FRAMEWORK & DATA POINTS
GLOBAL CONNECTIVITY DATA FRAMEWORK
Global Circular Network's Digital Product Passport platform is built on a defined framework that maps every data point back to existing international standards.
That matters because a product's data has to mean the same thing whether it's being read by the brand that issued it, a downstream operator handling it years later, a certification body auditing a claim, or a regulator checking compliance.
This page sets out how that framework holds together, and where to find the detail behind each part of it.
How the data connects
GCN is a Registered Software Vendor for the United Nations Transparency Protocol (UNTP), the UN/CEFACT global standard for interoperable, machine-readable supply chain data. UNTP is what lets a GCN-issued credential be read correctly by systems GCN didn't build — the whole point of a passport is that it works outside its own platform.
On top of that: GS-1 Standards and RFID (EPC Gen2) tagging link the physical product to its digital record, so scanning an item and reading its passport are the same action. Open Supply Hub OS-IDs cross-reference manufacturing facilities against a globally recognised identifier, so a facility's identity doesn't depend on any one brand's or platform's internal records - it is optional to join the free Open Supply Hub to show facility records.
The data points themselves
A GCN Digital Product Passport is built from several distinct categories of data, each with its own evidence and disclosure rules: material composition and certification evidence (fibre content, chain-of-custody and scheme certifications), Substances of Concern disclosure (chemical composition against EU regulatory thresholds), circular performance attributes (durability, repairability, recycled content, and related design claims), and facility and supply-chain traceability (who made it, where, and what's been verified along the way). Conformity credentials link specific claims back to the lab reports, certificates, or attestations that support them.
Explore the framework
Compliance FAQs — plain-language answers to the regulatory questions brands, regulators, and standards bodies ask most often about how GCN's DPP data holds up under ESPR, UNTP, and related requirements.
Sources — the full list of standards, regulations, and policies GCN's framework is built against, from ISO/TC 38 textile standards to the EU's evolving Digital Product Passport requirements.
UNTP — what the UN Transparency Protocol actually is, how GCN implements its credential architecture, and how to verify GCN's status as a Registered Software Vendor.
Substances of Concern — GCN's chemical disclosure register, covering mandatory REACH-driven categories and the voluntary disclosures GCN tracks ahead of regulation.
Want the detail behind a specific claim, or a full compliance report for your own due diligence? Get in touch.
NEXT STEPS
NEXT STEPS
Visit Brands to complete an Upstream Enquiry Form and receive information. Also available to product manufacturers who are most likely to be adding the DPPs to products during production.
Learn more about our data points - step by step guide to add data to the GCN App by DPP Issuers or their authorised representative (eg product manufacturer) or via a GCN Circular Data Centre.
Visit Downstream Network to complete a Downstream Enquiry Form and receive information on joining the Global Circular Network and provide essential downstream data for brands switching to Circular Business Models.
Report abuse