GS1 Standards

Global standards for supply chain visibility, product identification, and electronic commerce messaging

Overview

GS1 is a global, not-for-profit organization that develops and maintains the most widely used standards for supply chain management and product identification. The GS1 system encompasses barcodes (EAN/UPC, GS1-128, DataMatrix, QR codes), electronic product codes (EPC), identification keys (GTIN, GLN, SSCC), and electronic data interchange standards including EANCOM and GS1 XML.

In the context of EDI, GS1's most significant contributions are EANCOM, a subset of UN/EDIFACT tailored for the retail and consumer goods supply chain, and GS1 XML, a modern XML-based alternative. GS1 also maintains the Electronic Product Code Information Services (EPCIS) standard for supply chain event tracking. Together, these standards enable millions of companies worldwide to automate their ordering, shipping, invoicing, and inventory management processes.

History

GS1's origins trace back to 1973, when the Uniform Product Code (UPC) was introduced in the United States for grocery item identification. In 1977, the European Article Numbering Association (EAN) was established to create a compatible system for Europe. These two organizations merged in 2005 to form GS1, unifying the global identification and communication standards under one umbrella.

EANCOM was first published in 1990 as a subset of EDIFACT, designed to meet the specific needs of the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) supply chain. It simplified the broad EDIFACT standard into a focused set of messages using GS1 identification keys (GTIN for products, GLN for locations, SSCC for logistics units). EANCOM quickly became the dominant EDI standard in European retail and has been adopted by GS1 member organizations in over 100 countries.

In the 2000s, GS1 expanded into XML with GS1 XML business message standards. The EPCIS standard, published in 2007, introduced event-based supply chain visibility, enabling track-and-trace capabilities from raw materials to retail shelf.

GS1 Identification Keys

Understanding GS1 EDI standards requires familiarity with the GS1 identification system:

  • GTIN (Global Trade Item Number): Identifies products at any packaging level (consumer unit, case, pallet). The barcode number on products in stores is a GTIN.
  • GLN (Global Location Number): Identifies physical locations (warehouses, stores, offices) and legal entities (companies, departments). Used in EDI as party identifiers.
  • SSCC (Serial Shipping Container Code): Identifies individual logistics units (pallets, cartons) for tracking through the supply chain.
  • GRAI / GIAI: Identifies returnable assets and individual assets respectively.
  • GS1 Company Prefix: The unique prefix assigned to each company, which forms the basis of all their GS1 identification keys.

EANCOM

EANCOM is the GS1 EDI standard built on UN/EDIFACT. It constrains the full EDIFACT specification to a well-defined subset focused on supply chain transactions. By limiting the optionality inherent in EDIFACT, EANCOM ensures greater interoperability between trading partners.

Key EANCOM Messages

  • ORDERS - Purchase Order
  • ORDRSP - Order Response
  • DESADV - Despatch Advice (Advance Ship Notice)
  • RECADV - Receiving Advice
  • INVOIC - Invoice
  • PRICAT - Price/Sales Catalogue
  • INVRPT - Inventory Report
  • SLSRPT - Sales Data Report
  • MSCONS - Metered Services Consumption
  • REMADV - Remittance Advice
  • PARTIN - Party Information (master data)

Example

A simplified EANCOM ORDERS message using GS1 identification keys: 

UNA:+.? '
UNB+UNOC:3+4012345000009:14+5412345678908:14+230615:1200+1'
UNH+1+ORDERS:D:01B:UN:EAN010'
BGM+220+PO-2023-00451+9'
DTM+137:20230615:102'
DTM+63:20230620:102'
NAD+BY+4012345000009::9'
NAD+SU+5412345678908::9'
NAD+DP+4012345000018::9'
LIN+1++4000862141404:SRV'
QTY+21:500'
PRI+AAA:25.00:CT'
UNS+S'
CNT+2:1'
UNT+13+1'
UNZ+1+1'

GS1 XML

GS1 XML provides XML-based business message standards as a modern alternative to EANCOM. GS1 XML messages use the same GS1 identification keys and business semantics but in an XML format that is easier to integrate with modern web services and enterprise applications.

EPCIS

The Electronic Product Code Information Services (EPCIS) standard enables trading partners to share visibility event data about physical or digital objects. EPCIS captures four dimensions of supply chain events:

  • What: Which objects (identified by EPC, GTIN+serial, etc.) were involved
  • When: The date and time of the event
  • Where: The location (identified by GLN) where the event occurred
  • Why: The business context (shipping, receiving, transforming, destroying)

EPCIS 2.0, published in 2022, added JSON/JSON-LD support and RESTful APIs, making it significantly more accessible to modern developers while maintaining backward compatibility with XML-based implementations.

Use Cases

  • Grocery and FMCG retail: The primary domain for EANCOM, handling the order-to-cash cycle between retailers and consumer goods manufacturers
  • Healthcare supply chain: GS1 standards for pharmaceutical and medical device identification and traceability (GS1 DataMatrix, GTIN, serialization)
  • Food safety and traceability: EPCIS enables farm-to-fork traceability, supporting rapid recall management and food safety compliance
  • Logistics and warehousing: SSCC-based tracking of pallets and cartons through distribution centers using DESADV and RECADV messages
  • Omnichannel retail: GS1 Digital Link connects physical product barcodes to digital information, enabling new consumer engagement models

Advantages

  • Global adoption: GS1 operates in over 100 countries with over 2 million member companies
  • Unified identification: GTIN, GLN, and SSCC provide unambiguous identification of products, locations, and shipments across trading partners
  • Focused simplicity: EANCOM constrains EDIFACT to reduce implementation complexity while maintaining interoperability
  • Multi-format: GS1 supports EDIFACT (EANCOM), XML, and JSON, allowing organizations to choose the format that fits their technology
  • Traceability: EPCIS enables end-to-end supply chain visibility increasingly required by regulation

Related Standards

EANCOM is built on UN/EDIFACT and is the recommended migration path from TRADACOMS in the UK market. GS1 XML provides an XML-based alternative with equivalent business semantics. EPCIS 2.0's JSON support connects to the broader JSON EDI trend. In North America, X12 is often used alongside GS1 identification keys, with GTINs and GLNs appearing in X12 transaction sets. RosettaNet addresses similar supply chain integration needs in the high-technology sector.