Accelerate the adoption of decentralized, verifiable data standards in global supply chains. We develop industry-specific profiles, interoperability frameworks, and certification guidelines that enable businesses to exchange cryptographically verifiable proofs of origin, custody, compliance, and sustainability—building trust, reducing fraud, and unlocking new efficiency across multi-party industrial networks.
This group focuses on the practical implementation, industry alignment, and certification of supply chain applications using the W3C's Verifiable Credentials (VC) ecosystem and related protocols like UORA.
Develop and maintain VC/UORA profiles and data schemas tailored to key verticals:
- Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare (DSCSA alignment)
- Automotive & Aerospace
- Food & Beverage
- Critical Minerals
- Luxury Goods
- Electronics
Create test suites and implementation guides ensuring interoperability between verifiable supply chain systems and legacy standards:
- GS1 EPCIS
- ISO 28000 (Supply Chain Security)
- Regulatory frameworks (DSCSA, CBAM, EUDR, FDA 21 CFR Part 11)
Define governance models, trust anchor requirements, and conformance criteria for organizations issuing and consuming verifiable supply chain claims.
Document high-impact business cases with quantifiable ROI:
- Anti-counterfeiting
- ESG reporting & Scope 3 emissions
- Duty & tax compliance
- Recall management
- Provenance & ethical sourcing
This group is a downstream adopter and specializer of the UORA Community Group's core technical specifications.
| UORA CG | Verifiable Supply Chain CG |
|---|---|
| Defines universal protocol for asset attestation | Defines industry-specific constraints & business rules |
| Core cryptographic & data models | Implementation guides & certification |
| Protocol-level specifications | Multi-stakeholder governance frameworks |
The two groups maintain a formal liaison for synchronized development.
- Pharmaceuticals Profile - DSCSA-compliant verifiable proofs
- Critical Minerals Profile - Conflict mineral traceability
- Food & Beverage Profile - Farm-to-fork provenance
- Luxury Goods Profile - Anti-counterfeiting attestations
- EPCIS-to-VC mapping specifications
- Translation libraries (Python, TypeScript)
- Test suites and conformance testing tools
- Sample implementations and reference architectures
- Governance models for supply chain consortia
- Trust anchor accreditation criteria
- Dispute resolution frameworks
- Liability & legal entity mapping
- Executive playbook for adoption
- ROI calculators and case studies
- Pilot program templates
- Vendor evaluation criteria
The group will be considered successful when:
- ✅ At least two industry consortia adopt its profiles in production networks
- ✅ Major supply chain software vendors reference its frameworks in product documentation
- ✅ A regulator or standards body (e.g., GS1, UN/CEFACT) formally references the group's work
- ✅ 5+ production deployments across at least three industry verticals
- ✅ Published ROI data demonstrating measurable business value
The following are explicitly out of scope for this group:
| Out of Scope | Why |
|---|---|
| Developing new core cryptographic protocols | Builds on W3C VC/DID standards |
| Creating competing generic standards | Complements, doesn't duplicate |
| Mandating specific commercial platforms | Technology-agnostic approach |
| Core DID method development | Leverages existing DID methods |
| Generic identity management | Focused on supply chain use cases |
vsc-cg/
├── profiles/ # Industry-specific VC profiles
│ ├── pharmaceuticals/ # DSCSA-aligned profiles
│ ├── critical-minerals/ # Conflict minerals traceability
│ ├── food-beverage/ # Farm-to-fork provenance
│ └── luxury-goods/ # Anti-counterfeiting
├── interoperability/ # Mapping to legacy standards
│ ├── epcis/ # GS1 EPCIS translation
│ ├── iso/ # ISO standards alignment
│ └── regulatory/ # Regulatory compliance maps
├── trust-framework/ # Governance & certification
│ ├── governance/ # Trust anchor models
│ ├── accreditation/ # Conformance criteria
│ └── templates/ # Reusable framework templates
├── use-cases/ # Business value documentation
│ ├── case-studies/ # Quantified ROI examples
│ ├── calculators/ # ROI modeling tools
│ └── guides/ # Implementation playbooks
├── tools/ # Reference implementations
│ ├── libraries/ # SDKs and utilities
│ ├── test-suites/ # Conformance testing
│ └── examples/ # Sample applications
└── specs/ # Formal specifications
├── profiles/ # Profile specifications
└── api/ # API specifications
- Review the Industry Blueprints for your vertical
- Explore the Interoperability Toolkit
- Run the test suites against your implementation
- Review the Trust Framework Templates
- Provide feedback on regulatory mappings
- Join our liaison calls
- Explore use cases and ROI models
- Contribute to industry profiles
- Publish findings through case studies
We welcome contributions from:
- Supply chain practitioners - Share real-world requirements
- Developers - Build tools and reference implementations
- Standards experts - Help align with existing frameworks
- Researchers - Quantify business impact and ROI
Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed guidelines.
| Area | Priority | Skills Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Industry Profiles | High | Domain expertise, JSON-LD |
| EPCIS Mapping | High | GS1 standards, RDF |
| Test Suites | Medium | TypeScript, Python |
| Use Cases | Medium | Business analysis |
| Governance Models | Low | Legal, compliance |
- Weekly Calls: Not yet decided
- Mailing List: public-vsc@w3.org
- Meeting Calendar: Subscribe
[List active participants and organizations]
All deliverables are published under the W3C Document License.
| Organization | Relevance |
|---|---|
| W3C Verifiable Credentials | Core VC data model |
| UORA CG | Universal asset attestation protocol |
| GS1 | Supply chain identification & EPCIS |
| ISO/TC 307 | Blockchain and distributed ledger |
| UN/CEFACT | Trade facilitation standards |
Chairs:
- Amir Hameed Mir - Sirraya labs - amsaalegal@gmail.com
W3C Staff Contact:
- Ian Jacobs