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GS1-enabled traceability solutions provide the best path to interoperability, protect
companies’ investments and scale up. Greater levels of digitalisation, speed and data
accuracy become possible. Each trading partner in the chain becomes free to choose the
solution on the market that best meets its specific needs.
GS1 provides the global and common language for traceability solutions and the ecosystem
for its implementation. GS1 makes the industry vision operational and scalable through
collaborations and community development, registries about products and places, capacity
building and local implementation services in more than 100 countries.
Collaboration is an effective and efficient way to engage industries in developing and
evolving global standards. Collaboration at a global scale ensures that standards that
support traceability work for everyone, and not simply a select few in any one region or
sector.
GS1 Member Organisations work directly with you and your suppliers, trading partners and
customers to support traceability implementation and enhancements through our broad
Member Organisation network. Our Member Organisations operate from 114 countries
around the globe and interact directly with solution providers and users to educate on
standards and support implementations. We encourage you to connect with the GS1
Member Organisation in your country.
GS1 operates and collaborates with industry end users of all types and sizes:
Solution providers offer software and hardware solutions to accomplish traceability. GS1 collaborates with companies who design, develop and deploy traceability solutions with intent to enable effective adoption of standards resulting in greater interoperability across trading partners.
GS1 maintains strong partnerships and collaborations with academic institutions, NGOs and industry associations. GS1 is neutral, technology agnostic and not-for-profit, which enables collaborations with other industry organisations, such as ISO, CGF, and governments and regulatory bodies.
GS1 Global Traceability Standard (GTS2) introduces two key concepts for interoperable
traceability: 1) Critical Tracking Events (CTEs), these are the actual events, such as receiving,
packing, shipping, transporting, that occur to the traceable object during its lifecycle, and 2)
Key Data Elements (KDEs), these are the elements of data that describe the actual instances
of the CTEs.
GS1 identification standards Global Trade Item Number® (GTIN) and Global Location Number
(GLN) uniquely identify the objects that are moving throughout supply chains and the
locations to which and from which they travel. Identification keys enable the connection of
physical and information flows within a trading partner’s processes as well as across different
trading partners’ processes.
Barcodes and EPC/RFID, data capture standards, along with data sharing standards the
Global Data Synchronisation Network® and EPCIS (Electronic Product Code Information
Services) enable automated processing and sharing of information between and across
trading partners. EPCIS is a critical component for traceability systems. EPCIS enables
trading partners to share information about the physical movement and status of products
across supply chains.
GS1 provides sector-specific traceability standards that enable traceability across and within
industry sectors. Explore our standards for traceability in Healthcare, Retail and Rail.
Interested in assessing your current traceability capabilities? The GS1 Global Traceability
Compliance Criteria standard enables companies to evaluate their traceability control points
and implement best practices.
