A study conducted by the Enterprise DG Expert Group in 2002 concluded that lack of trust is one of the main barriers for B2B e-marketplaces.

To increase trust for the users of e-marketplaces, organisations and the marketplaces themselves are implementing Codes of Conduct and Trust Marks that are acting as guidelines and certifications and with the main purpose of increasing confidence both in the operation of the e-marketplace itself, but also towards the trading partners.

The DG Enterprise Expert group suggested a best practice checklist to be used as a guideline for Codes of Conduct and Trust Marks.
This report is an introduction into the topic of Codes of Conduct/Trust Marks and an evaluation on how some of these compare to the best practice checklist.