UNTP Implementation Status

The United Nations Critical Raw Materials Transparency Protocol (UNCRMTP) is an adaptation of the UN Transparency Protocol.

Critical Raw Materials Transparency Protocol (CRMTP) seeks to provide the minerals and extractive industries with practical, low cost tools for digital data exchange along supply chains to achieve product differentiation, maximize the value of existing permitting and ESG compliance efforts, counter greenwashing, and support the transition to a sustainable, low-carbon economy.

The UNTP is an international standard for traceability and transparency in value chains. It is industry and geography agnostic and provides a suite of foundational tools that empower communities to extend the UNTP to meet their specific industry and geographical needs. For example, the UNTP defines a standard for a generic Digital Product Passport that UNCRMTP has extended to become a Copper Product Passport by adding specific copper attributes.

The UNTP defines a standard methodology to create extensions so that they remain interoperable with other industry extensions. This increases the value to UNCRMTP implementers because UNCRMTP and other UNTP credentials will still be usable by downstream industry sectors and export markets. For example, in the value chain from mineral to battery there will be many different industries and geographies but when each builds on a common UNTP core then the common data is understandable and usable across the entire battery value chain.

The UNTP is itself under ongoing development and maintenance. UNCRMTP is one of several UNTP extensions and there are expected to be at least 100 extensions registered over the next few years. The UN target for global adoption is 1 million UNTP (or extension) product passports issued every day by 2030.

Pilot Implementations

1. Andes-to-EU Copper Passport Pilot (2026):

   End-to-end product passport exchange from mine-site extraction batches in the Andes to EU buyer onboarding workflows, validating interoperable data handoff across producer, trader, and importer systems.

   Open outcome report

2. Smelter Mass-Balance Transparency Pilot (2026):

   Cross-site reconciliation of concentrate input declarations and refined cathode output claims across two participating smelters, with documented improvements in discrepancy detection and audit readiness.

   Open outcome report

3. Refinery Process Declaration Pilot (2027):

   Trial implementation of refinery process declarations aligned with UNTP extension guidance to test consistency of emissions, energy-use, and provenance assertions for downstream procurement checks.

   Read case study brief

Credential Extensions

Name	Base Credential	Status
Digital Copper Passport	UNTP Product Passport	Pilot
Copper Refinery Process Declaration	UNTP Digital Facility Record	Draft

Identifier Schemes

Name	Scope	IDR Status
LME Copper Grade and Brand Codes	Product	In-progress
Global Location Number (GLN)	Facility	Registered

Conformity Schemes

Name	CVC Status
Copper Mark Assurance Framework	In-progress
ISO 14001 Site Certification	Registered

Software Systems

Name	System Type	Issuing Status
MineLedger	Mine operations platform	Pilot
RefineTrack	Refinery execution and reporting	In-progress