Guidelines on EPC for Consumer Products Facts

Commitment
Privacy has been a focus of EPCglobal and its subscribers since its inception in September 2003. EPCglobal’s first official act was to adopt and ratify a set of Guidelines on EPC for Consumer Products. EPCglobal subscribers have adopted these self-regulating guidelines that can evolve as the technology continues to develop.

EPCglobal subscribers understand that for the EPC to gain broad acceptance, consumers must have confidence in its value and benefits, and the integrity of its use. Many EPCglobal subscribers are businesses that produce products or sell directly to consumers. They value the relationship with their consumers above all else and are committed to consumer privacy.

Early in 2004, EPCglobal formed a multi-industry, global Public Policy Steering Committee to administer and refine the guidelines. Through the committee, EPCglobal interacts with key stakeholders, ensuring an ongoing dialogue that will allow it to make any necessary changes to the guidelines as advances in EPC and its applications are made and consumer research is conducted. The Guidelines are intended to complement compliance with the substantive and comprehensive body of national and international legislation and regulation that deals with consumer protection, consumer privacy, and related issues. The guidelines are based, and will continue to be based, on industry responsibility, providing accurate information to consumers and ensuring consumer choice.

EPCglobal also has Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Guidelines on EPC for Consumer Products (http://www.epcglobalinc.org/public/ppsc_faq/) and FAQs on Guidelines on EPC for Pharmaceutical Products for U.S. Consumers (http://www.epcglobalinc.org/public/ppsc_pharma_faqs/) to provide guidance on current EPC issues. The questions and answers are intended to complement the Guidelines and create a greater understanding of their meaning and application. The FAQs represent the general views of EPCglobal on certain specific issues. The Guidelines and the FAQs will evolve as appropriate to keep pace with advances in the technology and new developments in its application.

Guidelines on EPC for Consumer Products
  1. Consumer Notice: Consumers will be given clear notice of the presence of EPC on products or their packaging and will be informed of the use of EPC technology. This notice will be given through the use of an EPC logo or identifier on the products or packaging.
  2. Consumer Choice: Consumers will be informed of the choices that are available to discard or remove or in the future disable EPC tags from the products they acquire. It is anticipated that, for most products, the EPC tags would be part of disposable packaging or would be otherwise discardable. EPCglobal, among other supporters of the technology, is committed to finding additional efficient, cost-effective and reliable alternatives to further enable customer choice.
  3. Consumer Education: Consumers will have the opportunity to easily obtain accurate information about EPC and its applications, as well as information about advances in the technology. Companies using EPC tags at the consumer level will cooperate in appropriate ways to familiarize consumers with the EPC logo and to help consumers understand the technology and its benefits. EPCglobal would also act as a forum for both companies and consumers to learn of and address any uses of EPC technology in a manner inconsistent with these Guidelines.
  4. Record Use, Retention, and Security: The EPC does not contain, collect, or store any personally identifiable information. As with conventional barcode technology, data which is associated with EPC will be collected, used, maintained, stored and protected by the EPCglobal member companies in compliance with applicable laws. Companies will publish, in compliance with all applicable laws, information on their policies regarding the retention, use, and protection of any personally identifiable information associated with EPC use.