Sunrise 2027 and the move to 2D barcodes

Why manufacturers should prepare now

Moving from one-dimensional barcodes to 2D carriers affects packaging, product data, printing, quality controls, retailer readiness, and digital destinations. The longest lead-time work is often data ownership and system integration rather than QR-code artwork.

What the 2027 ambition means—and does not mean

The global retail ambition is for point-of-sale systems to be capable of reading and processing defined GS1-compliant 2D barcodes by the end of 2027, alongside existing linear barcodes. Adoption is progressive and will vary by market, retailer, scanner, product category, and implementation mode.

The date does not mean every linear barcode disappears or every product must immediately carry only one 2D barcode. During the transition, many products will use both a linear barcode and a 2D barcode until scanning and processing capability is sufficiently widespread. Manufacturers should validate current requirements with their trading partners and the latest GS1 guidance.

The four readiness workstreams

Identifier and packaging readiness

Determine which GS1 identifiers and packaging levels must be represented and where dynamic data such as lot, batch, or expiration information is required.

Data and system readiness

Confirm that ERP, PIM, manufacturing, quality, and supply-chain systems can supply accurate product and production data at the required granularity.

Resolver and experience readiness

Define what happens after a scan, which domain owns the identity, which resources are discoverable, and how experiences change by context.

Operational readiness

Test printing, verification, retailer acceptance, support processes, monitoring, and fallback behavior before broad rollout.

A cross-functional readiness checklist

• Identifiers: confirm GTIN allocation, packaging levels, and when lot, batch, serial, or expiration data is needed.
• Data: identify authoritative ERP, PIM, manufacturing, quality, and supply-chain sources.
• Packaging: plan artwork, placement, quiet zones, human-readable text, and dual-marking transition needs.
• Printing and verification: test production-line printers, data syntax, symbol quality, and verification processes.
• Retail and POS: validate scanner, host-system, and trading-partner processing for the intended data and modes.
• Digital experience: decide which domain, product URI, resolver, fallback page, and typed resources will operate after the scan.
• Operations: establish monitoring, support, incident response, ownership, and governance for a long-lived product endpoint.

Turn a barcode requirement into a product platform

A 2D barcode can support more than checkout. The same identity foundation can enable onboarding, manuals, warranty, recalls, service, authenticity, parts, recycling, analytics, and Digital Product Passport experiences.

OriginSpan connects customer authorized product identity, camera and hardware scanning, GTIN, lot, and serial resolution, operational registration, lifecycle history, and Digital Product Passport delivery in one platform. Integrations and rollout are shaped to the selected product family and business workflow.

Choose a focused first pilot

Start with a product family that has stable identifiers, known data owners, measurable scan or service value, and manageable packaging change cycles. Use the pilot to validate data quality, resolution rules, operating ownership, and customer experience before scaling.

Official GS1 readiness references

• GS1 2D Barcodes at Retail Point-of-Sale Implementation Guideline
• GS1 overview of 2D barcodes and supported data carriers