Conformity Group
Please note that this content is under development and is not ready for implementation. This status message will be updated as content development progresses.
Mailing List
A group mailing list is maintained and can be used by any list member to post messages to the group. The list also maintains an archive of all messages sent to the group.
- To join the mailing list - your request will be reviewed by a list administrator.
Meetings
Group meetings are held fortnightly. Please add the following links to your calendar.
Next meeting 2nd Sept 2025.
_ ICS Calendar File (insert ICS file here)). Download and double click to add the meetings to your calendar
_ Web meeting link](insert zoom/meeet/teams link here). Click to join the meeting without a calendar entry.
Each meeting will generally work through open issues and pull requests.
Previous meeting dates, recordings, transcripts, and minutes are summarised below with the most recent meeting at the top.
Previous Meetings
| Meeting | Summary | Materials |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-08-13 | Kick-off of the conformity working group | [Meeting Materials](/meetings/conformity-working-group/2025-08-13 UNTP-Conformity slides.pdf) |
| 2025-07-15 | Kick-off of the conformity working group | Meeting Materials |
Terms of Reference
Abbreviations used
- DCC - Digital Conformity Credential
- SVC - Sustainability Vocabulary Catalogue
Purpose & functions
The purpose of the Group is to coordinate UNTP aspects relating to conformity credentials, under the direction of the UNTP Steering Committee. Specific functions are as follows:
- To maintain, subject to oversight from the Steering Committee, the UNTP Core DCC specification, including definitions and vocabulary
- To develop and maintain the SVC specification, including Conformity Topic Classification and the Conformity Vocabulary Schema.
- To maintain the UNTP Certifier Implementation Register
- To maintain the UNTP Conformity Scheme Register
- To maintain the DCC Test harness
- To provide advice to the UNTP Adoption subcommittee regarding conformity-related issues arising in relation to UNTP adoption
- To provide technical advice, as required, to Industry Extension Groups
- To liaise with UN/CEFACT to ensure continuing compatibility with applicable CEFACT standards, including the Digital Product Conformity Certificate Exchange standard.
- To maintain awareness of developments within ISO CASCO and other relevant global conformity assessment institutions to facilitate alignment with international practices
- To liaise with other UNTP sub-committees to ensure that compatibility between UNTP elements is maintained.
- To maintain the Group mailing list
Roles & Responsibilities
Group Lead
- Arrange and Chair Group meetings
- Provide updates as required to the UNTP Steering Committee
- Attend UNTP Steering Committee meetings
- Act as liaison point for identified global conformity assessment institutions
- Provide recommendations to the Steering Committee on matters having potential to affect other UNTP sub-committee activities
- To cooperate with the Steering Committee in handling complaints and disputes relating to the DCC or SVC
- To provide advice and to participate when appropriate in Suspension proceedings and Appeal proceedings relating to DCC or SVC
- Maintain mailing list specific to Sub-committee participation
- Delegate duties to other Group members as applicable
Group Technical Editor
- Maintain relevant Github repository pages
- Maintain Pull Requests relating to the DCC and SVC specifications
- Maintain classification lists, implementation registers
- Maintain DCC Test Harness
Operation
- The Group is open to anyone to participate as an observer.
- Contributors to specifications and content maintained by the group must be registered UN/CEFACT experts.
- The Group will meet monthly, or more frequently.
- Where deemed necessary by the Group Lead, working groups may be established for dealing with specialized matters
- While consensus among group participants is always desirable, decisions affecting the UNTP Core DCC Specification are taken by the Group Lead and are subject to oversight by the Steering Committee.
2025-08-13 Meeting Summary
Meeting 13 August 2025 11pm CEST
Attendance:
Roger Meikle Ulas Nalbantoglu Brett Hyland Zach Zeus Andrew Wheeler Adrienna Zsakay Emiliano Sune Gideon Richards Jose Saiz de Oneñaca Rembrandt Koppelaar Todd Taylor Ryan Colker Ladin Camci Matthias Prellwitz Martin Pompéry Leslie Lopez Aria
Item Discussion
Welcome & Rules of participation (BH) Per slides.
Per slides. Action 1: Participants encouraged to register as CEFACT experts.
https://uncefact.unece.org/display/uncefactpublic/UNCEFACT+Expert+Registration
Participant intro (All) -
Outstanding Action item: Presentation from SVC ad hoc sub-group (BH)
Per slides
Open issues assigned to group (ZZ)
Open Issue #344: https://opensource.unicc.org/un/unece/uncefact/spec-untp/-/issues/344 Open Issue #343: https://opensource.unicc.org/un/unece/uncefact/spec-untp/-/issues/343 Open Issue #79: https://opensource.unicc.org/un/unece/uncefact/spec-untp/-/issues/79
Action 2: Group to consider the above and to either directly comment in GitLab or notify BH of interest in contributing to offline work on these issues
Gitlab changeover
GitHub now moved to UNICC GitLab Updated links: UNTP Conformity Credential page: https://spec-untp-fbb45f.opensource.unicc.org/docs/specification/ConformityCredential UNTP Sustainability Vocabulary page: https://spec-untp-fbb45f.opensource.unicc.org/docs/specification/SustainabilityVocabularyCatalog Issues list: https://opensource.unicc.org/un/unece/uncefact/spec-untp/-/issues
Action 3: BH to circulate a MS Word edited version of the Gitlab SVC page for review/comment
Technical discussion (ALL)
Group sees value in a set of detailed worked examples, to highlight possible edge cases.
Chat comments from RK:
What nesting types and degrees of nesting are allowed. Few cases that may be useful (perhaps not clear enough yet)
- Example 1 - can a criterion be nested to multiple scheme credentials - Company A needs to provide data under Sustainability Scheme AA, Scheme BB, Scheme CC, Scheme DD, all because each brand mandates a different sustainability schemes.. Each of these have the same criterion (ID=URI...)
- Example 2 - can a sub-criterion link to a criterion that links to multiple sustainability schemes ; and can a sub-criterion also a be a criterion in another scheme - Company A measures sub-criterion Water consumption which is a criterion for resource consumption, which is part of a circular economy sustainability scheme credential (for example WBCSD circular economy measurement scheme). Company A has the same data but as a criterion Water consumption under an ESG sustainability scheme Example 3 - can part of a Scheme conformity vocabulary be linked to another scheme - Scheme AA has Criteria 1 to 15, Scheme BB has criteria 7 to 15, Is there a 'smart way' to re-use these in the vocabularies.
Action 4: Ideas sought on how to convincingly demonstrate the power and/or limitations of the various combinations of DPP, DCC and SVC to address a realistic range of conformity examples (CAB & Scheme volunteers?)
Close -
2025-07-15 Meeting Summary
UNTP Conformity Group Meeting minutes
Meeting 15 July 2025 10am CEST
Attendance:
Roger Meikle Ulas Nalbantoglu Kylie Sheehan Alison Jose Roberto Perez-Franco Brett Hyland Zach Zeus Alex Lubbock David McNeil Andrew Wheeler Jeff Ruddle Kris Tucker Lalit Mehta Adrienna Zsakay Emiliano Sune Ann Dao Brad Moore Martin Michelot Phil Archer Neil Savery Gideon Richards Christof Ameye Jose Saiz de Oneñaca Anil Jauhri Rembrandt Koppelaar Alice Paisley-Carruthers Richard Kubwalo Michael Shea
Item Discussion
Welcome & Rules of participation (BH) Per slides.
Action 1: Participants encouraged to register as CEFACT experts. https://uncefact.unece.org/display/uncefactpublic/UNCEFACT+Expert+Registration
Participant intro (All) -
Existing UNTP Conformity Implementations (ZZ) For information
Terms of reference & Rec 49 (BH) Per slides
Github walk-through (ZZ)
Links:
- http://spec-untp-fbb45f.opensource.unicc.org/docs/specification/ConformityCredential
- http://spec-untp-fbb45f.opensource.unicc.org/docs/specification/SustainabilityVocabularyCatalog
- https://opensource.unicc.org/un/unece/uncefact/spec-untp/-/issues
Technical discussion (ALL)
Focus on Sustainability Vocabulary as the major new work item. Some lack of clarity identified as to the nature and granularity of information in attestations that will be required to “unambiguously reference conformity criteria (from standards or regulations) they are based on, requiring each criterion to have a globally unique identifier”.
Action 2: To translate this expectation into language actionable by CA professionals, initial scoping to be provided ahead of the August meeting by a volunteer group [Ulas, Gideon, Jeff, Brett]