GS1 Global Traceability Standard (GTS)
The GS1 Global Traceability Standard is a business process standard describing the traceability process independently from the choice of enabling technologies. It defines minimum requirements for companies of all sizes across industry sectors and corresponding GS1 Standards used within information management tools.
Global Traceability Standard has been developed to meet important business needs, including regulatory compliance. Mainly, it:
- Addresses the entire supply chain and can be applied to any product.
- is based on current business practices used in over 150 countries by a large majority of supply chain partners; this will allow companies to leverage existing investments and more easily implement the Standard as part of broader product quality system.
- Is one of many systems that taken together will help companies continue and add to their ability to meet consumer expectations for safe and high quality products.
- maximises the use of globally established and implemented GS1 System tools.
- describes the creation of accurate records of transactions.
- meets the core legislative and business need to cost-effectively trace back (one step down) and track forward (one step up) at any point along the whole length of the supply chain, no matter how many trading partners, business process steps, national and international borders are involved.
- is the framework for companies to go beyond these minimum requirements if relevant in their context and sector.
- enables trading partners to exchange data on a real time basis with a network of data bases.
- is compatible with ISO standard 2205 for traceability.
How the Global Traceability Standard works
The Plan and Organize sub-process determines how to assign, collect, share and keep traceability data. Furthermore, it determines how to manage links between inputs, internal processes, and outputs. It is a prerequisite phase.
The Align Master Data sub -process determines how to assign identifications to the parties and physical locations, trade items and if appropriate to assets. It also determines how to exchange Master Data with trading partners.
The Record Traceability Data sub-process determines how to assign, apply and capture traceable items identification and how to collect, share and store traceability data during the physical flow.
The Request Trace sub-process determines how to initiate and respond to a traceability request.
The Use Information sub-process enables the use of the previous processes to take appropriate action as required by legal and business requirements.
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