GS1 Traceability
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 with Industry
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.
Collaboration with end users
GS1 operates and collaborates with industry end users of all types and sizes:
- Retailers across all industries
- Fresh Foods, Foodservice and Consumer Packaged Goods Companies
- Healthcare Manufacturers, Distributors, and Providers
- Apparel and General Merchandise Companies
- Transport and Logistics Companies
- Construction and Rail companies
Collaboration with solution providers and other stakeholders
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 traceability standards
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.
Why GS1 traceability?
GS1 standards improve the efficiency, safety and visibility of supply chains across physical and digital channels in 25 sectors.
GS1 Traceability
GS1 recognises the need to enable cost-effective traceability for every product, across every supply chain.
Anita Scholte op Reimer, Vice President Quality, Food Safety and Sustainability, AH/Ahold Delhaize
"The consumer is asking for more and more transparency and I think this is where in the end the solution will go to and where GS1 will play a crucial role."
GS1 Member Organisations support your traceability needs and implementations!
Contact your local GS1 office