SPD-600: Registry & Certification Rules is the core registry and certification document of the Sustainable Product Declaration system developed by United Metric Association. It defines how SPD declarations are formally issued, registered, traced, renewed, suspended, withdrawn and communicated through controlled certification and registry mechanisms. Within the SPD system architecture, SPD-600 is positioned as the document that defines certificate issuance, registry structure, QR code use, validity, renewal, suspension and logo-use rules. 

The purpose of SPD-600 is to ensure that SPD outputs are not used as uncontrolled certificates or decorative sustainability labels. Instead, it establishes a formal recognition structure in which each SPD certificate, public summary, verification statement, registry page and QR-linked record is connected to a defined product, declared scope, validity period, verification status and approved communication rules.

SPD-600 defines the rules for issuing an SPD Certificate after the applicable assessment, documentation, review and registration process has been completed. The certificate confirms that the declared product or product family has completed the SPD process within a defined scope. It does not automatically mean that the product is green, fully sustainable, environmentally superior, carbon neutral or accepted by all procurement systems.

A central function of SPD-600 is the management of the SPD Registry. The registry acts as the controlled public record of SPD declarations, helping users verify the identity, validity, status, scope and limitations of a declaration. It supports transparency by linking the product, manufacturer, certificate number, issue date, validity period, verification status and public summary where applicable.

SPD-600 also defines the use of QR code traceability. QR codes connect SPD certificates, product documents, catalogues, packaging or market communication to the official registry page or approved public summary. This helps prevent outdated, copied or misleading communication and allows users to confirm whether an SPD declaration is active, expired, suspended, revised or withdrawn.

The guideline also establishes rules for validity, renewal and revision. SPD declarations are time-bound and must be updated when material changes occur in the product, production process, supplier structure, data basis, lifecycle boundary, evidence, verification status or public communication. This ensures that SPD remains a living transparency system rather than a one-time certificate.

SPD-600 works closely with other SPD system documents. SPD-200 defines the assessment methodology, SPD-300 defines verification and review, SPD-400 controls reporting and claim wording, SPD-700 supports client onboarding and data submission, and SPD-800 defines digital registry architecture and traceability logic.

Overall, SPD-600 provides the formal recognition and registry control layer of the Sustainable Product Declaration system. Its value lies in ensuring that SPD certificates and registry records are traceable, current, controlled and responsibly communicated. It protects the credibility of SPD by preventing certificate misuse, uncontrolled logo use, expired declarations, misleading QR communication and unsupported sustainability claims.
The full SPD-600 Guideline is available for download exclusively by United Metric members.