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EPCIS 2.0

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

What is EPCIS?

EPCIS (Electronic Product Code Information Services) is a GS1 standard that provides a common language for describing supply chain events. Rather than tracking products through polling or status checks, EPCIS records discrete events — each one capturing a meaningful business step like shipping, receiving, or transforming goods.

EPCIS 2.0, released in 2022, modernizes the standard with native JSON-LD support, RESTful APIs, and improved interoperability. It replaces the XML-only format of EPCIS 1.x and aligns with linked data principles.

The Four Event Types

ObjectEvent

Records an observation or action on one or more identified objects. Used for common steps like commissioning, shipping, receiving, and destroying products.

AggregationEvent

Records the packing or unpacking of items into containers. For example, individual products packed into a case, or cases loaded onto a pallet.

TransactionEvent

Links identified objects to business transactions such as purchase orders, invoices, or shipment notices. Connects physical movement to business documents.

TransformationEvent

Records the transformation of input items into output items — for example, raw ingredients processed into a finished food product. Captures the full input-output relationship.

The Four Dimensions

Every EPCIS event answers four fundamental questions about a supply chain activity:

Dimension Question EPCIS Fields
What Which objects or products are involved? epcList, quantityList
When When did the event occur? eventTime, eventTimeZoneOffset
Where Where did it happen and where are items headed? readPoint, bizLocation
Why What was the business context? bizStep, disposition

JSON-LD Format

EPCIS 2.0 uses JSON-LD as its primary serialization format, making events natively compatible with linked data and web APIs. Each event document includes a JSON-LD context that maps EPCIS field names to their formal definitions.

{
  "@context": [
    "https://ref.gs1.org/standards/epcis/2.0.0/epcis-context.jsonld"
  ],
  "type": "ObjectEvent",
  "eventTime": "2025-01-15T10:30:00.000Z",
  "eventTimeZoneOffset": "-05:00",
  "epcList": ["urn:epc:id:sgtin:0614141.107346.2017"],
  "action": "OBSERVE",
  "bizStep": "urn:epcglobal:cbv:bizstep:shipping",
  "disposition": "urn:epcglobal:cbv:disp:in_transit",
  "readPoint": {"id": "urn:epc:id:sgln:0614141.07346.1234"}
}

EPCIS on Closient

Closient provides an EPCIS 2.0 module for capturing, querying, and sharing supply chain events. Events are linked to your products via GTIN and can be used for traceability, compliance reporting, and consumer-facing transparency.

Explore the EPCIS module

Key Facts

  • EPCIS 2.0 was ratified by GS1 in 2022
  • Native JSON-LD replaces XML-only format
  • RESTful API bindings for modern integration
  • Core Business Vocabulary (CBV) 2.0 provides standardized event values
  • Also ratified as ISO/IEC 19987:2024

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