diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index ca1042c5..ffb9f09a 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ __pycache__/
 .pytest_cache/
 .DS_Store
 .idea
+.vscode
 
 bindings-go/vendor
 
diff --git a/bindings-go/apis/v2/signatures/normalise.go b/bindings-go/apis/v2/signatures/normalise.go
index 5897d4c0..69a76bd7 100644
--- a/bindings-go/apis/v2/signatures/normalise.go
+++ b/bindings-go/apis/v2/signatures/normalise.go
@@ -86,10 +86,6 @@ func normaliseComponentDescriptor(cd cdv2.ComponentDescriptor) ([]byte, error) {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("component descriptor %s:%s is not normaliseable: %w", cd.Name, cd.Version, err)
 	}
 
-	meta := []Entry{
-		{"schemaVersion": cd.Metadata.Version},
-	}
-
 	componentReferences := []interface{}{}
 	for _, ref := range cd.ComponentSpec.ComponentReferences {
 		extraIdentity := buildExtraIdentity(ref.ExtraIdentity)
@@ -104,25 +100,32 @@ func normaliseComponentDescriptor(cd cdv2.ComponentDescriptor) ([]byte, error) {
 			{"componentName": ref.ComponentName},
 			{"name": ref.Name},
 			{"version": ref.Version},
-			{"extraIdentity": extraIdentity},
 			{"digest": digest},
 		}
+
+		if extraIdentity != nil {
+			componentReference = append(componentReference, Entry{"extraIdentity": extraIdentity})
+		}
+
 		componentReferences = append(componentReferences, componentReference)
 	}
 
 	resources := []interface{}{}
 	for _, res := range cd.ComponentSpec.Resources {
+		resource := []Entry{
+			{"name": res.Name},
+			{"version": res.Version},
+			{"type": res.Type},
+			{"relation": res.Relation},
+		}
+
 		extraIdentity := buildExtraIdentity(res.ExtraIdentity)
+		if extraIdentity != nil {
+			resource = append(resource, Entry{"extraIdentity": extraIdentity})
+		}
 
-		//ignore access.type=None for normalisation and hash calculation
+		// skip adding digest for access.type=None -> ignore for normalisation and hash calculation
 		if res.Access == nil || res.Access.Type == "None" {
-			resource := []Entry{
-				{"name": res.Name},
-				{"version": res.Version},
-				{"type": res.Type},
-				{"relation": res.Relation},
-				{"extraIdentity": extraIdentity},
-			}
 			resources = append(resources, resource)
 			continue
 		}
@@ -132,15 +135,8 @@ func normaliseComponentDescriptor(cd cdv2.ComponentDescriptor) ([]byte, error) {
 			{"normalisationAlgorithm": res.Digest.NormalisationAlgorithm},
 			{"value": res.Digest.Value},
 		}
+		resource = append(resource, Entry{"digest": digest})
 
-		resource := []Entry{
-			{"name": res.Name},
-			{"version": res.Version},
-			{"type": res.Type},
-			{"relation": res.Relation},
-			{"extraIdentity": extraIdentity},
-			{"digest": digest},
-		}
 		resources = append(resources, resource)
 	}
 
@@ -148,12 +144,17 @@ func normaliseComponentDescriptor(cd cdv2.ComponentDescriptor) ([]byte, error) {
 		{"name": cd.ComponentSpec.Name},
 		{"version": cd.ComponentSpec.Version},
 		{"provider": cd.ComponentSpec.Provider},
-		{"componentReferences": componentReferences},
-		{"resources": resources},
+	}
+
+	if len(componentReferences) > 0 {
+		componentSpec = append(componentSpec, Entry{"componentReferences": componentReferences})
+	}
+
+	if len(resources) > 0 {
+		componentSpec = append(componentSpec, Entry{"resources": resources})
 	}
 
 	normalisedComponentDescriptor := []Entry{
-		{"meta": meta},
 		{"component": componentSpec},
 	}
 
diff --git a/bindings-go/apis/v2/signatures/normalise_test.go b/bindings-go/apis/v2/signatures/normalise_test.go
index d3ddfb1a..3fc28153 100644
--- a/bindings-go/apis/v2/signatures/normalise_test.go
+++ b/bindings-go/apis/v2/signatures/normalise_test.go
@@ -26,9 +26,9 @@ import (
 
 var _ = Describe("Normalise/Hash component-descriptor", func() {
 	var baseCd cdv2.ComponentDescriptor
-	correctBaseCdHash := "6c571bb6e351ae755baa7f26cbd1f600d2968ab8b88e25a3bab277e53afdc3ad"
+	correctBaseCdHash := "aa32547cf0cbead58bc9a27d6c0545d6a4965f9ff2de9f09ce1e6d777f53fbaf"
 	//corresponding normalised CD:
-	//[{"component":[{"componentReferences":[[{"componentName":"compRefNameComponentName"},{"digest":[{"hashAlgorithm":"sha256"},{"normalisationAlgorithm":"jsonNormalisation/v1"},{"value":"00000000000000"}]},{"extraIdentity":[{"refKey":"refName"}]},{"name":"compRefName"},{"version":"v0.0.2compRef"}]]},{"name":"CD-Name"},{"provider":""},{"resources":[[{"digest":[{"hashAlgorithm":"sha256"},{"normalisationAlgorithm":"ociArtifactDigest/v1"},{"value":"00000000000000"}]},{"extraIdentity":[{"key":"value"}]},{"name":"Resource1"},{"relation": ""},{"type",""},{"version":"v0.0.3resource"}]]},{"version":"v0.0.1"}]},{"meta":[{"schemaVersion":"v2"}]}]
+	//[{"component":[{"componentReferences":[[{"componentName":"compRefNameComponentName"},{"digest":[{"hashAlgorithm":"sha256"},{"normalisationAlgorithm":"jsonNormalisation/v1"},{"value":"00000000000000"}]},{"extraIdentity":[{"refKey":"refName"}]},{"name":"compRefName"},{"version":"v0.0.2compRef"}],[{"componentName":"compRefNameComponentName"},{"digest":[{"hashAlgorithm":"sha256"},{"normalisationAlgorithm":"jsonNormalisation/v1"},{"value":"00000000000000"}]},{"name":"compRefWithNoExtraIdentity"},{"version":"v0.0.3compRef"}]]},{"name":"CD-Name"},{"provider":""},{"resources":[[{"digest":[{"hashAlgorithm":"sha256"},{"normalisationAlgorithm":"ociArtifactDigest/v1"},{"value":"00000000000000"}]},{"extraIdentity":[{"key":"value"}]},{"name":"Resource1"},{"relation":""},{"type":""},{"version":"v0.0.3resource"}],[{"digest":[{"hashAlgorithm":"sha256"},{"normalisationAlgorithm":"ociArtifactDigest/v1"},{"value":"00000000000000"}]},{"extraIdentity":[{"key":"value"}]},{"name":"ResourceWithNoExtraIdentity"},{"relation":""},{"type":""},{"version":"v0.0.4resource"}]]},{"version":"v0.0.1"}]}]
 	BeforeEach(func() {
 		baseCd = cdv2.ComponentDescriptor{
 			Metadata: cdv2.Metadata{
@@ -53,6 +53,17 @@ var _ = Describe("Normalise/Hash component-descriptor", func() {
 							Value:                  "00000000000000",
 						},
 					},
+					{
+						// ExtraIdentity is nil -> should be left out completely from normalisation
+						Name:          "compRefWithNoExtraIdentity",
+						ComponentName: "compRefNameComponentName",
+						Version:       "v0.0.3compRef",
+						Digest: &cdv2.DigestSpec{
+							HashAlgorithm:          signatures.SHA256,
+							NormalisationAlgorithm: string(cdv2.JsonNormalisationV1),
+							Value:                  "00000000000000",
+						},
+					},
 				},
 				Resources: []cdv2.Resource{
 					{
@@ -70,6 +81,21 @@ var _ = Describe("Normalise/Hash component-descriptor", func() {
 						},
 						Access: cdv2.NewUnstructuredType(cdv2.OCIRegistryType, map[string]interface{}{"imageRef": "ref"}),
 					},
+					{
+						IdentityObjectMeta: cdv2.IdentityObjectMeta{
+							Name:    "ResourceWithNoExtraIdentity",
+							Version: "v0.0.4resource",
+							ExtraIdentity: cdv2.Identity{
+								"key": "value",
+							},
+						},
+						Digest: &cdv2.DigestSpec{
+							HashAlgorithm:          signatures.SHA256,
+							NormalisationAlgorithm: string(cdv2.OciArtifactDigestV1),
+							Value:                  "00000000000000",
+						},
+						Access: cdv2.NewUnstructuredType(cdv2.OCIRegistryType, map[string]interface{}{"imageRef": "ref:v0.0.4"}),
+					},
 				},
 			},
 		}
@@ -94,6 +120,32 @@ var _ = Describe("Normalise/Hash component-descriptor", func() {
 			Expect(hash.Value).To(Equal(correctBaseCdHash))
 		})
 	})
+	Describe("should remove empty component refs/resources lists during normalisation", func() {
+		It("with sha256", func() {
+			expectedHash := "44460fad9d46f9281018858a94bf80ae348e5c24ea4d9955ade89a16fb587edf"
+			//corresponding normalised CD:
+			//[{"component":[{"name":"CD-Name"},{"provider":""},{"version":"v0.0.1"}]}]
+			cdWithEmptyLists := cdv2.ComponentDescriptor{
+				Metadata: cdv2.Metadata{
+					Version: "v2",
+				},
+				ComponentSpec: cdv2.ComponentSpec{
+					ObjectMeta: cdv2.ObjectMeta{
+						Name:    "CD-Name",
+						Version: "v0.0.1",
+					},
+					// ComponentReferences & Resource empty -> should be left out completely from normalisation
+					ComponentReferences: []cdv2.ComponentReference{},
+					Resources:           []cdv2.Resource{},
+				},
+			}
+			hasher, err := signatures.HasherForName(signatures.SHA256)
+			Expect(err).To(BeNil())
+			hash, err := signatures.HashForComponentDescriptor(cdWithEmptyLists, *hasher)
+			Expect(err).To(BeNil())
+			Expect(hash.Value).To(Equal(expectedHash))
+		})
+	})
 	Describe("should ignore modifications in unhashed fields", func() {
 		It("should succeed with signature changes", func() {
 			baseCd.Signatures = append(baseCd.Signatures, cdv2.Signature{
diff --git a/bindings-go/apis/v2/signatures/sign_test.go b/bindings-go/apis/v2/signatures/sign_test.go
index ebb34ff4..520b1a2f 100644
--- a/bindings-go/apis/v2/signatures/sign_test.go
+++ b/bindings-go/apis/v2/signatures/sign_test.go
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Sign/Verify component-descriptor", func() {
 		AlgorithmName: signatures.SHA256,
 	}
 	signatureName := "testSignatureName"
-	correctBaseCdHash := "6c571bb6e351ae755baa7f26cbd1f600d2968ab8b88e25a3bab277e53afdc3ad"
+	correctBaseCdHash := "d0508c87df2aca0deb423598d54dca5af290796632193199d38dc85054c8b4f8"
 
 	BeforeEach(func() {
 		baseCd = cdv2.ComponentDescriptor{