EPCIS records what happened to a product. What, when, where, why and how.
EPCIS (Electronic Product Code Information Services) is the GS1 standard for capturing and sharing supply chain events: what happened to which products, when, where and why. Its companion standard, the Core Business Vocabulary (CBV), fixes the values. GS1 published EPCIS 2.0 and CBV 2.0 in June 2022.
- EPCIS · ONE EVENT (EXAMPLE)
- whatone serialized unit (SGTIN)
- when2026-10-24 09:12 UTC
- wherea GLN: DC receiving dock
- whybizStep receiving
- EPCIS 2.0JSON-LD event
Where it stands.
Each line names the source it was checked against.
- Current version
- EPCIS 2.0 and CBV 2.0, published by GS1 in June 2022. They add JSON and JSON-LD, a REST API for capture and query, sensor data, certification details and GS1 Digital Link URIs to the XML model of EPCIS 1.2. GS1, EPCIS and CBV 2.0
- Event types
- Five: object, aggregation, transaction and transformation events, and the association event added in 2.0 to link assets such as sensors to the things they travel with. GS1, EPCIS 2.0
- DSCSA
- DSCSA does not name a data format, but US trading partners exchange transaction information as GS1 EPCIS files, most often EPCIS 1.2 XML following the GS1 US implementation guideline. GS1 US; FD&C Act §582
- FSMA 204
- FDA's Food Traceability Rule is technology-neutral. EPCIS events map onto its critical tracking events and key data elements and can produce the sortable spreadsheet FDA asks for. 21 CFR Part 1, Subpart S
The dimensions of an event.
What
The identifiers involved: an SGTIN for a serialized unit, an SSCC for a case or pallet, or a GTIN with a lot for a class of products.
When
The time of the event with its time zone, and the time it was recorded.
Where
The read point and the business location, as GS1 Global Location Numbers (GLNs) or other location identifiers.
Why
The business step and disposition from the CBV, such as shipping and in transit, and the business transactions involved, such as a purchase order.
How
New in EPCIS 2.0: sensor readings and certification details attached to the event.
EPCIS in each rule.
Where EPCIS events carry the record a regulation asks for.
DSCSA
Package-level transaction data between trading partners.
Read the guide →FSMA 204FSMA 204
Critical tracking events and key data elements.
Read the guide →EU batteryEU battery passport
Custody and second-life events behind each passport.
Read the guide →EU DPPEU Digital Product Passport
The event history behind a product's passport.
Read the guide →GS1 Digital LinkGS1 Digital Link
The identifier syntax EPCIS 2.0 can use.
Read the guide →GlossaryGlossary
EPCIS, CBV, SGTIN, GLN and the rest, a sentence each.
Read the guide →How Aeroz writes the record.
An EPCIS 2.0 custody record
Every handoff is appended as a GS1 EPCIS 2.0 event against the unit, in an append-only log.
Signed at the source
Each event is captured from a chip tap or a scan and signed, so the record shows who wrote it and when.
Runs on its own
Aeroz needs no other traceability platform. If you already run an ERP or serialization system, Aeroz connects to it through GS1 Digital Link and EPCIS 2.0.
EPCIS, answered.
What is EPCIS?
EPCIS (Electronic Product Code Information Services) is a GS1 standard for recording and sharing supply chain events: which products, when, where and why. Companies use it to exchange traceability data in a common format. The current version, EPCIS 2.0, was published by GS1 in June 2022 together with the Core Business Vocabulary 2.0.
What is the difference between EPCIS 2.0 and EPCIS 1.2?
EPCIS 2.0 keeps the event model of EPCIS 1.2 and adds a JSON and JSON-LD syntax, a REST API for capturing and querying events, sensor data, certification details, GS1 Digital Link URIs for identifiers, and a new association event. EPCIS 1.2 uses XML and remains common in DSCSA data exchange.
What is the GS1 Core Business Vocabulary?
The Core Business Vocabulary (CBV) is the GS1 companion standard to EPCIS. It defines the values an event may carry, such as business steps (commissioning, shipping, receiving) and dispositions (in transit, active, recalled), so that trading partners read each other's events the same way.
Is EPCIS required for DSCSA compliance?
The DSCSA statute does not require EPCIS by name; it requires interoperable, electronic exchange of transaction information and statements. GS1 EPCIS is how most US trading partners meet that requirement, following the GS1 US implementation guideline, which is based on EPCIS 1.2.
Does FSMA 204 require EPCIS?
No. FDA's Food Traceability Rule is technology-neutral: it asks for key data elements at critical tracking events and a sortable spreadsheet within 24 hours of a request. EPCIS is one well-suited way to keep those records, not a legal requirement.
Sources: GS1: EPCIS and CBV · GS1 US: pharmaceutical standards and DSCSA · FDA: FSMA final rule on traceability records. Checked 24 October 2026. Not legal advice.
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More answers: Questions on standards, data carriers and NFC in the compliance FAQ
EPCIS is the GS1 standard for supply chain event data. EPCIS 2.0, published in June 2022, adds JSON-LD, a REST API and sensor data to the event model of EPCIS 1.2.
- Publisher
- GS1
- Current
- EPCIS 2.0 · June 2022
- Event types
- 5
- Companion
- CBV 2.0