Sunrise 2027 is an industry readiness target: GS1's goal is that by the end of 2027, retail point-of-sale systems worldwide can scan and process 2D barcodes — QR codes carrying GS1 Digital Link syntax, and GS1 DataMatrix — alongside the linear UPC and EAN barcodes they already read.
It is not a law, and UPC barcodes do not stop working. No regulator set this date. GS1 expects 1D and 2D codes to coexist through a long transition. Anyone telling you your products become unsellable in 2028 is selling something.
The pressure is commercial, not legal. Retailers upgrade their scanners and POS software on multi-year cycles, and they are doing it now. As individual retailers finish, they start asking suppliers for 2D codes — and a retailer's supplier requirements are enforceable in a way an industry target is not.
As of mid-2026, retailers and manufacturers across 48 countries representing roughly 88% of global GDP have active 2D programmes, up from 45 countries and 85% a year earlier.
| Step | Why it comes first |
|---|---|
| Validate your GTINs | A GTIN that fails its check digit breaks everything downstream. This is the cheapest fix and the most common problem. |
| Remove duplicate GTINs | Each distinct sellable item needs its own GTIN. Reused identifiers cause inventory and recall chaos. |
| Decide identification level | Product-level is enough for most. Batch or item-level only if you need traceability, recalls, or expiry data. |
| Choose a resolver domain | The URL in the code must resolve for the life of the packaging. Prefer a domain you own. |
| Update artwork with dual marking | UPC and 2D on the same pack during the transition. This is the expensive step — batch it with a planned artwork revision. |
| Verify printed samples | Digital preflight cannot predict ink spread, substrate, or curvature. Scan a real printed sample. |
Printing a code whose URL you don't control. Packaging outlives software vendors. If the domain in your QR code belongs to a platform you might leave, you have handed that vendor leverage over physical inventory you already paid to produce. Use your own domain, and require full data export from whoever hosts your resolver.
Free automated audit — invalid GTINs, duplicates, and whether your URLs resolve. No account needed.
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