Around the world, countries are introducing new legislation aimed at preventing counterfeit and harmful goods from entering the global supply chain. These new rules, necessary to boost public safety and confidence in global markets, show broad adoption of end-to-end traceability, embracing the notion that any single product should be fully traceable from its manufacturer down through distribution channels to retailers, health systems, pharmacies, and other public-facing businesses.
However, such rules aren’t always easy to implement or follow. Some of these regulations outline systems, solutions, or methods of collaboration that have not been fully developed, are not immediately accessible to industry, or are difficult to roll out at-scale. Often, businesses struggle to understand their new responsibilities even as they commit staff hours to implementing them, a position that can incur additional costs and hurt productivity – without certainty of protection from regulatory penalties or reputational damage.