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GS1 Standard

EPCIS 2.0

The global standard for capturing and sharing supply chain events — what happened, when, where, and why.

What is EPCIS?

EPCIS (Electronic Product Code Information Services) is a GS1 standard for creating and sharing visibility event data. It answers the four key questions of supply chain visibility:

What

Which products or assets are involved, identified by GTIN, SSCC, or other GS1 keys.

When

The date and time the event occurred, with timezone precision.

Where

The physical or digital location, identified by GLN or geo-coordinates.

Why

The business context — shipping, receiving, transforming, or destroying.

EPCIS 2.0: What's New

EPCIS 2.0 modernizes the standard with a REST/JSON API, replacing the legacy SOAP/XML interface. Key improvements:

  • REST API — Modern JSON-based API with OpenAPI documentation
  • JSON-LD — Linked data format for semantic interoperability
  • GS1 Digital Link URIs — Use Digital Link URLs as event identifiers
  • Sensor Data — Native support for IoT sensor readings (temperature, humidity)
  • Simplified Queries — RESTful query interface replaces complex SOAP queries

Event Types

ObjectEvent

An observation of physical objects — scanned, shipped, received, or inspected.

AggregationEvent

Items packed into or unpacked from a container (e.g., cases onto a pallet).

TransformationEvent

Input items transformed into output items (e.g., ingredients into a finished product).

TransactionEvent

Objects associated with a business transaction (e.g., purchase order, invoice).

Why EPCIS Matters

EPCIS enables end-to-end supply chain visibility across trading partners. Combined with GS1 Digital Link, it powers:

  • FSMA 204 Compliance — Record Critical Tracking Events for food traceability
  • Digital Product Passports — Track product lifecycle from manufacture to recycling
  • Anti-Counterfeiting — Verify product authenticity through supply chain event history
  • Sustainability Reporting — Calculate carbon footprint across the supply chain

EPCIS 2.0 API

Closient provides a GS1-conformant EPCIS 2.0 REST API for capturing and querying supply chain events.

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