If you want standards, go to the body that has one of the best track records at developing them. Thirty years ago the Uniform Code Council (UCC) created standards around the barcode for consumer products. Now, it’s beginning to have the same impact on RFID standards through EPCglobal. Created just last year (September, 2003), EPCglobal, headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, is an alliance of companies around the world, many of whom are working to meet the RFID mandates of large retailers.

Jack Grasso, senior director of public relations for UCC, one of EPCglobal’s parents, said the organization’s mission is “to develop world-wide standards for the use of RFID, to promote its adoption globally, to develop the EPC Global Network, to provide education, and to support members in their deployment of the technology.” EPCglobal, explained Mr. Grasso, is a “joint venture between us (UCC) and EAN International, the global complement to UCC.”

EAN International, located in Brussels, was founded in 1974 when manufacturers and distributors of 12 European countries formed an ad-hoc council to develop a uniform and standard numbering system for Europe, similar to the UPC system in the U.S. As a result, a UPC compatible system called “European Article Numbering” was created.