UNTP General Updates

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Please note that this content is under development and is not ready for implementation. This status message will be updated as content development progresses.

Terms of Reference

Following the split of the technical work on the core UNTP into four working groups, the former central UNTP Working Group will transition into a General UNTP Group. This group will serve as a hub for coordinating and sharing information and updates on the UNTP and the progress of the technical working groups. The group is open to anyone interested in learning about the UNTP and interoperability in the exchange of ESG data across global supply chains. It also provides a welcoming entry point for newcomers to the UNTP who may wish to engage more deeply with one of the technical working groups. As well as providing updates and general information about the UNTP, the group offers opportunities to ask questions and participate in discussions about the opportunities and challenges of the decentralized, interoperable exchange of verifiable, trustworthy and reliable ESG data. The General UNTP Group meets fortnightly and is moderated by the UNTP Project Lead.

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

UNTP general update meetings are held fortnightly at alternating times to accomodate participants from different timezones.

• Thursday 8am UTC Meetings. Every 4 weeks. Designed primarily to suit the European Timezone.
• Thursday 8pm UTC meetings. Every 4 weeks. Designed primarily to suit the US Timezone.

Add UNTP to your Calendar (you can subscribe to the entire calendar or just add specific events)

Previous Meetings

Previous meeting dates, recordings, and minutes are summarised below with the most recent meeting at the top.

Date	Summary	Recording
2025-09-18	The meeting confirmed that the UN Secretariat will assume hosting of broader UNTP update sessions while Steve and others focus on advancing working groups, improving transparency, developing a sustainability taxonomy, and engaging with worker-voice platforms and market surveillance authorities.	video
2025-09-04	The UNTP information group meeting reviewed updates from conformity, adoption, supply chain, and technical working groups, and brainstormed concrete use cases—ranging from sustainable finance and packaging compliance to livestock traceability, Scope 3 emissions, waste/materials management, and data centers—to shape pilots and the emerging Value Assessment Framework.	video
2025-08-21	The UNTP general updates meeting focused on improving communication and scheduling, introducing new participants, and prioritising the development of clear governance, onboarding, and support frameworks for industry extensions as the critical pathway to validating UNTP in real-world sectors.	video
2025-08-07	The UNTP meeting provided updates from all working groups, confirmed the migration to UN GitLab, discussed governance of industry extensions, clarified UNTP’s role versus regulatory passports, and identified key actions on adoption, conformity, supply chain, and technical leadership.	video

2025-09-18-meeting-summary

Date: 18 Sept 2025 Facilitator: Steve Capell

Attendees (as identified in transcript)

• Steve Capell (Chair/Facilitator)
• Brett
• Adrian
• Suzanne
• Nick Smith
• Jason
• Michael Shea
• Abdel (Canada)
• Other participants (UN Secretariat: Matthias mentioned; extension groups referenced)

Key Discussion Points

1. Meeting Timing & Participation

• Low attendance from US despite meetings scheduled for their time zone.
• Suggestion: shift meetings to European/Asia-Pacific time zone.
• UN Secretariat (Matthias and team) will take over hosting of general update meetings, inviting wider participation from member states, UN organizations, and ISO.
• Expectation: meetings may grow to 100–200 participants.

2. Transition of Role & Focus

• Steve will step back from chairing general updates, focusing instead on:

  • Supporting supply chain working group (towards spec v0.7).
  • Helping extension groups (textiles, batteries, electronics) increase transparency and visibility.

• Emphasis on making working group outputs more public and transparent (using GitLab and updated websites).

3. Website & Domain Issues

• Current GitLab-based site has long, confusing URLs.
• UN is developing custom code for custom domains (planned: untp.unaicc.org).
• Jason registered temporary domain untp.site and set up forwarding for easier access.
• Steve will circulate new access details to participants.

4. Worker Voice & Alternative Performance Evidence

• Steve reported on discussions with Open Supply Hub, Wikirate, ISARA Institute regarding forced labour monitoring.
• Issues raised with traditional audit regimes: audits often ineffective at surfacing forced labour issues.
• Alternative: bottom-up, worker-voice approaches generating reliable evidence.
• Discussion on whether these could be packaged as verifiable credentials to flow down supply chains.
• Agreement that this needs further exploration and engagement with relevant groups.

5. Sustainability Taxonomy & Data Points

• Current UNTP specification pages are too technical for business users.

• Stakeholders request clarity on sustainability data points (e.g., carbon, water use, labour rights).

• Steve proposed accelerating development of a standardised sustainability topic map/taxonomy, linked to IFRS, SASB, ESRS for corporate reporting alignment.

• Consensus:

  • Remove redundant “scorecard” boxes (emissions/circularity performance).
  • Use claims categorised by sustainability topics as the basis for digital product passports.
  • Add more examples and clearer guidance for industry groups.

6. Extension Groups & Industry Engagement

• Growing interest from industries (e.g., tyres) to start new extension groups.
• Matthias to coordinate extension group engagement.
• Steve encouraged greater cross-group visibility and participation.

7. Market Surveillance & Customs Authorities

• Adrian reported from German Market Surveillance Forum: EU moving towards requiring full DPP body for surveillance, not just identifiers.

• Steve noted parallel discussions with customs authorities globally (India, Norway, UK, US) around using verifiable credentials for invoices, waybills, and product passports.

• Trend: shift from self-declared compliance to data-driven compliance, where authorities assess obligations directly from trade data.

• Consensus:

  • Product passport complements traditional trade docs (invoices, waybills).
  • UNTP architecture supports discoverability and decentralisation, avoiding centralised databases.

Actions

1. Steve – Draft communication to worker-voice platforms (Open Supply Hub, Wikirate, ISARA) inviting them to engage with UNTP performance evidence discussions.
2. Steve – Circulate announcement of new temporary domain untp.site for easier access.
3. Steve & Brett – Initiate work on sustainability taxonomy/topic map aligned with IFRS/ESRS/SASB.
4. Extension Group Leads (Matthias to coordinate) – Improve transparency of textile, battery, and electronics groups; encourage publication of work in GitLab.
5. Adrian – Follow up with EU’s Franziska Thibault for clarity on DPP integration with market surveillance systems; share slides from Berlin forum in Slack once available.
6. Jason – Finalise publication of adoption commitments in GitLab.
7. All participants – Provide feedback on sustainability vocabulary draft shared by Steve; suggest refinements.

2025-09-04-meeting-summary

Date: 4 September 2025 Format: Virtual meeting (recorded)

Participants (Named in Discussion)

• Steve – Chair/facilitator (Speaker 1)
• Gideon – Conformity group participant (Speaker 2)
• Matthias – Adoption group lead, UNEC representative (Speaker 3)
• Nick Smith – Supply chain working group (Speaker 4)
• Harley – Technical working group lead (Speaker 8)
• Adriana – Participant raising value assessment and waste/materials management topics (Speaker 5)
• Martina – Impact, global strategy and partnerships (Speaker 6)
• Clary – Participant focusing on packaging and finance (Speaker 7)

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Working Group Updates

Conformity Group

• Focused on sustainability vocabulary catalog and refining terms for conformity professionals.
• Exploring credential types and use cases (e.g., facility-level carbon footprint reports under GHG protocol).
• Challenge identified: comparability across schemes (e.g., carbon intensity standards, social welfare measures).

Adoption Group

• Currently defining work packages and assigning experts.
• Preparing an FAQ document to explain UNTP to non-technical audiences.
• Developing Value Assessment Framework page on UNTP site to measure impact against UN SDGs and donor metrics.
• Discussion around linking UNTP to specific SDG targets; recognition that broader societal value beyond SDGs should also be reflected.

Supply Chain Group (Nick Smith)

• Resumed engagement with Global Battery Alliance (GBA) on battery passport mapping.
• Working with Chemex on chemical supply chain mapping.
• Key issue: handling multiple claims disclosure and assigning access groups (government vs. customers).
• Noted overlap with conformity group on mutual recognition and disclosure consistency.

Technical Group (Harley)

• First meeting scheduled immediately after this call.

• Goal: Version 0.7 of UNTP by Christmas, resolving open GitLab issues.

• Workstreams include:

  • Identity Resolver
  • Decentralized Access Control
  • Verifiable Credentials profile harmonization
  • Verification rules and transparency graph interpretation

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Key Thematic Discussions

Value Assessment Framework

• Aim: Close feedback loop on adoption and measurable impact.
• Challenge: Defining metrics that demonstrate societal benefits as well as company-level business cases.
• OECD frameworks noted as reference points; need for UNTP-specific adaptation.

Use Cases and Value Propositions

Participants proposed diverse potential pilots and applications:

• Finance and Trade

  • Tracking subsidies, tariffs, and credit incentives in supply chains (Nick).
  • Sustainable finance access and comparability of data for green bonds (Clary).
  • Microcredit and insurance for livestock in Africa, enabled by traceability (Matthias).

• Circular Economy & Waste

  • Solid recovered materials and Basel Convention complexity (Gideon).
  • Proposal to shift terminology from “waste” to materials management (Adriana).
  • Packaging schemes and compliance with EU PPWR (Clary).

• Scope 3 Emissions & Traceability

  • Brands (e.g., sportswear) needing supplier data for emissions reporting (Martina).
  • Issues of inconsistent Scope 3 data and reliance on industry averages (Steve).
  • Proposal to develop hierarchies of default values (global → regional → national) for comparability (Gideon).

• Sector-Specific Applications

  • Data centers: traceability of building materials, electronic inputs, and energy sourcing (Adriana).
  • Biosecurity flagged as potential future use case (Harley).

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Closing

• Agreement to collect, categorize, and publish use cases in an online spreadsheet, inviting wider mailing list input (~250–300 members).
• Recognition that regulatory-driven use cases (e.g., EUDR, beef exports, carbon rubber) remain strong drivers for pilots.
• Meeting adjourned on time with thanks to all participants.

2025-08-21-meeting-summary

Format: Virtual call Attendance (selected named participants):

• Steve Capell – Chair, UNTP coordination
• Matthias – UN Secretariat / adoption group lead
• Adriana – Adoption group
• Clary – Adoption group
• Michael – Adoption group
• Zach – Technical contributor
• Virginia – Participant (clarification on UNTP scope)
• Ben Hayworth – Wholechain (traceability provider, guest introduction)
• Other attendees: Nancy, Gideon, and additional unnamed participants

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1. Meeting Logistics and Calendar Challenges

• Steve reported ongoing issues with calendar invitations, especially with ICS subscription links and Zoom link errors.
• Proposal: keep meetings fixed at 8am and 8pm UTC, allowing participants to choose the time that suits their region.
• Discussions highlighted difficulties caused by daylight saving shifts and clashes with other working group calls (notably the adoption group).
• Agreement: continue with the dual UTC-based schedule, improve clarity of communication, and test invites more rigorously.

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2. Purpose of the General Updates Meeting

• This meeting is now positioned as a status-sharing forum, rather than a decision-making body.
• Role: to update broader UNTP participants (~200+ mailing list members) on activities across the four working groups (Supply Chain, Conformity, Adoption, Technical) and the industry extensions.
• Aim: funnel interested participants into more focused working groups or industry extension projects.

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3. New Participant Introduction

• Ben Hayworth (Wholechain):

  • Traceability solution provider with strong experience in seafood, beef, and leather.
  • Expertise in GS1 standards, integration with ERP systems, FDA Rule 204 compliance.
  • Connected via Jason Berryhill (CEO).
  • Expressed enthusiasm to contribute to UNTP work.

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4. Focus Topic: Industry Extensions

Concept and Rationale

• Extensions tailor the UNTP core to specific industries (e.g., agriculture, textiles, batteries, automotive).
• Core UNTP remains abstract and interoperable; extensions add sector-specific identifiers, vocabularies, and conformity criteria.
• Goal: enable cross-industry interoperability (e.g., livestock → leather → automotive seats) without requiring each sector to directly coordinate.

Governance

• Extensions should ideally be governed by industry associations (e.g., Global Battery Alliance, International Copper Association, Responsible Business Alliance).

• Governance principles:

  • Open and transparent development.
  • Outputs published under permissive licenses.
  • Version management and public documentation.
  • Clear extension owner with trusted convening power in the sector.

Communication Gaps

• Current UNTP site lists extensions but lacks contacts, engagement pathways, and sub-pages.
• Proposal: each extension should have a dedicated sub-site or page (example: Australian Agriculture Traceability Protocol).
• Extensions are the “acid test” of UNTP – demonstrating adoption, sectoral value, and cross-sector use.

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5. Key Discussion Points

• EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR):

  • Clary raised whether EU would accept UNTP credentials.
  • Steve noted EU has only recently proposed DPPs as carriers of compliance data.
  • Too early for formal acceptance, but agriculture and textiles extensions may drive progress.

• Extension Methodology & Support:

  • Agreement that extensions need structured onboarding guidance to avoid chaos.
  • Options discussed: onboarding toolkits (videos, PDFs), extension governance group, cross-working group input (especially technical and adoption).
  • Concern: volunteer bandwidth and funding for supporting multiple extensions.

• Consistency vs Flexibility:

  • Debate over whether extension websites should follow a common template/branding.
  • Consensus: allow flexibility in look/feel, but require consistency in vocabularies, semantics, and technical interoperability.

• Scaling Participation:

  • Adriana: adoption group could draft guidelines and communication frameworks for extensions, then hand over governance.
  • Matthias: plan to create a dedicated Extensions Technical Working Group to support methodology and interoperability testing.
  • Clary: scalable onboarding tools will be crucial for broad adoption.

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6. Outcomes and Next Steps

• Reinforce meeting schedule at 8am/8pm UTC and improve calendar communication.
• Engage industry extension owners more actively; add contacts, scope, and participation info to the UNTP website.
• Develop extension governance and onboarding methodology (initially via adoption group, later via extensions working group).
• Explore scalable support models and onboarding toolkits.
• Treat extensions as the core path to real-world validation of UNTP.

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Closing: Steve thanked participants, noting the current phase as “peak risk and confusion” but also a crucial moment to ensure extensions succeed as the foundation for real UNTP implementation.

2025-08-07-meeting-summary

Date: 7 August 2025 Facilitator: Steve Capell

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Participants (named in transcript):

• Steve Capell (Chair, UNTP Lead)
• Brett (Conformity Group Lead)
• Michael (Adoption Group Lead)
• Nick (Supply Chain Group Lead)
• Zach (Technical Support/Contributor)
• Ashley (Technical Admin, GitLab/registration guidance)
• Harley Thomas (appointed Technical Group Lead – mentioned, not speaking)
• Matthias (UN Secretariat / Extensions Group)
• Virginia (Participant – login/access questions)
• Detlef (New participant – trust infrastructure/identity focus)
• Secretary’s representative (UN Secretariat, Speaker 6 – expressed support)
• Bertus (Participant – traceability/source discussion)
• Adriana (Adoption Group – language clarification)

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Opening Remarks (Steve Capell):

• Reiterated UN code of conduct and non-commercial nature of meetings.

• Clarified IP contributions are shared freely under UNTP.

• Reviewed subgroup structure: four working groups (Supply Chain, Conformity, Adoption, Technical), with momentum building at different rates.

• Emphasised that detailed technical/content work should occur in working groups, not the main call.

• Proposed distinction between:

  • Steering Group Meetings (small, closed, UN-organised, addressing tricky project issues).
  • Open Communication Meetings (general updates, broad participation, training, and topic-of-the-day discussions).

• Announced migration from GitHub to UN-hosted GitLab for accessibility and neutrality. A new domain (e.g., untp.unece.org) is being prepared.

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Secretariat Statement (Speaker 6):

• Confirmed full support for Steve’s proposal.
• Clarified: steering groups will remain closed; this open meeting is a communication forum for broad participation.

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Participant Introductions and Questions:

• Detlef: Introduced himself, interested in global trust infrastructure alignment (EIDAS in Europe vs. global registries). Asked which subgroup this belongs in.

• Steve’s Response:

  • Two UNTP trust dimensions:

    • Identity integrity → handled by UN Digital Identity Anchor (moving to Global Trust Register project).
    • Claim veracity (sustainability claims) → remains in UNTP Conformity Group.

  • Suggested Detlef engage with both the Global Trust Register and UNTP Conformity Group.

• Virginia: Asked about login issues with new UN GitLab.

  • Steve & Ashley’s Response: Registration now possible, but contribution requires approval by project leads. Viewing remains public. Ashley clarified contributors can comment and raise issues, but need extra steps for specification edits.

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Working Group Updates:

• Supply Chain Group (Nick):

  • 14 members (11 active). Seeking more practitioners with real-world data and schemes.

  • Focus: mapping between business disclosure schemes and UNTP data framework.

  • Current work:

    • Battery Passport extension mapping.
    • Chain-of-custody for chemicals in Europe.
    • Potential extensions (Coppermark paused; possible shift to leather/textile).

  • Emphasised importance of cross-group communication (esp. with Conformity).

  • Implementation guidance in development.

  • Steve added: extensions will be industry-led, governed by UN, but overlap/conflict management remains a challenge.

  • Matthias (Extensions Group): Extensions require trusted industry associations as leads. Difficult sectors (e.g., textiles) will need strong consensus for semantic interoperability.

• Conformity Group (Brett):

  • 58 members, strong global expertise.
  • Kickoff meeting on 15 July with ~28 participants.
  • Work focuses on Sustainability Vocabulary Catalog (SVC) – a logical model linking conformity outcomes to claims in product passports.
  • Subgroup (IEC, ISO, UCAS experts) confirmed model validity; will report back.
  • Next meeting scheduled for next week.

• Adoption Group (Michael):

  • 25–26 members. Meetings scheduled in multiple time zones.
  • Recently reissued Terms of Reference, broken into work packages. Assignments underway.
  • Priority: define certification/implementation processes for organisations wanting to adopt UNTP.
  • Coordination with Zach on GitLab processes.
  • Collaboration with Matthias on extension governance.
  • Steve shared a prototype AI tool (ChatGPT-based) to generate draft business cases for UNTP adoption from annual reports – group invited to test.

• Technical Group:

  • New lead appointed: Harley Thomas (Australia, long-time UNTP contributor).
  • Will lead ongoing technical development, including decentralized access control.

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Other Project Updates:

• Meeting Management (Steve):

  • Transitioning to Google Calendar for meeting subscriptions.
  • UNTP website will host a unified calendar.
  • Challenges with ICS file integration across platforms remain unresolved.

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Topic of the Day: UNTP vs. Regulatory Passports (Steve):

• Clarified differences:

  • Regulatory Passports (e.g., EU DPP): consumer-facing, legal declarations for finished products.
  • UNTP Passports: focus on upstream supply chain transparency (shipments of raw materials, intermediates, or components).

• Each UNTP DPP applies only to the product/material at a given transaction step, not the entire end-to-end chain.

• Challenge: managing confidentiality and supplier disclosure limits.

Discussion:

• Bertus: Raised parallels with diamond trade (“blood diamonds”) – importance of source-level traceability and risks of obfuscation.
• Steve: Confirmed UNTP supports redaction/obfuscation; highlighted ongoing challenges with bulk commodities and mass balance verification.
• Adriana: Suggested introducing clearer taxonomy (e.g., “Supplier DPP”, “Primary Resource DPP”) to avoid confusion, especially given SME participation in global trade.

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Action Items:

1. Steve to circulate link to GitLab registration guidance and confirm new workflow.
2. Ashley to ensure contributor instructions are clear in GitLab templates.
3. Nick to update Supply Chain group pages on UN GitLab with Steve’s help.
4. Brett’s subgroup to report back on SVC findings to Conformity Group.
5. Michael to assign Adoption Group work packages and circulate priorities.
6. Steve to circulate AI business case tool for group testing and feedback.
7. Secretariat/Matthias to finalise governance process for extensions (avoiding overlaps/conflicts).
8. Explore taxonomy/terminology refinements for different categories of DPPs (Adoption Group).
9. Steve to consolidate UNTP meeting calendar and improve cross-platform subscription options.