOE), �J Credit Scheme (Japan) � Overview and Methodologies�, Japan, 2024. Available at https://japancredit.go.jp/english/
Panasonic Holdings Corporation, Air Conditioner CO2 Reductions as J-Credits], Panasonic Newsroom Japan, Japan, 2024, available at: https://news.panasonic .com/ jp/press/jn241018-1.
View or Download full articleAccess options
SWS access login
Login as SWS Scientific CommitteeLogin as SWS Scientific PartnerLogin as SWS AuthorAuthors and approved SWS contributors will read and export their own linked papers after identity matching by SWS profile, email and SGEM GlobalID.
For librarian assistance: [email protected]
Purchase Instant Access
- Article can be downloaded after successful payment.
- Article may be used according to SWS library access terms.
- Article cannot be redistributed.