Editing Traceability (section)

==Supply chain==
Within a product's [[supply chain]], traceability may be both a regulatory and an ethical or environmental issue.<ref>Moyer-Lee, J. and M. Prowse (2015), 'How Traceability is Restructuring Malawi’s Tobacco Industry', Development Policy Review 33:2 http://web.unitn.it/files/download/34693/moyer-leeandprowse2012iobworkingpaper-traceabilityandtobaccoinmalawi.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809081741/http://web.unitn.it/files/download/34693/moyer-leeandprowse2012iobworkingpaper-traceabilityandtobaccoinmalawi.pdf |date=2017-08-09 }}</ref> Traceability is increasingly becoming a core criterion for sustainability efforts related to supply chains wherein knowing the producer, workers and other links stands as a necessary factor that underlies credible claims of social, economic, or environmental impacts.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Three Guidelines to Reveal What's Hiding in Your Supply Chain – COSA {{!}} Committee on Sustainability Assessment|url=https://thecosa.org/three-guidelines-to-reveal-whats-hiding-in-your-supply-chain/|access-date=2021-09-01|website=thecosa.org|date=4 January 2019 |archive-date=2021-09-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210901015617/https://thecosa.org/three-guidelines-to-reveal-whats-hiding-in-your-supply-chain/|url-status=live}}</ref> Environmentally friendly retailers may choose to make information regarding their supply chain freely available to customers, illustrating the fact that the products they sell are manufactured in factories with safe working conditions, by workers that earn a fair wage, using methods that do not damage the environment.<ref>{{cite web|title=A Guide to Traceability: A Practical Approach to Advance Sustainability in Global Supply Chains|url=https://www.unglobalcompact.org/library/791|website=www.unglobalcompact.org|publisher=United Nations Global Compact|access-date=2016-12-30|archive-date=2020-07-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200723123208/https://www.unglobalcompact.org/library/791|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Materials===
In regard to [[Materials science|materials]], traceability refers to the capability to associate a finished part with destructive test results performed on material from the same ingot with the same heat treatment, or to associate a finished part with results of a test performed on a sample from the same melt identified by the unique lot number of the material. Destructive tests typically include chemical composition and mechanical strength tests. A [[heat number]] is usually marked on the part or raw material which identifies the ingot it came from, and a lot number may identify the group of parts that experienced the same heat treatment (i.e., were in the same oven at the same time). Material traceability is important to the aerospace, nuclear, and process industry because they frequently make use of high strength materials that look identical to commercial low strength versions. In these industries, a part made of the wrong material is called "counterfeit", even if the substitution was accidental.

This same practice extends throughout industries using military hardware, including the [[fastener]] industry.<ref>{{cite web|title=Why Traceability Matters|url=http://www.bbem.com/military-hardware-traceability|website=B&B Electro-Mechanical|access-date=2016-12-30|archive-date=2019-04-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190414085852/http://www.bbem.com/military-hardware-traceability|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Logistics===
{{See also|Track and trace}}
In [[logistics]], traceability refers to the capability for tracing goods along the distribution chain on a [[Batch production|batch]] number or series number basis. Traceability is an important aspect for example in the automotive industry, where it makes recalls possible, or in the food industry where it contributes to [[food safety]].

The international standards organization [[EPCglobal]] under [[GS1]] has ratified the [[EPCglobal Network]] standards (especially the EPC Information Services [[EPCIS]] standard) which codify the syntax and semantics for supply chain events and the secure method for selectively sharing supply chain events with trading partners. These standards for traceability have been used in successful deployments in many industries and there are now a wide range of products that are certified as being compatible with these standards.

===Food processing===
In [[food processing]] ([[meat processing]], fresh produce processing), the term traceability refers to the recording through means of barcodes or RFID tags and other tracking media, all movement of product and steps within the production process. One of the key reasons this is such a critical point is in instances where an issue of contamination arises, and a recall is required. Where traceability has been closely adhered to, it is possible to identify, by precise date/time and exact location which goods must be recalled, and which are safe, potentially saving millions of dollars in the recall process. Traceability within the food processing industry is also utilised to identify key high production and quality areas of a business, versus those of low return, and where points in the production process may be improved.

In ''food processing software'', traceability systems imply the use of a unique piece of data (e.g., order date/time or a serialized sequence number, generally through the use of a [[barcode]] / [[RFID]]) which can be traced through the entire production flow, linking all sections of the business, including suppliers and future sales through the supply chain. Messages and files at any point in the system can then be audited for correctness and completeness, using the traceability software to find the particular transaction and/or product within the supply chain.

In [[food systems]], ISO 22005, as part of the [[ISO 22000]] family of [[technical standard|standards]], has been developed to define the principles for food traceability and specifies the basic requirements for the design and implementation of a feed and food traceability system. It can be applied by an organization operating at any step in the feed and food chain.

The [[European Union]]'s General Food Law came into force in 2002, making traceability compulsory for food and feed operators and requiring those businesses to implement traceability systems. The EU introduced its Trade Control and Expert System, or [[TRACES]], in April 2004. The system provides a central database to track movement of animals within the EU and from third countries.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/food/food/foodlaw/traceability/factsheet_trace_2007_en.pdf|title=General Food Law &#124; Food Safety<!-- Bot generated title -->|access-date=2009-03-13|archive-date=2016-03-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304072336/http://ec.europa.eu/food/food/foodlaw/traceability/factsheet_trace_2007_en.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

Australia has its [[National Livestock Identification System]] to keep track of livestock from birth to slaughterhouse.

India has started taking initiatives for setting up traceability systems at Government and Corporate levels. Grapenet,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.apeda.gov.in/apedawebsite/Grapenet/GrapeNet_new.htm |title=Certificate |access-date=2013-02-21 |archive-date=2018-03-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180322010850/http://www.apeda.gov.in/apedawebsite/Grapenet/GrapeNet_new.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> an initiative by Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Ministry of Commerce, Government of India is an example in this direction. GrapeNet is an internet based traceability software system for monitoring fresh grapes exported from India to the European Union. GrapeNet is a first of its kind initiative in India that has put in place an end-to-end system for monitoring pesticide residue, achieve product standardization and facilitate tracing back from pallets to the farm of the Indian grower, through the various stages of sampling, testing, certification and packing. Grapenet won the National Award (Gold), in the winners announced for the best e-Governance initiatives undertaken in India in 2007.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lsipl.com/Downloads_page/Grapenet.html|title=Case Study - HortiNet – Traceability System for Horticulture Products from India<!-- Bot generated title -->|access-date=2008-12-17|archive-date=2012-11-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121122050835/http://lsipl.com/downloads_page/grapenet.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Directorate Generate Foreign Trade (DGFT), Government of India, through its notification <ref>{{cite web |url=http://164.100.9.245/Exim/2000/NOT/NOT12/not2812.htm |title= Requirement of Certification regarding export of Fresh Grapes, Groundnut, Peanut & its products|access-date=2013-02-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130403154618/http://164.100.9.245/Exim/2000/NOT/NOT12/not2812.htm |archive-date=2013-04-03 }} No.84(RE-2008)/2004-2009</ref> dated 04.02.2009 relating to Amendment in Foreign Trade Policy (RE2008)has mandated that Export to the [[European Union]] is permitted subject to registration with APEDA, thereby making Grapenet mandatory for all exports of fresh grapes from India to Europe.

[[Uruguay]] has also designed a system called "Traceability & Electronic Information System of the Beef Industry".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.inac.gub.uy/innovanet/macros/TextContentWithMenu.jsp?contentid=4057&version=1&site=1&channel=innova.net |title=Uruguay, cattle-raising country |access-date=2009-09-16 |archive-date=2016-12-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161202015539/http://www.inac.gub.uy/innovanet/macros/TextContentWithMenu.jsp?contentid=4057&version=1&site=1&channel=innova.net |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Forest products===
Within the context of supporting legal and sustainable forest [[supply chain]]s, traceability has emerged in the last decade as a new tool to verify claims and assure buyers about the source of their materials. Mostly led out of Europe, and targeting countries where [[illegal logging]] has been a key problem ([[FLEGT]] countries), timber tracking is now part of daily business for many enterprises and jurisdictions. Full traceability offers advantages for multiple partners along the supply chain beyond certification systems, including:

* Mechanism to comply with local and international policies and regulations.
* Reducing the risk of illegal or non-compliant material entering the supply chains.
* Providing coordination between authorities and relevant bodies.
* Allowing automatic reconciliation of batches and volumes available.
* Offering a method of stock control and monitoring.
* Triggering real-time alerts of non-compliance.
* Reducing likelihood of recording errors.
* Improving effectiveness and efficiency.
* Increasing transparency.
* Promoting company integrity.

A number of timber tracking companies are in operation to service global demand.

Enhanced traceability ensures that the supply chain data is 100% accurate from the forest to the point of export. Nowadays, there are techniques to predict geographical provenance of wood and contribute to the fight against illegal logging.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Yuri | first1 = Gori | last2 = Ana | first2 = Stradiotti | last3 = Federica | first3 = Camin | year = 2018 | title = Timber isoscapes. A case study in a mountain area in the Italian Alps | journal = PLOS ONE | volume = 13 | issue = 2| page = e0192970 | doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0192970| pmid = 29451907 | pmc = 5815615 | bibcode = 2018PLoSO..1392970G | doi-access = free }}</ref>