Event-Based Traceability

What is the modern approach to traceability?

Event-based traceability is the foremost methodology for tracking and tracing any product, including raw materials, finished goods, and products created by combining multiple inputs, throughout an entire supply chain. This methodology breaks down complex supply chains into a series of Critical Tracking Events (CTEs)—like creation, shipping, or receiving—that are common to all commodities. The practice of recording pre-defined Key Data Elements (KDEs) at each of those events as a product moves through its supply chain is known as event-based traceability.

Instead of relying on static or summary data, event-based systems create a dynamic product history that reflects real-world product movements and transformations, not just planned transactions or batch records. Every supply chain actor logs the events they perform and maintains ownership of the data they generate. This reduces the need for centralized data repositories and allows for real-time data that provides a granular view of product movement from origin to endpoint.

This approach is already used in diverse industries—like food, pharmaceuticals and apparel—and can be applied to any physical goods. Leading global standards such as GS1’s Electronic Product Code Information Services (EPCIS) and the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST) as well as regional regulatory frameworks like the US FDA’s Food Traceability Rule (FSMA 204) are built on event-based principles, offering structured guidance for implementation across industries. Similarly, the Global Traceability Framework leverages this approach to define a consistent set of foundational data elements shared by all actors in beef and leather supply chains.

Why do we use event-based traceability?

Event-based traceability offers several benefits:

Accountability: Every actor in the supply chain is responsible for owning, collecting, and sharing their own event data. This decentralized responsibility supports data accuracy and transparency by ensuring that each piece of information originates from the party most directly involved in the event.
Adaptability: Because it applies to a diverse range of products and processes, event-based traceability supports the use of shared standards that can be applied across commodities. This makes it easier to digitize, exchange, and analyze data regardless of the type of product, market, or region.
Interoperability: When implemented with common data standards, event-based systems enable seamless data sharing across different platforms, technologies, and organizations. This reduces duplication of effort and supports collaboration among supply chain partners.
Granularity: By capturing details at the individual event level, supply chain stakeholders can access a high level of specificity about product movements and transformations. This detailed “chain of events” makes it easier to pinpoint issues, verify claims, and understand exactly how a product moved through its supply chain.
Real-time Data: Recording events as they occur allows for real-time tracking and monitoring of products.
Proactive Risk Management: The combination of accountability, granularity, and real-time data equips businesses to identify and address potential risks. It enables organizations to respond quickly to potential issues, such as compliance gaps, quality deviations, or supply-chain interruptions.

Critical Tracking Events

CTEs are events in a supply chain where data capture is necessary to maintain traceability; these are usually critical points of transfer or transformation.

A core set of standardized event types—common across supply chains—is used to track and trace products. These foundational events are typically sufficient to establish traceability for most commodities. These include:

Commission

An event in which a new product instance is created or documented for the first time. These events typically occur in the far upstream steps of a supply chain.

Examples: Calves are born on a cow-calf operation; seafood is caught; tomatoes are harvested.

Decommission

An event in which a product instance is removed from a supply chain. These events typically occur when a product is consumed or must be removed from the supply chain due to damage or defects.

Examples: Damaged cases are disposed of; past shelf-life product is land-filled.

Shipping

An event in which product is shipped from one physical location to another. Shipping events can occur internally (between facilities of a single organization) or externally (from one organization to another).

Examples: Raw materials are shipped to a processor; pallets of finished goods are shipped to a retailer.

Receiving

An event in which shipped product is received by the ship-to facility. Receiving events can occur internally (between facilities of a single organization) or externally (from one organization to another).

Examples: Raw materials are received by a processor; pallets of finished goods are received at a retailer.

Transformation

An event that involves irreversible changes to a product’s physical form (e.g. manufacturing, processing) or packaging (e.g. commingling, re-packing, re-labeling).

Examples: Raw materials are processed into intermediate products; raw materials are commingled; intermediate products are manufactured into finished goods; finished goods are re-packed or re-labeled.

Aggregation

An event in which one or more distinct products are physically grouped together. Aggregation is always reversible and usually performed for shipping or storage purposes (e.g. combining several distinct cases on to one pallet).

Examples: Cases of assorted products are loaded onto a pallet for shipping; livestock are loaded into a truck for shipping.

Disaggregation

An event in which previously aggregated items are separated (e.g. breaking down a pallet into distinct cases).

Examples: Cases of assorted products are removed from a pallet and placed into inventory; live animals are removed from a truck.

Key Data Elements

KDEs are the pieces of information that must be captured at each CTE to successfully trace a product and/or its components through the supply chain. These define the who, what, where, and when of each event.

Basic traceability can be achieved across a wide range of commodities by consistently capturing a core set of KDEs at each CTE. These include:

Key Data Element	Definition
Product Identifier	A universally unique identifier assigned to a product to distinguish it from others as it moves through the facilities, companies, or supply chains.
Product Description	A short description of a product using characteristics that define the product like brand, size, packaging, or composition.
Product Classification	A standardized classification assigned to a product that identifies its commodity, product category, or product type for the purpose of determining traceability requirements.
Quantity	Numerical quantity of product associated with a given event.
Unit of Measurement	Unit of measurement associated with a given product quantity.
Event Date & Time	Date and time at which an event occurred.
Location ID	A universally unique identifier assigned to a location where an event takes place, allowing it to be clearly distinguished from all other locations in the supply chain.
Location Address or Geocoordinates	Address or GPS coordinates (lat/long or geofence) associated with a location identifier.
Location Classification	A standardized classification assigned to a location that identifies the operational role or function of that location for the purpose of determining traceability requirements.
Name (Location or Organization)	The name of a physical location associated with a location identifier, or the party name associated with a party/organization identifier.
Business Step	A standardized term that describes the type of activity being performed during a given event.
Event ID	A unique identifier assigned to a given event, used to distinguish it from other events that occur throughout the supply chain.

To support specific initiatives, organizations might choose to capture additional KDEs beyond those that guarantee traceability. For example:

License, registration, or authorization IDs may be recorded to ensure legality of operation.
Temperature data may be collected to ensure cold-chain compliance.
Certification information may be included to support ESG or social compliance monitoring.

What does event-based traceability look like in practice?

The following example uses a cattle supply chain to demonstrate the application of event-based traceability in real world operations:

Event-based traceability in cattle supply chains utilizes the same core Critical Tracking Events (CTEs) and Key Data Elements (KDEs) used across other industries and applies them to the realities of livestock production, meat processing, and leather manufacturing. Following these events step-by-step creates a connected product history that can be traced from a calf’s birth, through meat and hide processing, to the distribution of beef products and finished leather. The tables below show how these events might unfold in a simplified supply chain, and highlight which supply chain actors are responsible for collecting and sharing the associated data.

From birth to slaughter

Step	What happens	CTE	Who records the data
1	A calf is born	Commission	Rancher records commission KDEs
2	Cattle are shipped to feedlot	Shipping	Rancher records shipping KDEs
3	Cattle are received at feedlot	Receiving	Feedlot records receiving KDEs
4	Cattle are shipped to processing plant	Shipping	Feedlot records shipping KDEs
5	Cattle are received at processing plant	Receiving	Processing plant records receiving KDEs
6	Cattle are slaughtered at processing plant	Transformation	Processing plant records transformation KDEs

Beef: from carcass to retailer

Step	What happens	CTE	Who records the data
7	Beef carcasses are deboned	Transformation	Processing plant records transformation KDEs
8	Beef cuts are packaged	Transformation	Processing plant records transformation KDEs
9	Packaged beef cuts are shipped to distributor	Shipping	Processing plant records shipping KDEs
10	Packaged beef cuts are received at distributor	Receiving	Distributor records receiving KDEs
11	Packaged beef cuts are shipped to retailer	Shipping	Distributor records shipping KDEs
12	Packaged beef cuts are received at retailer	Receiving	Retailer records receiving KDEs

Leather: from hide to finished goods

The leather chain branches off at the processing plant, in parallel with the beef chain above.

Step	What happens	CTE	Who records the data
1	Hides are cured at processing plant	Transformation	Processing plant records transformation KDEs
2	Hides are shipped to tannery	Shipping	Processing plant records shipping KDEs
3	Hides are received at tannery	Receiving	Tannery records receiving KDEs
4	Hides are prepared, tanned and finished	Transformation	Tannery records transformation KDEs
5	Finished leather is shipped to assembly factory	Shipping	Tannery records shipping KDEs
6	Finished leather is received at assembly factory	Receiving	Assembly factory records receiving KDEs
7	Handbags are created from finished leather	Transformation	Assembly factory records transformation KDEs
8	Handbags are shipped to retailer	Shipping	Assembly factory records shipping KDEs
9	Handbags are received at retailer	Receiving	Retailer records receiving KDEs

How does event-based traceability work from a digital data perspective?

At its core, event-based traceability relies on structured capture and sharing of event data. To ensure that this information can be exchanged seamlessly between different organizations and digital systems, globally recognized data standards—such as GS1’s Electronic Product Code Information Services (EPCIS)—are used.

These standards provide a common language for recording and transmitting event data, enabling interoperability across diverse technologies, geographies, and supply chain actors. While the concepts outlined here focus on the fundamentals, more detailed information on GS1 standards and data digitization is available separately.