Sustainability

2025-04-24

GTB - Shaping a more transparent, data-driven future together

The Global Trace-Base (GTB) is more than just a centralised data system — it’s a powerful tool designed to deliver unmatched traceability, transparency, and integrity. Developed by Global Standard gGmbH, GTB will collect and manage data on certified entities and certified products, as well as carry “value added” data for the products being tracked through the supply chain.

At Global Standard gGmbH, a mission-driven non-profit organization, the goal isn’t profit — it’s impact. The Global Trace-Base (GTB) is being developed to provide greater traceability, transparency, and integrity, helping you drive meaningful change through smarter data capture, analysis, and reporting. By adding GTB as a powerful data system to GOTS and future Standards of Global Standard, they are jointly increasing their effort to create more transparent and impactful supply chains.

Global Standard gGmbH is fully committed to operating GTB solely on a cost-recovery principle. While it may be inevitable that fees adjust over time to reflect evolving operational needs, they are strictly aligned with the actual costs of running and maintaining the system — with no profit element involved. Fees shall be reviewed regularly to ensure that users continue to receive maximum value.

The GTB fees have been determined as follows:

Fee - Current - Effective

GTB Scope Certificate (SC) Fee - € 15 - 1st December 2024

GTB Transaction Certificate (TC) Fee - € 3 - 1st July 2025 [1]

The fees are applicable to certificates generated (or retrospectively backfilled) by Certification Bodies:

• Directly to the GTB Portal / Interface

• System-to-System via API

• Manually imported, i.e. csv, xml

The Certification Bodies are responsible to collect the GTB SC & TC Fees on behalf of Global Standard gGmbH. Global Standard gGmbH will not charge additional fees for any SC issued before December 1, 2024 and any TC issued before July 1, 2025.

The GTB SC Fee is applicable for every new or renewed SC issued by Certification Bodies.

The GTB TC Fee is applicable for each TC issued by Certification Bodies since it was run through the system, even if it is later cancelled or invalidated.

Fees are NOT applicable for revisions/modifications of existing, valid, current certificates.

[1] Estimated date dependent on volume reconciliation 1st release