GS1 Standards for the Global Traceability Framework: An Introduction

As a best practice, digital traceability systems should rely on standardized, structured data to track the movement and transformation of products across complex supply chains. Implementing shared data standards is a critical step toward achieving interoperable, end-to-end traceability. GS1’s global system of data standards provides a common language for identifying products and locations, recording supply chain events, and sharing information across organizational and technological boundaries. This resource offers a practical introduction to the GS1 standards that support digital traceability, with a focus on how they are applied through the Global Traceability Framework.

An Introduction to GS1

GS1 is an organization that works across the globe to collaboratively develop standards tailored to address the challenges of data exchange. GS1 maintains the most widely used system of supply chain data standards in the world. GS1’s system of standards provides a common language to identify, capture, and share supply chain data. These standards ensure that important information is understandable and accessible, improving supply chain visibility across multiple sectors.

Resources

• Standards | GS1
• Traceability solutions and why GS1 matters – YouTube

How the GTF Applies GS1 Standards

GS1 maintains numerous standards that support supply chain visibility and traceability. The GTFBL is built upon the foundations of GS1's EPCIS and Digital Link standards. While the GTF defines what data must be collected by supply chain actors, the EPCIS standard with its companion Core Business Vocabulary (CBV), defines how that data should be formatted and structured. The GTF uses both the GS1 EPCIS Standard and GS1 Digital Link Standard to establish a common practice for data query and sharing between trading partners.

EPCIS

EPCIS, or Electronic Product Code Information Services, is GS1's standard for event-based traceability. It provides a common way to record and share what happens to products as they move through the supply chain — answering the questions of what, when, where, why, and how.

Instead of each company describing events in its own way, EPCIS gives everyone the same structure and “language” for documenting supply chain activities. For example, a shipping event will look the same whether it comes from a ranch moving cattle, a textile manufacturer shipping fabrics, or a distributor shipping retail goods.

EPCIS also makes it possible for supply chain partners to access and share this information directly between their systems. It does this by providing standardized “entry points” for recording data and for requesting it later. This avoids the need for one-off integrations and ensures information can be understood consistently across different organizations and technologies.

Core Business Vocabulary

The Core Business Vocabulary (CBV) is a companion to EPCIS that makes sure everyone uses the same terminology when describing supply chain events. While EPCIS provides the structure for recording what happened, CBV provides the agreed-upon terms for describing how it happened.

For example, when products are aggregated or consolidated, companies use the standardized CBV term “packing” to describe that business step rather than inventing their own label. This ensures that the same activity — whether it's leather hides being bundled for transport or cases of seafood being palleted for export — is described in a consistent, predictable way.

By pairing EPCIS with CBV, companies not only follow the same format for traceability data, but also speak the same language — ensuring event records are clear, predictable, and interoperable across the entire supply chain.

Resources

• EPCIS & CBV | GS1

GS1 Digital Link

GS1 Digital Link is a standard that connects traceability identifiers—such as product or location codes—to useful information, like product details, facility information, company contacts, or even traceability records. To make this work, organizations can set up a GS1 Digital Link Resolver.

Think of the Resolver as an automated information desk: when a supply chain partner has a code or identifier but needs more details, they “ask” the Resolver where to find it. The Resolver doesn't hold all the information itself—it simply points to the right source.

For example

• A company receives a shipment and wants its traceability history. They ask their supplier's Resolver for a link to that data.
• A partner sees an unfamiliar product code in a catalogue and uses the Resolver to retrieve product details.
• A company uses the Resolver to look up location information tied to a specific location code.

By making identifiers web-enabled, GS1 Digital Link and its Resolver give supply chain partners an efficient way to locate and access the right information when they need it—while also ensuring that only authorized parties are able to retrieve sensitive data.