> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL. > For a complete documentation index, see https://tieback.io/docs/llms.txt. > For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://tieback.io/docs/_mcp/server. # EPCIS > A GS1 standard for sharing supply chain event data: what happened to which object, when, where and in what business context. ## Definition Electronic Product Code Information Services is a GS1 standard that defines a common structure and interface for capturing and sharing supply chain event data: what happened to which objects, when it happened, where it happened, and the business context in which it happened. ## Expanded Explanation EPCIS describes events, not products. Each event answers four dimensions, what, when, where and why , where "what" is the objects involved, identified with GS1 keys such as a [GTIN](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/gtin) qualified by batch or serial; "when" is the event time and time zone; "where" is the location at which it occurred and the location the objects are read into; and "why" is the business step and disposition, such as shipping, receiving, packing, in transit or in progress. A fifth dimension, how, covers sensor and measurement data in later versions. Events come in a small number of shapes: an object event about objects observed or acted upon, an aggregation event about things being packed into or removed from a container, a transaction event linking objects to a business transaction, and a transformation event where inputs become different outputs. Together they can describe a physical journey without any party having to expose its internal systems. The vocabulary is what makes the events comparable across companies. The Core Business Vocabulary fixes the permitted business steps and dispositions so that "shipped" means the same thing to every recipient. EPCIS is version-aware: EPCIS 2.0, published by GS1 and reflected in ISO/IEC 19987 and 19988 for the earlier revision, added a JSON and JSON-LD representation and a REST interface alongside the original XML binding. Event data and master data are complementary and separate. Master data says what a product is; event data says what happened to instances of it. A traceability capability generally needs both, and confusing the two is a common cause of architecture that cannot answer either question well. ## Why It Matters Most traceability questions are event questions. Which batches went to which market, when did this lot leave the factory, which units are affected by a corrective action, none of these can be answered from product master data alone. EPCIS gives that history a shared shape, so a chain of custody can be reconstructed from records created independently by different parties. ## Relationship to Digital Product Passports A passport typically publishes a curated view derived from underlying records. Where a product group requires lifecycle, origin or supply chain information, EPCIS event data is a credible source for the parts of that view that depend on what actually happened, and it supports the evidence behind claims rather than replacing them. Whether such data is required at all, and in what form, is determined by the applicable delegated act rather than by the standard. ## Common Misconceptions #### EPCIS is a Digital Product Passport EPCIS is an event data standard. A passport is a set of product information made accessible through a carrier and identifier. Event data may feed a passport; it is not the passport. #### EPCIS is an identifier, or a QR code EPCIS consumes identifiers, it does not create them, and it has nothing to do with symbology. The identifiers inside events come from schemes such as GS1 keys; the carrier is a separate layer. #### EPCIS is a product master data system It is deliberately not one. Master data belongs in systems such as PIM, ERP or a master data management platform; EPCIS references that data and records what happened. #### ESPR mandates EPCIS Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 does not require any specific event data standard. EPCIS is a widely used option where traceability data is needed, not a universal legal requirement. ## Related Terms * [GTIN](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/gtin) * [GS1](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/gs1) * [Product Traceability](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/product-traceability) * [Product Master Data](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/product-master-data) * [GS1 Digital Link](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/gs1-digital-link) * [System of Record](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/system-of-record) ## Related Knowledge Base Articles * [What is EPCIS?](/docs/knowledge-base/standards-and-technology/what-is-epcis) * [How Product Data Moves Through the Supply Chain](/docs/knowledge-base/standards-and-technology/how-product-data-moves-through-the-supply-chain) * [What is Product Master Data?](/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/what-is-product-master-data) ## Related Articles * [GS1](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/gs1) * [GS1 Digital Link](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/gs1-digital-link) * [GTIN](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/gtin) * [Product Identifier](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/product-identifier) * [Data Carrier](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/data-carrier) * [Harmonised Technical Specification](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/harmonised-technical-specification) * [Product Traceability](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/product-traceability) * [QR Code](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/qr-code) ## See Also * [Standards & Technology](/docs/knowledge-base/standards-and-technology/overview) * [Enterprise Systems & Data Architecture](/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/overview) ## References * GS1, EPCIS and Core Business Vocabulary standard: [https://www.gs1.org/standards/epcis](https://www.gs1.org/standards/epcis) * GS1, EPCIS and CBV implementation guideline: [https://www.gs1.org/standards/epcis/epcis-cbv-implementation-guideline](https://www.gs1.org/standards/epcis/epcis-cbv-implementation-guideline) * GS1, identification keys: [https://www.gs1.org/standards/id-keys](https://www.gs1.org/standards/id-keys) * ISO/IEC 19987, EPC Information Services specification: [https://www.iso.org/standard/66796.html](https://www.iso.org/standard/66796.html) * ISO/IEC 19988, GS1 Core Business Vocabulary: [https://www.iso.org/standard/66797.html](https://www.iso.org/standard/66797.html) ## About This Article About This Article
Last Reviewed
2026-08-09
Next Scheduled Review
2027-08-09
Article Version
1.0
tieback Knowledge is a continuously maintained reference library covering Digital Product Passports, product traceability, product compliance and related regulations. Articles are reviewed regularly as legislation, standards and implementation guidance evolve. ## Related Docs * [Standards & Technology](/docs/knowledge-base/standards-and-technology/overview) * [Digital Product Passports](/docs/knowledge-base/digital-product-passports/overview) * [Glossary](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/overview)