Digital Trade Borders
Enabling Digital Trade and Operations
DECaDE delivers impact across physical and digital supply chains, with a particular focus on cross-border trade and digital infrastructure at borders.
Our research spans early-stage supply chains such as fish and cocoa, through to collaborations with HMRC and industry partners on digital trade, customs processes, and regulatory innovation. We explore how decentralised technologies, digital twins and data sharing mechanisms can reduce friction, improve traceability, and increase trust between stakeholders.
By addressing the fragmented nature of global supply chains—where upstream actors are often invisible to downstream consumers—DECaDE’s work helps expose environmental and human-rights risks, prevent document tampering, and support evidence-based policy and commercial decision-making.
DECaDE’s research has made an important contribution, particularly through its support of the RFIT research, Ecosystem of Trust (EOT) and ETDA Reliable systems pilot, providing research demonstrating how innovative technologies reduce friction in supply chains, directly supporting the UK Government’s Border Strategy.”
The Lord Holmes of Richmond MBE .Research Highlights
DECaDE researchers support HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) in evaluating the UK’s trade digitalisation strategy through an independent assessment of the Electronic Trade Documents Act (ETDA) Technical Demonstrator. The research examines the real-world benefits of digital trade documents for government and industry.
Using a mixed-methods approach, the evaluation assesses the economic and operational impact of digital trade, including cost savings, efficiency improvements and wider benefits for international trade.
The findings show that participating customs brokers can achieve an 85–95% reduction in processing costs through automation and digital document submission. The research provides evidence to support the UK’s ambitions to reduce trade friction, encourage digital innovation and strengthen its position as a leader in global digital trade.
Team: Felipe Merlano, Mike Brookbanks and Glenn Parry
Building a Trusted Digital Border
DECaDE researchers explore how digital technologies can help build a more resilient, efficient and trusted UK border. The research examines how blockchain, distributed ledger technologies and the Internet of Things (IoT) can improve transparency, reduce trade friction and strengthen collaboration across international supply chains.
Rather than viewing technology as a replacement for trust, DECaDE demonstrates how digital systems can support trust between industry and government by creating secure, transparent records of goods as they move through global supply chains. The research shows that lasting transformation depends not only on technology, but also on effective governance and collaboration.
To address this, DECaDE proposes a Collaborative Governance Framework that brings together government, industry and technology providers to support interoperable, resilient digital trade systems. The findings help inform the UK’s approach to digital border transformation and the future of international trade.
Team: Glenn Parry, Mike Brookbanks and Carla Bonina
Strengthening Supply Chain Transparency
DECaDE researchers explore how blockchain and other emerging technologies can improve transparency across global supply chains. By strengthening supply chain visibility, the research supports regulatory compliance, ethical sourcing and more resilient international trade.
The research demonstrates how technologies such as blockchain and biological markers can provide verifiable proof of a product’s origin, helping organisations trace goods throughout the supply chain. These approaches can reduce fraud, improve transparency and address challenges such as counterfeit goods, child labour and conflict minerals.
Together, these studies show how trusted digital technologies can move supply chains beyond simple traceability towards greater accountability, enabling organisations to meet legal and ethical obligations with confidence.
Team: Glenn Parry, Mike Rogerson, Pedro Lafargue, Alisha Tuladhar, Juliette Engelhart, Birgit Altrichter
