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Version: Work in Progress
Work in Progress
This is the latest Work in Progress for the United Nations Transparency Protocol. The content of this version is under active development and may change before release.
It's advised to use the latest maintained release from the list of maintained releases.

Goals and Objectives

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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.

Informative

Goals & Objectives

UNTP implements traceability technologies that give management teams detailed digital information about upstream suppliers, downstream partners, customers, and their processes. This visibility helps executives meet sustainability objectives, demonstrate regulatory compliance, and obtain provenance and sustainability certifications.

Companies need resilient networks to secure supply in a volatile business environment. Fast-changing consumer preferences demand flexibility and speed. Investors, consumers, and governments expect sustainable products and processes backed by credible certifications. Competing in the next decade requires a transparent, circular value chain—one that reduces or reuses materials and remanufactures or recycles products, cutting costs and waste.

Recommendation 49 sets out the following goals:

  • Strengthen national economies and promote sustainable international trade through trustworthy product sustainability claims, corporate sustainability disclosures, and value chain traceability.
  • Advance responsible business conduct by enabling risk-based due diligence on environmental, human rights, and social impacts in global value chains.
  • Create a level playing field for compliant actors across the value chain.
  • Improve export market access and boost competitiveness of domestic products in response to growing sustainability concerns.
  • Reduce the complexity, time, and cost of data exchange when validating product conformity with sustainability standards.
  • The recommendation also supports other stakeholders working toward sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12) and related goals of the 2030 Agenda, from upstream production through end-of-life disposal and material recovery.

Traceability is also essential for the circular economy. Embedding traceability in the value chain helps recyclers, policymakers, practitioners, and researchers make better decisions. Effective traceability promotes circularity by improving material identification, sorting practices, and industry-wide transparency.

Success Measures

UNTP creates real impact only through uptake and implementation. Uptake is therefore the primary measure of success.

UNTP will measure uptake by counting the number of implementations and completed conformity tests—that is, actual implementations. Your active participation is essential. Uptake must exceed the minimum thresholds currently under review.