Traceability: a strategic challenge

This dossier challenges many preconceived ideas about the benefits of traceability for companies. Indeed, traceability is often presented as a tool and, even more often, as a regulatory or downright social constraint, given the demand for traceability by consumers [1] . However, we can't help but notice the multiple stakes surrounding this concept, stakes that are at odds with each other, as the needs of the communities of suppliers, prescribers and users are also at odds with each other. We will therefore break down these issues into categories, presenting traceability not as a single category, but rather as a complex combination of these three categories, which leads us to consider this concept as a strategic issue. This new approach provides possible answers to the basic questions about traceability: why, when, how and for what benefit should a traceability system be implemented?