For years, businesses have been able to say pretty much anything they like about how “green” or “ethical” their supply chains are, and there’s been no easy way for anyone to check if it’s true.

But that’s about to change. After two rounds of public comment and years of international collaboration, the final draft of UN/CEFACT Recommendation No. 49: Transparency at Scale – Fostering Sustainable Value Chains is ready. It’s up for formal review at the 31st UN/CEFACT Plenary in Geneva this July.

This Recommendation gives everyone—from big brands and policymakers to regulators, NGOs, and consumers—a shared way to verify claims, follow the digital breadcrumbs, and cut through greenwashing. It provides guidance to nations on making supply chain transparency real, digital, and practical at scale.

Why this Matters

UN/CEFACT Recommendation No. 49 makes it clear to national and regional policymakers, and everyone involved in value chains, what’s now expected for supply chain transparency.

For the first time, there’s a clear, common standard for building trust, proving sustainability, and fighting greenwashing at scale. It’s a global signal: Real, verifiable transparency is the new standard.

What is a UN/CEFACT Recommendation?

A UN/CEFACT Recommendation is an official policy document from the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT). While not legally binding, these recommendations are globally recognised as authoritative guidance, often shaping regulations, standards, and industry practices around the world.

What is Recommendation No. 49?

Recommendation No. 49: Transparency at Scale – Fostering Sustainable Value Chains is a pivotal policy framework developed by UN/CEFACT to meet growing calls for reliable, verifiable sustainability claims and corporate disclosures. It gives policymakers and industry leaders a clear way forward for making sustainability information accessible and trustworthy across borders, sectors, and supply chains.

The Recommendation is the result of years of collaboration and hard work from leading minds in data, digital trust, policy, and supply chain management. Its development involved public consultations, debates, and global review, drawing lessons from digital transformation, regulatory challenges, greenwashing scandals, and the everyday realities of global trade.

Once adopted, Recommendation No. 49 will set a new standard for transparency—supporting global sustainability goals and tackling greenwashing head-on.

What’s in Recommendation No. 49?

Recommendation No. 49 lays out four clear actions for national and regional policymakers who want to lead on transparency and sustainability. Here’s a high-level summary, but we encourage you to read the details here (p10):

1. Develop a National Policy for Transparency at Scale

Establish a national framework for supply chain transparency that aligns with risk-based due diligence and sustainability goals. Prioritise value chains with the largest sustainability impact, and provide tailored support for SMEs and developing countries.

2. Implement Supporting Instruments

Policymakers should adopt supporting instruments—like the United Nations Transparency Protocol (UNTP)—to make implementation possible and practical, addressing challenges like trust, complexity, scalability, and cost.

3. Develop Government Services that Enable Transparency

Modernise government services by issuing permits, certificates, and business documents in digitally verifiable formats. This turns governments into digital “trust anchors,” making compliance and verification faster and more reliable.

4. Promote Uptake and Build Capacity

Adoption only happens when there are real incentives and support. Policymakers are urged to make participation attractive and practical, especially for SMEs and developing countries. This includes:

• Incentivising industries to share certification schemes and primary data (so transparency efforts scale industry-wide)
• Funding open-source digital tools and professional support (to lower barriers for all market participants)
• Setting clear, favourable rules for using electronic and digital signatures (to enable secure, cross-border trade)
• Promoting acceptance of digitally verifiable documents across all sectors (so digital compliance becomes the norm)
• Enabling authorities to leverage product passports and digital attestations for easier, faster compliance (to speed up and simplify trade checks)

The aim: reward organisations that lead on transparency, reduce friction for everyone else, and make trustworthy digital practices the new normal.

How this relates to UNTP

While Recommendation No. 49 sets the policy direction, the UN Transparency Protocol (UNTP) is how those goals become reality. Think of Recommendation No. 49 as the “what” and “why” — the vision and standards for supply chain transparency. Think of the UNTP as the “how” — the technical framework, processes, and open-source tools that turn this new policy vision into day-to-day reality for businesses and industry.

PyxGlobal’s Role

At PyxGlobal, we’ve been hands-on in the evolution of the UNTP and are already helping industries from wine exporters to agri-business and industry associations trial and implement it in real-world contexts.

We'll continue sharing updates as this critical Recommendation moves forward.

📘 Read the draft Recommendation No. 49

🗓 31st UN/CEFACT Plenary Session – Event Info

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