UNITED NATIONS TRANPARENCY PROTOCOL (UNTP) AND GS1

The UN Transparency Protocol (UNTP) is a UN/CEFACT Global Standard, developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. The UNTP is "supporting governments and industry on practical measures to counter greenwashing by implementing supply chain traceability and transparency at the scale needed to achieve meaningful impacts on global sustainability outcomes."

The UNTP defines a shared way of structuring and discovering supply chain data, so a product's information can be read and trusted across different platforms and jurisdictions -- not locked into one company's proprietary system. It's free to use and openly governed.
Learn more directly from UNTP: untp.unece.org

Is UNTP the same as the EU's Digital Product Passport requirements?

No -- related, but distinct. UNTP is a global standard, not EU-specific, and not itself a law. Separately, the EU's ESPR regulation requires Digital Product Passports, and a newer, EU-specific technical standards series (published by CEN/CENELEC in 2026) governs exactly how a DPP must technically work within the EU. GCN tracks both -- UNTP for global interoperability, and the EU's own technical standards for EU market conformance -- since they serve different, complementary purposes.

Is GCN a UNTP Registered Software Vendor?

Yes. GCN is a UNTP Registered Software Vendor - untp.unece.org/docs/implementations/swi - GCN is an Expert Working Group Partner for the EU Commission's CIRPASS-2 programme and listed on Circular Data.org. 

What are DPPs, DCCs, DFRs and DTEs, and where is GCN with each?

UNTP defines separate credentials, each its own independently signed document. They are W3C Verifiable Credentials, signed by GCN as issuer.

• DPP (Digital Product Passport): the product's passport. GCN issues a signed DPP credential for each product, in UNTP vocabulary.

• DCC (Digital Conformity Credential): certification and audit evidence. GCN's Credential Library records the evidence, and GCN issues signed DCCs that the Resolver links from the product.

• DFR (Digital Facility Record): a signed record of a facility in the product's supply chain. Where a brand has IP-protected a facility, its name and location are not shown publicly.

• DTE (Digital Traceability Event): lifecycle events recorded by Downstream Operators and Sorters, such as sorting, resale, repair, recycling and hand-over. They are shared inside the Downstream Network through the GCN App and are not shown on the public Product ID. No consumer data is recorded. Public DTE output is not live yet. The Resolver is built to link to events where they are made public.

How does the GCN Identity Resolver work?

Every product has a public Resolver address built from its identifier. A request returns a list of links (a linkset, RFC 9264) to the product's DPP, its conformity credentials, its facility records and any public lifecycle events. We have checked the Resolver's output against UNTP's own linkset schema. The Resolver also accepts GS1 Digital Link addresses. The QR code on the Product ID is separate. It opens the Product ID page, an information sheet for people. The Resolver is the route for systems that need the linked credentials.

Does GCN need GS1 GTINs?

No. UNTP does not make GS1 identifiers mandatory. GCN is not a GS1 member and does not issue GTINs. Brands that use GTINs obtain them from GS1 and enter their own. A brand without a GTIN still gets a working product identifier.

A GTIN identifies a product type, for example one style in one colour and size, so every item of that product shares it. A different variant normally has its own GTIN. What tells each item apart is the GCN item identifier (the EPC on the RFID tag). When a brand creates several items together, GCN copies the same product data, including the GTIN, to each, and only the EPC differs.

GCN checks the GTIN's check digit and carries it in the signed DPP credential, in UNTP's model number field, alongside GCN's own item identifier. The GTIN is shown on the public Product ID and in the Resolver. The Resolver accepts GS1 Digital Link addresses (the GTIN plus the GCN item identifier as the serial), so the same item can be reached either way.

[Publish only after the restored app build is live: A brand that is a GS1 member can point its own GS1 QR code or GS1 resolver to the Product ID link or Resolver link shown next to the GTIN field in the GCN App.]

What does "UNTP-aligned" mean for GCN today?

Live today: signed DPP, DCC and DFR credentials in UNTP structure; a public Identity Resolver; and a revocation status list for DPP credentials. The UNTP specification is being finalised for version 1.0, and we track it as it moves.

Still to come: UNTP Digital Identity Anchors (today GCN signs as issuer with its own web identifier); revocation status for conformity and facility credentials, once the final specification confirms what is expected; and public lifecycle events as brands choose to publish them.

Is there a live example I can see?

Yes. Request further information as a BRAND to receive links showing GCN's public JSON-LD output using UNTP vocabulary terms, on a clearly labelled demonstration product, not real customer data.

Where can I find UNTP's sector-specific resources for textiles?

UNTP maintains a dedicated implementation community for the textiles and fashion sector: textiles.untp.unece.org. It covers pilots, credential structures and industry guidance relevant to GCN's work.