There are around 40,000 surgical instruments at Tokyo Medical and Dental University Hospital. Keeping track of these by visual inspection presented problems from a risk management and workload perspective.

The hospital has acquired its own GS1 Company Prefix and directly marked a GS1 DataMatrix encoding GS1 Global Individual Asset Identifier (GIAI) on all 40,000 surgical instruments, including dental equipment such as handpieces. This has made it possible to track and trace items.

With support from the USAID (United States Agency for International Development) Global Health Supply Chain Program–Procurement and Supply Management and from GS1 South Africa, work to implement a national product catalogue began in 2022. This product catalogue contains standardised master data about products. The data is kept up to date using the Global Data Synchronisation Network (GDSN), which is kept up to date by the product manufacturers.

In farming, despite its close connection to the earth, capturing, measuring, and analysing data for sustainability proves complex. This complexity is amplified in animal farming, where considerations like food safety and public health come into play.

Union Farms has addressed this challenge by integrating GS1 standards into its grain and pork operations. This integration allows for meticulous measurement of products and processes, with a focus on carbon sequestration, water, energy, and fertiliser stewardship.

The result is impressive – carbon neutrality, increased profitability through carbon credits, and future-proofing the family farm for subsequent generations.