VeBetterDAO (B3TR): A community-driven approach to a better planet

Sustainability is the name of the game these days, both in the blockchain industry and in the wider business world. Companies large and small are joining carbon credit programs, initiating sustainability weeks and engaging in other environmental actions, both to support their green missions and to woo new customers. However, along with the broader sustainability drive, there's been a lot of "greenwashing,” a term that refers to deceptive advertising by businesses to exaggerate their real environmentally focused actions and impact.

In this atmosphere of rampant greenwashing, the ability to reliably verify, record and track sustainability actions by companies is paramount. This is where blockchain technology can prove invaluable. Thanks to its transparent, publicly verifiable, trackable and immutable chain of records, blockchain can be leveraged to accurately validate and prove eco-friendly actions. Most blockchains, however, aren’t specifically geared toward such functionality. Networks such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and other leading blockchains have been operating as general-purpose platforms with no specific industry in mind.

VeChain (VET) is one of the few blockchain ecosystems that has made sustainability one of its pillars. The platform is home to several decentralized apps (DApps) with environmentalism in mind. A key green initiative among these DApps is VeBetterDAO (B3TR) — an ecosystem of applications that lets businesses and individuals earn crypto rewards by completing tangible, sustainability-focused actions. Using the power of the VeChain blockchain, VeBetterDAO rewards genuinely sustainable actions by its users, contributing to a greener planet.

Key Takeaways:

• VeBetterDAO (B3TR) is a DApp running on the VeChain blockchain that supports an ecosystem of sustainability-focused individual apps.

• DApps within the VeBetterDAO allow businesses and individuals to earn crypto rewards in B3TR tokens for environmentally friendly actions, such as using recyclable coffee cups, picking up litter, taking greener public transport modes, buying organic products and more.

• The DAO is based on a dual-token model, with the B3TR token utilized to reward sustainable actions and allocate funds to the ecosystem DApps, while the VOT3 token powers the platform's governance processes.

What is VeBetterDAO?

VeBetterDAO (B3TR) is an ecosystem of sustainability-focused DApps on the VeChain platform designed to reward businesses and individuals for their environmentally friendly actions.It operates as a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) driven by a community voting system that encourages contributions to making our planet cleaner for future generations. VeBetterDAO users can earn sustainability-focused crypto rewards by leveraging the DApps within the DAO’s ecosystem.

These DApps offer reward opportunities through actions like using environmentally friendly coffee cups, avoiding plastic bags, conserving energy, using cleaner public transport modes and planting trees. Many apps involve users sharing photos of their actions, or items that promote sustainability. For instance, the Mugshot app allows users to take a snapshot of their coffee routine to demonstrate the use of recyclable material.

The apps within the VeBetterDAO platform are called X2Earn Apps, with the “X” in the name referring to a placeholder for a specific app, e.g., Plant2Earn for an app that rewards users for planting trees or Sweat2Earn for a fitness-related app.

VeChain’s use cases and origin

VeChain is a blockchain platform that powers VeBetterDAO. Technically speaking, VeChain refers to the overall web3 project, with sustainability promotion as one of its key goals. The actual blockchain network of the VeChain platform is called VeChainThor, although it’s often referred to simply as VeChain. 

VeChainThor is a Layer 1 network that features high levels of scalability, low costs and a mechanism for tokenizing and tracking environmental contributions. Its enterprise-level blockchain is used by businesses in industries where accurate proving and tracking of sustainable and clean materials and products used along the supply chain is important. For instance, supermarkets can use the chain to track the origins of produce delivered to their warehouses to ensure that they indeed come from the claimed green sources.

VeChain was founded by Sunny Lu, a technology executive with a strong background in luxury retail and enterprise IT. The VeChain Foundation, launched by Lu in Singapore in 2017, supports the platform's development. The organization collaborates closely with the world-renowned Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to drive innovation in areas like sustainability and real-world asset (RWA) tokenization. The VeBetterDAO initiative was launched by the VeChain team in November 2024.

How does VeBetterDAO work?

Creators

Creators are entities that launch sustainability-focused DApps within the VeBetterDAO ecosystem. The platform uses an endorsement process to ensure that only genuine creators can offer their solutions via the DAO. To qualify for listing on VeBetterDAO, creators need an endorsement from VeChain nodes. Creators start the process by submitting an application form. If, after conducting background checks, the platform’s review panel accepts the creator, the creator is issued an X2Earn Creator NFT — a non-transferable token that provides proof of initial qualification.

After receiving their Creator NFT, creators can submit their apps for further on-chain endorsement. At this stage, they join the VeBetterDAO platform and will need to be endorsed by VeChain nodes to qualify for funding allocations from the DAO.

As the app is endorsed by the nodes, it accumulates points that count toward qualifying for funding allocation. To qualify for funding, the app must earn at least 100 points from endorsers.

VeChain node holders (Endorsers)

VeChain node operators act as endorsers for DApps on the DAO. Each node, represented by a non-fungible token (NFT), can only endorse one app at a time. The network has different node types, with each type's endorsement carrying a different weight. As noted above, a DApp needs a total score of at least 100 from these endorsements to qualify for DAO funding. The table below summarizes the number of points creators can receive from endorsers, based on each NFT node type:

Source: docs.VeBetterDAO.org

Governance and voting

VeBetterDAO members are responsible for the platform's community-driven governance. To qualify for governance membership in the DAO, users must hold VOT3 — one of the two tokens utilized by the platform. VOT3 token holders can submit proposals to improve or change the way the DAO and its ecosystem operate. In order to activate a proposal, you'll need to deposit VOT3 tokens.

At the initial stage, the proposal is discussed in the DAO's forum. If it gains traction, the proposal will move on to a formal vote. During the formal vote, holders of VOT3 can support or reject the proposal or abstain.

VeBetterDAO uses a quadratic vote calculation model that’s designed to give more power to proposals supported by many members, even if the collective value of their VOT3 holdings is relatively minor. In contrast, if a proposal gains the support of a small number of members with significant VOT3 holdings, the quadratic calculation model is designed to attenuate the final score achieved by the proposal. This system is designed to avoid the usurpation of voting power by a small group of actors with substantial governance token funds.

What is VePassport?

VePassport is a bot detection system implemented by VeChain. It allows DApps on the network — including VeBetterDAO, and the sustainability apps within the DAO's ecosystem — to identify whether a crypto wallet belongs to a real human or a bot. The DAO uses the VePassport detection mechanism during the voting process, which is vital for preventing bots from manipulating the platform's governance processes.

VePassport uses an extensive number of indicators to identify bot wallets, such as checking blacklists, tracking the wallet's actions within a certain period and verifying the user's investment amount. An identity verification mechanism may also be incorporated into VePassport in the future.

Besides being a bot detector, VePassport distributes weekly governance rewards to real users who achieve minimum qualification criteria. There are two criteria for eligibility: 1) Acquire a Moon tier GM NFT, and 2) use Better apps at least three times per quarter.

You can upgrade your GM NFT by donating B3TR tokens to the VeBetterDAO Treasury to unlock more rewards. The GM NFT features 10 levels in total. For example, the Moon tier, the second level, costs 10,000 B3TR and gives you a reward multiplier of 1.1x.

Source: VeBetterDAO.org

VeBetterDAO tokens

B3TR tokens

B3TR is VeBetterDAO’s main utility and reward token. Sustainability app users earn rewards in B3TR from their environmentally friendly activities. The token is also used when the DAO allocates funding to participating DApps. B3TR’s maximum supply is capped at 1 billion. The token was launched on VeChain in late November 2024, and has a regular weekly supply emission schedule designed to release the entire supply of 1 billion tokens over 12 years.

The token’s total finalized supply allocation shares (for the entire 1 billion B3TR) are divided into three major pools — X-allocations, Vote2Earn and the DAO’s Treasury. Some notes:

• X-allocations refers to the funds that the DAO distributes to its member DApps to incentivize sustainable actions 

• Vote2Earn is slated for the rewards that participants in the DAO’s governance processes can earn. 

The table below shows the percentages of the total supply allocated to each pool:

Source: docs.VeBetterDAO.org

VOT3 tokens

VOT3, the DAO’s governance token, is pegged 1:1 to B3TR. The two tokens can easily be converted into each other. In order to participate in VeBetterDAO governance processes, you must hold VOT3 tokens. Activating proposals also requires a deposit of VOT3.

Unlike B3TR, VOT3 isn’t tradable on secondary markets, since it’s designed solely to support internal governance processes within VeBetterDAO. The only way to obtain VOT3 is by swapping B3TR tokens.

VeBetterDAO price prediction

As of Apr 11, 2025, the B3TR token is trading at $0.12, which is 79% lower than its ATH of $0.576 on Feb 1, 2025, and 180.7% higher than its ATL of $0.04314 on Dec 20, 2024.

Long-term price forecasts for the B3TR token are mostly bullish.DigitalCoinPrice predicts average rates of $0.39 in 2027 and $0.66 in 2030, respectively, while PricePrediction expects the token to trade at around $0.38 in 2027 and $0.99 in 2030.

Where to buy B3TR

The B3TR token is available on Bybit’s Spot market as a swap pair with USDT (B3TR/USDT). If you don’t have a Bybit account, you can easily register for one and access hundreds of cryptocurrencies and trading products on Bybit’s Spot and Derivatives markets.

Closing thoughts

VeBetterDAO represents VeChain’s major push to establish leadership in the sustainability corner of the crypto industry. As of April 2025, the project is still in the early stages of its market presence, having been operational for less than six months. However, the VeChain platform itself has a multi-year history of promoting environmentally friendly solutions in supply chain and other industries.

Much of VeChain’s earlier reputation for sustainability came from the business sector, because companies could use the chain to benefit from its environmentally focused tokenization and its proving and tracking features. VeBetterDAO is now creating the same kind of opportunities for individual users as well. Actions as simple as using recyclable cutlery, picking up litter or planting a tree can now earn users crypto rewards. Thanks to the DAO’s ecosystem of X2Earn Apps, being rewarded for going green is no longer limited to enterprises, and anyone can contribute to a better planet and earn their rewards in the process — all thanks to VeBetterDAO.

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