Are you confident in the environmental and social claims about your products?

In this episode of The SSI Orbit Podcast, host Mathieu Glaude sits down with Steve Capell, Vice Chair of UN/CEFACT and Project Lead of the United Nations Transparency Protocol (UNTP), to explore how transparency and traceability are being revolutionized in global value chains. Together, they unpack the challenges of greenwashing, the urgency of compliance with new regulations, and the transformative potential of a global transparency protocol.

Steve shares real-world examples, such as the impact of carbon border adjustments and digital product passports, highlighting how regulatory frameworks and technological innovation intersect. The conversation also addresses the role of decentralized identifiers and verifiable credentials in ensuring the integrity of sustainability claims.

Key Insights:

Greenwashing is widespread, with over 50% of product claims being misleading or false.
The UNTP offers a standards-based approach to ensure transparency and interoperability in value chains.
Verifiable credentials are essential for decentralized trust, linking data to trusted sources while ensuring integrity.
Regulations like carbon border adjustments and product passports are reshaping trade by enforcing sustainability disclosures.
The UN's role as a neutral body provides a trusted space for creating global standards and recommendations.

Tune in to this episode to learn how the UNTP is driving a shift from marketing-led sustainability claims to evidence-backed transparency and why this transformation is critical for regulatory compliance and strategic business differentiation. Don't miss this deep dive into the future of transparent global trade!

Chapters:

00:00 - Why is the UN pursuing the development of a new protocol to help solve transparency in sustainability disclosures?
09:17 - How to ensure the integrity of claims being made is the d efacto standard?
16:32 - How did the UNTP think through the proper technical and governance architecture to support all transparency use cases?
32:36 - What will become the catalyst for the mass uptake of the UNTP?
40:32 - What makes the UN a good home for the definition of a transparency protocol?
51:03 - Does all data that interacts with the UNTP need to be public?
58:40 - Is there an opportunity for registrars to create value using the UNTP?

Resources

UNTP Overview: A detailed introduction to the United Nations Transparency Protocol (UNTP).

UN/CEFACT: Learn more about the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT).

The digital product passport and its technical implementation

Green claims - European Commission - Environment: New criteria to stop companies from making misleading claims about environmental merits of their products and services.

Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM): EU regulation on carbon emissions and global trade.

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