GS1 barcodes as the global schema infrastructure for product data and traceability

GS1 Standards: Global Schema Infrastructure for Product Data and Traceability

Executive Summary

GS1 standards form the global schema infrastructure that makes product identity, lifecycle events, and traceability data interoperable across brands, markets, and regulators.
This article outlines how GS1 identifiers and EPCIS event data map directly into Digital Product Passport (DPP) requirements and how DeviceStamp routes those records through a neutral DPP gateway for audit-ready verification.


GS1 is a global standards organisation that defines how physical products, locations, assets, and business events are uniquely identified, how that identity is captured in machine-readable formats, and how related data is structured and shared between systems. GS1 standards create a common language of identifiers, carriers, and data models that underpins global supply chain, retail, healthcare, and regulatory systems.

At a high level, GS1 standards answer three core questions:

  1. How is an object uniquely identified?
  2. How is that identity encoded so machines can read it?
  3. How should data about the item be structured and shared?

This layered approach makes it possible for disparate systems to interoperate with a shared semantic foundation.


1. Unique Global Identification Keys

The GS1 system starts with globally unique identifiers that act as canonical keys for objects and entities. These identifiers are the basis of interoperability because they let every system refer to “the same thing” without custom mapping or bilateral agreements.

  • GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) - A unique key for products and trade items.
  • GLN (Global Location Number) - A globally unique key for locations, companies, warehouses, and other entities.
  • SSCC (Serial Shipping Container Code) - A unique key for logistics units such as pallets and containers.
  • Other Key Identifiers - The system also includes keys for specific use cases, such as the GRAI (Returnable Asset Identifier) for reusable assets, GIAI (Individual Asset Identifier) for fixed assets, and GSIN (Global Shipment Identification Number) for shipment groupings.

These GS1 keys are used as the foundational identity layer in barcodes, RFID tags, electronic messages, and data exchange networks. Unique identifiers are essential for cross-system interoperability. Without them, every partner and software node would need bespoke mappings. With GS1 keys, everyone uses the same canonical identifiers.


Once objects have globally unique identities, they must be captured reliably in physical and digital contexts. GS1 standards define how identifiers are encoded in machine-readable carriers.

  • Barcodes and RFID - Traditional linear barcodes and 2D barcodes (like DataMatrix, QR Code) carry GS1 identifiers for scanning at points of interaction. RFID tags provide machine-readable identity at range for automated logistics and inventory workflows.
  • GS1 Digital Link - The Strategic Evolution - This specification defines a standardized way to express GS1 identifiers as web-addressable Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs). These URIs can be embedded in carriers like QR codes. When scanned, the Digital Link URI can resolve directly to structured digital information about the object, connecting the physical item to the web.

GS1 Digital Link unifies physical and digital worlds by allowing a single 2D symbol to serve multiple purposes, from simple point-of-sale scanning to accessing rich product attributes, traceability history, or sustainability data online. It provides a standard syntax for linking identifiers to digital resources.

Adoption of Digital Link is central to industry initiatives like Sunrise 2027, which encourages migration to 2D symbols that carry richer information and connect to web resources without sacrificing interoperability.


3. Shared Data Models and Exchange Patterns

Beyond identifiers and capture formats, GS1 defines data models and exchange protocols to ensure consistent meaning across systems.

  • GS1 Global Data Model (GDM) - This model clarifies which attributes should accompany products and how they are structured for consistent exchange. It provides a harmonized set of attributes (description, measurements, weights, regulatory info) that define product characteristics, reducing data ambiguity and integration overhead.
  • Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN) - This is a network of interconnected data pools that enables organizations to publish and synchronize authoritative product master data with trading partners globally, ensuring data remains accurate and aligned with the GS1 Global Data Model.
  • Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) - GS1 EDI standards define electronic message formats (for orders, invoices, dispatch notices) that align with GS1 identifiers and attribute models, ensuring business documents are consistent across partners.

4. Event and Traceability Standards

GS1 includes specifications for sharing event data, records of what happened to an object, where, and when.

  • EPCIS (Electronic Product Code Information Services) - This standard defines a common framework for capturing and sharing visibility event data (for example, shipped, received, aggregated) across organizational boundaries.
  • Core Business Vocabulary (CBV) - This standard works hand-in-hand with EPCIS, defining the standardized values for what business step occurred, what dispositions items are in, and other critical context. Together, EPCIS and CBV form the technical foundation for traceability solutions, enabling partners to share a time-ordered, semantically consistent history of a product's journey.

5. GS1 Enablement Layer

GS1 standards enable traceability by establishing a shared schema foundation that every participant can implement:

  • Identifiers ensure every object resolves to the same entity across systems.
  • Carriers (barcodes, RFID, Digital Link) ensure that identity can be captured consistently across touchpoints.
  • Data models and event vocabularies ensure that what is shared has a consistent structure and meaning.

This is the enablement layer that makes global data exchange possible without bespoke integrations.


6. DeviceStamp Fit

DeviceStamp builds on GS1-aligned identifiers and event structures as a neutral DPP gateway:

  • Supplier gateway that routes data into the selected DPP provider and allocates GS1 identifiers.
  • Multi-endpoint distribution that normalizes passport data for brands, regulators, and consumers.
  • Verification access that keeps evidence portable across vendors and systems.

In short, GS1 provides the schema and identity foundation. DeviceStamp provides the gateway and verification layer.


Why GS1 Standards Still Matter

GS1 standards are global infrastructure. They solve fundamental problems of identity, ambiguity, and interoperability that arise when physical goods and digital systems must operate together across organizations and markets.

When systems agree on a common set of identifiers, capture formats, data models, and exchange protocols, integrations become pattern-based instead of bespoke. This reduces cost, improves data quality, and enables automation and trust across retail, logistics, healthcare, and regulatory processes. Ongoing industry forums and working groups continuously refine these standards to address new use cases and accelerate adoption, ensuring they remain relevant for evolving global supply chains.


Reference URLs

  • https://www.gs1.org/standards
  • https://www.gs1.org/standards/gs1-digital-link
  • https://www.gs1.org/standards/gs1-global-data-model
  • https://www.gs1.org/standards/epcis
  • https://www.gs1.org/services/gdsn