Traceability and RFID
What is EPCIS (GS1 traceability event standard)?
EPCIS is the GS1 standard for capturing and sharing what, when, where, why and how events about products and shipments. Event types, CBV and EPCIS 2.0 explained.
Quick answer
EPCIS (Electronic Product Code Information Services) is the GS1 standard for capturing and sharing traceability events: what happened to which items, when, where, why and how. EPCIS 2.0, published in 2022, adds a REST API, JSON and sensor data. The companion Core Business Vocabulary standardises the values, so partners interpret events the same way.
Updated 30 October 2026. Written by the Ajinkya Technologies engineering team, reviewed by Amey Kadle.
EPCIS explained
An EPCIS event is a structured record of a step in a product’s life. Object events record something happening to identified items, such as commissioning a serial number, observing it at a dock door or shipping it. Aggregation events record items packed into or removed from a container or pallet. Transformation events record inputs becoming outputs, such as materials turning into a batch, which is how genealogy is shared. Transaction events link items to business documents such as purchase orders, and association events, added in version 2.0, link items to assets such as a sensor or a returnable crate.
Each event answers the same questions in the same way: the identifiers involved (what), the timestamp (when), the read point and business location (where), the business step and disposition (why), and in 2.0 optional sensor readings and certification information (how). The Core Business Vocabulary supplies standard values for the business steps and dispositions, such as receiving, shipping, in progress or recalled.
Because the format is open, a manufacturer, a logistics provider and a retailer can share event data without custom integrations for each pair. EPCIS repositories can be queried to rebuild an item’s history, which is the basis for regulated traceability, recalls and digital product passports.
Key concepts
- What, when, where, why and how
- Object, aggregation, transformation, transaction, association events
- Core Business Vocabulary standardises values
- EPCIS 2.0: REST API, JSON, sensor data
- Repositories rebuild an item’s history
Questions
What is the difference between EPC and EPCIS?
An EPC is an identifier for a physical object, often stored on an RFID tag. EPCIS is the standard for recording and sharing events about objects identified by EPCs or other GS1 keys.
Does EPCIS require RFID?
No. Events can come from barcode or QR scans, machine signals or manual confirmations; RFID is one way to capture them automatically.
What changed in EPCIS 2.0?
Version 2.0 added a REST API, JSON and JSON-LD formats, sensor data, association events and support for GS1 Digital Link identifiers.
References
How we help with EPCIS
We capture shop floor and warehouse events from RFID portals, scanners and machines in an EPCIS style model, so genealogy, recalls and customer traceability requests come from one event history.
Traceability rules by industry, with dates and sources, and how to build for them.
Related terms
Want this measured on your own line?
Tell us your process, machines and ERP. An engineer, not a salesperson, replies within 24 hours with what we would measure first.