Background
RBTP (Responsible Business Transparency Protocol) builds on UNTP and W3C Verifiable Credentials to turn supply-chain claims into signed, portable, interoperable data. MVD extracts the minimum set of verifiable fields to prove or disprove a claim, reducing reporting fatigue and increasing trust. The goal: credible, data-driven transparency that scales across n-tier supply chains.
MVD design: claims → verifiable fields
- Recruitment fee incidence: % workers who paid recruitment fees (target = 0%).
- Document retention / exit freedom: % workers free to resign without coercion.
- Anonymous grievance close-out rate: % grievances resolved with feedback, no retaliation.
- Night-shift support coverage: % night-shift workers receiving promised benefits (meals, transport, breaks).
- Re-employment support rate: % identified victims assisted into new jobs.
- Training hours per worker: average annual formal training hours (incl. forced-labour prevention).
Each field is defined via SVC semantics, measured with clear formulas, and paired with evidence hashes/time-stamps for integrity.
MVD + Verifiable Credentials
MVD fields are packaged into VC-based data bundles (JSON/CSV/PDF), signed and time-stamped. Third-party evidence (audit excerpts, hashes) can be referenced. Any UNTP/RBTP-compatible wallet or validator can verify signatures and issuer identity; selective disclosure protects confidentiality.
Forced labour prevention: what changes
- Comparable, multi-tier indicators: common forced-labour metrics across mining, smelting, component, assembly layers; first-ever n-tier visibility.
- Risk transparency by node: upstream recruitment fees + midstream restricted exits + downstream grievance gaps become visible end-to-end.
- Audit efficiency: auditors verify pre-signed MVD data instead of re-collecting; brands pre-screen suppliers with VC packages.
- Evidence-based dialogue: responses move from slogans to data (e.g., fee incidence=0%, grievance close-out=98%, improving to 99%).
- Early warning: threshold breaches auto-flag (e.g., fee incidence>0), triggering CAPA before crises.
Digital execution flow
- Define MVD fields (forced labour set) per SVC; align formulas/units/targets.
- Collect data + evidence; preprocess, anonymize, add trusted time-stamps.
- Package as VC (JSON-LD) + CSV/PDF; sign with DID keys.
- Share with buyers/auditors/regulators; verify signatures & validity.
- CAPA & re-sign: update fields as remediation completes; maintain history.
- Report & reuse: one signed dataset, many use-cases (regulatory filings, customer DD, finance ESG checks).
2025 pilots & expert views
RBA’s 2025 pilots (20+ orgs across mining-to-assembly) showed RBTP VCs working with partial data, cross-platform validation, and chained traceability. Public-sector use (e.g., BC mining permits) and Catena-X tests confirmed UNTP interoperability. Experts note: without a common protocol, industries waste effort on fragmented, low-trust data; RBTP/MVD offers a shared data language and verifiable evidence.
Risks & mitigations
- Source truthfulness: require independent worker input and third-party checks; flag unverifiable fields.
- Privacy/commercial sensitivity: selective disclosure, aggregation, hashing/zk to avoid over-exposure.
- SME adoption: lightweight tools, training, incentives to join the VC network.
- Standards fragmentation: keep UNTP alignment; map to other schemes (ISO, GS1, SA8000) to avoid silos.
- Legal recognition: engage regulators to accept VC evidence in forced-labour bans and due-diligence regimes.
Conclusion
RBTP MVD transforms forced-labour commitments into verifiable, portable data. It standardizes indicators, accelerates audits, and strengthens trust while preserving data sovereignty. Paired with independent oversight and careful privacy controls, MVD+VC can compress the space where forced labour hides and give brands, regulators, and workers credible, reusable evidence.