A method for routing traffic in a network includes receiving, by an edge switch, a packet belonging to a traffic class, the packet including a source internet protocol (IP) address and a destination IP address, each of the source IP address and the destination IP address including a redundant information portion and a non-redundant information portion, replacing, by the edge switch, the redundant information portion of the source IP address of the packet belonging to the traffic class and/or the destination IP address of the packet belonging to the traffic class with a logical address of a next service function (SF) in a service function chain (SFC) to which the traffic class is mapped so as to provide a modified packet, and steering the modified packet to the next SF in the SFC.