VDI 4475 Part 1 describes the recommended use of security elements for different types of product and packaging. It explains the optimal placement of tags for all types of merchandise, irrespective of the technology used. The guideline is designed to show ways and means how source tagging of product and packaging can be carried out directly at the manufacturer site. This reduces the retailer's application cost and streamlines processes. Products that have been source-tagged at the manufacturer's site can have the respective security element integrated invisibly within the product or package. This prevents the security element from being tampered with, which can lead to a lower theft rate and thus less inventory shrinkage. The guideline VDI 4475 Part 1 contains notes on the general purpose and use of the guideline series, while the other parts deal with individual groups of merchandise and their possibilities of or suitability for source tagging. The guideline contains instructions on how to categorise high-theft products into product classes, how to categorise products into product groups within product classes, how to introduce the security element into the product or its packaging irrespective of technology, how to categorise source tagging levels, how to assess these levels, and it provides additional advice on possible improvements in packaging. The illustrations and lists of individual products within the product groups (DIY, drugstore, textiles, etc.) are exemplary for all products in the group and can be used correspondingly for those that have not been named