Annual Report 2009-2010 - GS1

EPC-enabled product authentication and
anti-counterfeiting
EPC/RFID tags based on EPCglobal standards can play
an important role in the fight against counterfeiting
and parallel importing. Many of the existing options for
preventing counterfeiting are expensive or inconsistent in
their reliability. EPC-enabled product authentication is a
cost-effective and trustworthy approach to protecting
the value of brands, the reputation of companies and the
rights and safety of consumers.
By tagging products with EPC-enabled RFID,
manufacturers can ensure item-level product authenticity.
Product authentication can be performed from one end
of the supply chain to the other, using portal-sized gates
or handheld readers; in retail points of sale, easy-to-use
kiosks help educate consumers about the importance
of buying legitimate products and add the values of
transparency and information to a brand’s image.
“We knew that our choice
of technology would have
implications on how fast we were
able to install and what sort of
applications we could develop in
the future. That is why we decided
to comply with GS1 EPCglobal’s
recommendations, which are
endorsed by a large community of
manufacturers and retailers.”
José Sousa
IT Manager
Throttleman
EPC-enabled traceability
By enabling companies to know what, where, and when
an individual item is in the supply chain, GS1 EPCglobal
standards can be used in conjunction with EPC/RFID tags
to make a very wide range of traceability applications
and services possible. Indeed, live traceability services
and advanced pilot projects exist today in healthcare,
transportation, waste management, cold chain
management and more.
Public policy and outreach
Much has been accomplished this year by the teams at
GS1 who are working on public policy concerns. Their
goal is to ensure EPC/RFID is deployed responsibly, and
they strive to ensure that policymakers around the world
are aware of the EPCglobal community’s responsible
approach to the use of RFID technology.
Another important mission we have is to help increase
consumer understanding and awareness. In fact, this is
just one of the many ways that GS1 EPCglobal as a whole
is working to help its global community of users reach
new levels of collaboration and information-sharing,
thanks to EPC/RFID.
Learn how RFID can help
keep people safer, save
money, make shopping
easier and more.
Visit www.discoverRFID.org.
GS1 Products & Solutions
31