How far back can traceability reach?
Direct supplier, successive processors, raw material, producer or producer group, country, region or another level of origin.
Expertise — Traceability & value chain
Knowing where information comes from is not enough. The path connecting it to the product must be demonstrable.
Traceability is not merely the collection of documents.
It structures the links between a material, actors, transformations, transactions, data and evidence throughout the value chain.
The essential question is therefore not simply “is it traceable?”, but “what does the traceability system actually make it possible to know and demonstrate?”
Follow the path
Information only has value if the links supporting it remain understandable.
WHAT?Material / product→FROM WHERE?Origin→BY WHOM?Actors→WHERE?Sites→HOW?Transformations→UNDER WHAT RULES?Chain of custody→WITH WHAT?Evidence
Compare traceability systems
Not all traceability systems demonstrate the same thing.
Their relevance depends on the intended purpose, their level of requirements, the chain-of-custody rules and the associated evidence and verification tools.
What link is maintained with the material?
Chain-of-custody rules, segregation, identity preservation, mass balance where permitted by the system, transformations, blending and other applicable mechanisms.
What evidence supports traceability?
Certificates, transactions, batches, commercial documents, supplier declarations, material balances, data and digital platforms, depending on the system.
How is the information verified?
Document checks, volume reconciliation, on-site audits, third-party verification, surveillance, frequency of checks and management of non-conformities.
What does this traceability actually make it possible to know?
The level of knowledge obtained must be assessed against the question the company is actually seeking to answer.
Do not confuse
Traceability, chain of custody and supply-chain knowledge are not synonymous.
Traceability
The ability to track information and maintain relevant links between the product, materials, operations or actors within the system concerned.
Chain of custody
Rules governing how a characteristic, claim or material is tracked as it moves through and is transformed within the chain.
Value-chain knowledge
What the company actually knows about its actors, origins, sites, practices, risks and dependencies — beyond the mere existence of traceability documents.
Requirements & tools
Tools only make sense in relation to the rules they support.
Two systems may use documents or platforms that appear similar while requiring very different levels of detail, control or continuity.
Company certificateTransaction certificates (TCs) / other transaction evidenceBatch identificationTCs / commercial documentsRecords & material balancesSupplier dataDigital platformsDocument checksAudits & verificationsOther mechanisms depending on the system
Information, access & confidentiality
The existence of information does not mean it is accessible.
Traceability systems may collect detailed information on products, materials, actors and transactions at different stages of the value chain.
However, the depth of information recorded in the system and that accessible to a downstream company are not necessarily the same.
Access to certain data may depend on disclosure by the suppliers concerned, the access rights provided by the system and the applicable confidentiality rules.
Depending on the systems and their respective prerogatives, certification bodies, standard owners and competent authorities may have broader access to the information required for verification or control.
EXISTING INFORMATION
Products · materials · actors · transactions · origin · batches
Access rights·Confidentiality·Supplier disclosure
ACCESSIBLE INFORMATION
What the company can actually view and use
A system’s ability to trace information does not therefore guarantee that every actor in the chain can access all of that information.
Start with the purpose
A system can be perfectly suited to its purpose — without answering every question.
It would be misleading to rank all systems on a simple scale from “low” to “high” traceability.
The right approach is to compare the intended purpose, the required depth of knowledge and what the system actually makes it possible to demonstrate.
The quality of a traceability system is assessed first by how well it fits the question to be resolved.
From evidence to management
Traceability becomes strategic when it improves knowledge of the value chain.
When it connects a material with its origin, the actors concerned, transformations, available evidence and associated risks, traceability goes beyond documentary compliance alone.
It can then help secure purchasing, target verifications more effectively, understand dependencies, inform sourcing decisions and strengthen the company’s capacity to act.
Material→Origin→Actors→Risks→Evidence→Decision
Cross-cutting expertise