Verifiable Credentials
Standard W3C format for expressing cryptographically verifiable, machine-readable and privacy-respecting credentials. The Verifiable Credentials Data Model 2.0 was published as a W3C Recommendation in 2024.
Context
W3C Verifiable Credentials (W3C VC) is the standard format for expressing credentials on the web in a cryptographically verifiable, machine-readable and privacy-respecting manner. Official Recommendation published in 2024.
Regulatory origin
W3C Verifiable Credentials Data Model 2.0 published in 2024 as a W3C Recommendation. It defines 3 canonical concepts: Issuer, Holder, Verifier.
The 3 actors of the W3C VC model
Custodian of the credential (the textile brand) · presents it when necessary.
Validator of the credential (consumer, authority, B2B retailer) · validates the signature without contacting the Issuer.
Timeline
W3C VC v1.0
First W3C Recommendation.
W3C VC Data Model 2.0
Current version of the W3C Recommendation.
Textile DPP application
The CIRPASS D3.2 architecture establishes W3C VC as the certification mechanism in the DPP.
Applied case
A textile brand receives GOTS certification for its organic line as a W3C Verifiable Credential.
The certifying body (Control Union) issues the GOTS certification as a W3C VC signed with its Decentralized Identifier (DID).
The brand receives the VC and attaches it to the DPP of each certified product.
Any market surveillance authority can validate the signature without contacting Control Union (offline validation).
Common mistakes
W3C VC is not blockchain.
Credentials can be anchored on a blockchain (public or private) or on other decentralised identification systems. Blockchain is optional, not a requirement.
It does not replace X.509 / TLS server certificates.
X.509 serves for the identity of servers and citizens. W3C VC serves for claims about entities in a distributed flow. They cover different use cases.
It is not the same as a signed PDF.
A signed PDF guarantees documentary integrity. W3C VC guarantees documentary integrity + technical interoperability + verifiability without depending on the original issuer.
It does not require prior universal adoption to have value.
A W3C VC credential has value from its first use because verification is independent. The adoption network amplifies utility but is not a prerequisite.
Frequently asked questions
What are W3C Verifiable Credentials?
W3C Verifiable Credentials Data Model 2.0, an official Recommendation published in 2024. A standard data format for expressing credentials on the web in a cryptographically verifiable, machine-readable and privacy-respecting manner. They define 3 canonical concepts: Issuer, Holder, Verifier.
How are Verifiable Credentials applied to the textile DPP?
The canonical certifications of the DPP (Ecolabel, OEKO-TEX, GOTS, GRS) can be issued as Verifiable Credentials attached to the product via the DPP. The Issuer (certification body) cryptographically signs the VC. The Holder (brand) presents it alongside the product. The Verifier (consumer or authority) validates the signature without contacting the Issuer.
What is the difference between Verifiable Credentials and a traditional PDF certificate?
A traditional PDF certificate: a human signature or a simple PKCS#7 digital signature, hard to validate automatically, open to fraud through editing. A Verifiable Credential under the W3C Verifiable Credentials Data Model 2.0 (W3C Recommendation 2024): a cryptographic signature that is mathematically verifiable via Linked Data Proofs or JOSE, validatable in milliseconds by any system without contacting the Issuer, impossible to forge without the Issuer's private key. VC is the digital-native upgrade of the traditional certificate for the textile DPP under the CIRPASS D3.2 architecture.
What is the difference between Verifiable Credentials and Decentralized Identifiers (DID)?
A DID is the identifier of the entity (Issuer/Holder/Verifier) without depending on a central authority. A VC is the credential cryptographically signed by a DID. They coexist: the DID identifies who signs; the VC is what is signed. For the textile DPP, the Issuers (OEKO-TEX, GOTS) will use their DIDs to sign VCs attached to the product.
Fuentes oficiales
- World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)15 may 2025W3C Recommendation
- W3C2022W3C Recommendation
- CIRPASS Project2024-2027Pilot project
