This repository follows semantic versioning for the GS1 metadata standard.
- Current Pre-Release:
v0.9.0-rc1 - Target Stable Release:
v1.0.0 - GS1 Compatibility: GS1 General Specifications Release 24.0
Changes that affect encoding rules, data models, or compatibility guarantees will only occur in major version updates.
The purpose of developing this "Standardized Supply Chain Library" is to integrate globally recognized standards into the Cardano blockchain. This was influenced not only by our commitment to fostering robust standards for supply chain management but also by our strategic aim to directly align these standards with defined project milestones.
Specifically, we focus on enhancing traceability for
- agricultural products
- optimizing transportation and logistics
- and retail and consumer goods standards
This will be done through the integration of GS1 standards. GS1 is a global non-profit organization that develops and maintains standards for business communication, most notably the standards for barcodes used in retail supply chains. These standards were selected for their global usability, interoperability, and ability to promote transparent and efficient operations across the supply chain.
This repository is intentionally specification-first.
The primary outputs of this work are:
- A CBOR-friendly structural mapping of GS1 identifiers and related fields
- A concrete CDDL schema for validation and interoperability
- Descriptive documentation that explains the mapping approach and design choices
- Example scenario documents that demonstrate how these identifiers can be applied
While it may be useful in the future to provide optional tooling (encoders, decoders, validation helpers, reference implementations), this repository is currently focused on defining and stabilizing the specification and examples so that independent implementers can build interoperable solutions.
This specification is intended to be usable across heterogeneous enterprise and ecosystem environments. For interoperability guidance and ingestion workflows, see:
- INTEROPERABILITY.md — actor roles, trust boundaries, and interaction models
- INGESTION-PATTERNS.md — standard ingestion workflows for ERP, IoT/logistics, and oracle/data availability services
Guidance for integrating GS1 metadata with existing Cardano token, NFT, and metadata infrastructure, and for publishing GS1 records safely and interoperably:
This specification supports regulatory and sustainability use cases through optional modules that remain separated from the core standard:
The GS1 General Specifications Standard forms the backbone of our efforts, providing the framework for the unique and universal identification of products, services, and entities across various supply chains.
The complete description of the entire GS1 General Standards and their mapping to CBOR/JSON fields and values can be found at: GS1.md
Here's how each component specifically supports our targeted milestones:
Central to our traceability initiatives, GTIN facilitates the global identification of agricultural products. This allows for inventory management, recall execution, and overall product traceability across agricultural supply chains, enabling stakeholders to trace product history from origin to consumer.
A GTIN consists of:
- GS1 Company Prefix: Allocated by a GS1 Member Organization, identifies the company (length depends on the number of items the company needs to number).
- Item Reference Number: Assigned by the company to identify a specific product.
- Check Digit: A single digit used for error detection, calculated using the Modulo 10 algorithm.
GLN is pivotal in optimizing transportation and logistics by identifying physical locations and legal entities. This standard aids in streamlining logistics operations and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards, thereby improving the efficiency and transparency of transportation networks.
A GLN consists of:
- GS1 Company Prefix: Allocated by a GS1 Member Organization, identifies the company (length depends on the number of items the company needs to number).
- Location Reference: Assigned by the company to identify a specific location within their system (e.g., a warehouse, department, or delivery dock)
- Check Digit: A single digit used for error detection, calculated using the Modulo 10 algorithm.
Logistics/Transportation Product Example
For retail and consumer goods, GIAI supports the management of assets beyond product tracking. It allows for the ability to track individual assets, facilitating improved supply chain utilization, and overall asset management within retail environments.
A GIAI consists of:
- GS1 Company Prefix: Allocated by a GS1 Member Organization, identifies the company (length depends on the number of items the company needs to number).
- A variable length string (letters or numbers) that is assigned by the company to uniquely identify the item in question.
Retail and Consumer Goods Example
Following the above standards, we feel it is imperative to create a foundation to allow developers to create products and facilitate a way for forward-thinking and future development. To build on these foundational standards, we employ the following GS1 standards within our focus areas:
Provides a structured framework that complements GTIN by ensuring end-to-end traceability of agricultural products from origin to the consumer, enhancing safety, regulatory compliance, and consumer trust.
Uses RAIN RFID technology in conjunction with the GLN to enhance the capture of item-level information, thereby improving inventory management and global product tracking within transportation and logistics.
This specification defines the structure of the data, not the storage policy.
In practice:
- Smaller, identity-centric payloads may be stored directly as on-chain datums.
- Larger payloads (or payloads that evolve frequently) may be stored off-chain, with cryptographic references anchored on-chain (e.g., hashes, pointers, or other commitment mechanisms).
- Many real-world supply-chain systems will maintain the canonical record off-chain while using the blockchain as a shared verification layer.
The intent of standardizing a CBOR representation is that, regardless of storage strategy, the encoded data remains consistent and interoperable.
Supply chains are inherently multi-party. In real-world traceability systems, not every party will use the same technology stack (or use a blockchain at all).
This work is grounded in GS1 identifiers so that:
- Parties who do interact with Cardano can encode and validate the same structures on-chain.
- Parties who do not use blockchains can still exchange GS1 identifiers and supply-chain metadata in a way that remains consistent with the on-chain representation.
- The "shared language" remains GS1, not a bespoke schema that only exists in one system.
- Enhanced Traceability and Transparency: The adoption of GS1 standards, such as GTIN and GLN, will significantly improve the traceability and transparency of products through the Cardano blockchain. This could lead to better inventory management, more efficient recall processes, and enhanced consumer safety.
- Global Compatibility and Interoperability: By integrating globally recognized standards, applications built on the Cardano blockchain will be compatible with existing international supply chain systems. This interoperability is crucial for ensuring that the Cardano blockchain can interact seamlessly with global partners, thereby increasing its adoption and utility.
- Regulatory Compliance and Consumer Trust: Implementing GS1 standards aids in meeting various regulatory requirements across countries and industries. This compliance helps in building consumer trust, as the systems enable transparent verification of supply chain practices, improving the reputation of businesses using the Cardano blockchain.
- Technical and Operational Integration: The integration of complex standards like those of GS1 into existing systems poses significant technical challenges. Ensuring that the Cardano blockchain can effectively communicate and operate with these standards without errors or inconsistencies will require significant development effort and expertise.
- Adoption by Stakeholders: For the full benefits of GS1 standards integration to be realized, widespread adoption by all stakeholders in the supply chain is necessary. Convincing stakeholders to adopt new technologies and adapt to a blockchain-based system might be challenging due to varying levels of technology acceptance and readiness.
- Neutral and Non-Profit: GS1 is a neutral, not-for-profit international organization dedicated to developing and maintaining supply chain standards.
- Global Reach and Influence: It has over 116 member organizations and influences over 2 million companies across 25 diverse industries worldwide, facilitating operations in 150 countries.
- Barcode Recognition: GS1 barcodes are universally recognized, with more than one billion products using these barcodes, which are scanned more than 10 billion times each day.
- Partnership with ISO: GS1 collaborates with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to contribute to the creation of globally recognized standards, enhancing interoperability and consistency across international borders.
The strategic integration of GS1 standards into the Cardano blockchain is guided by several critical factors:
By choosing standards that are widely recognized and adopted globally, we ensure that applications developed on the Cardano blockchain are compatible with existing supply chain systems worldwide. This compatibility is essential for seamless interaction and integration with global supply chain operations, from agricultural traceability to retail and consumer goods management.
GS1 standards like GTIN and GTS provide robust standards for traceability and efficiency. For agricultural products, this means being able to track the journey of products from farm to table, ensuring safety and compliance at every step. In transportation and logistics, the use of GLN and TDS enables more efficient and transparent processes, improving logistics operations and delivery accuracy.
Implementing these standards not only supports compliance with various regulatory requirements but also builds consumer trust by enabling transparent and verifiable supply chain practices. In retail environments, the use of GIAI for asset management ensures that consumer goods meet the highest standards of quality and safety.
This repository is under active development and refinement as part of a funded Project Catalyst initiative.
Near-term refinement work includes:
- Formalizing versioning and compatibility rules for GS1 updates
- Documenting practical sizing constraints for on-chain storage
- Defining interoperability and data ingestion patterns across ecosystems
- Aligning recommended practices with Cardano metadata distribution tooling
- Preparing the specification for stable release and wider adoption
The integration of GS1 standards into the Cardano blockchain allows for a proactive and future-oriented approach. Adopting these globally recognized standards lays a robust foundation that not only supports the current development of powerful applications but also ensures their continued relevance and interoperability within the global supply chain ecosystem.
This alignment with GS1 standards promises to elevate the Cardano blockchain's capabilities in key areas:
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Traceability for Agricultural Products: Utilizing standards such as the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN), we enhance the traceability of agricultural products throughout the supply chain. This enables a more transparent path from farm to table, ensuring safety, compliance, and reliability in the agricultural sector.
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Transportation and Logistics Standards: With the integration of the Global Location Number (GLN), our initiatives improve the identification of physical locations and legal entities, which is essential for optimizing logistics operations. This leads to more streamlined transportation processes and enhances the efficiency and transparency of supply networks.
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Retail and Consumer Goods Standards: The adoption of the Global Individual Asset Identifier (GIAI) and other relevant GS1 standards facilitates better asset management and product tracking in retail environments. This improvement supports higher standards of quality and safety in consumer goods, meeting regulatory requirements and boosting consumer trust.
While these efforts promise significant improvements in operational efficiencies and regulatory compliance, they also pose challenges, including the technical integration of these standards and the need for widespread adoption among stakeholders.
- GS1 General Specifications Standard https://www.gs1.org/standards/barcodes-epcrfid-id-keys/gs1-general-specifications
- Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) https://www.gs1.org/standards/id-keys/gtin
- Global Location Number (GLN) https://www.gs1.org/standards/id-keys/gln
- Global Individual Asset Identifier (GIAI) https://www.gs1.org/standards/id-keys/global-individual-asset-identifier-giai
- GS1 Global Traceability Standard (GTS) https://www.gs1.org/standards/gs1-global-traceability-standard/current-standard#1-Introduction+1-1-Objective
- GS1's EPC Tag Data Standard (TDS) https://ref.gs1.org/standards/tds/
- GS1 ISO Standards https://www.gs1.org/docs/GS1-and-ISO-06BD.pdf https://www.iso.org/organization/10067.html
- GS1 Global Strategy https://www.gs1.org/docs/gs1-strategy-booklet.pdf
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
