TL;DR
- GS1 Digital Link is the GS1 standard that writes a product's barcode identity, its GTIN plus an optional batch, serial number or expiry date, as a web address, so one 2D code serves checkouts, phones and systems.
- Brands adopt it because one code can replace several on the pack, carry regulatory information, enable batch recalls and authentication, and open a direct channel to shoppers, while still ringing up at the till.
- It is not required by name by any law or by Sunrise 2027, but it is the widely used way to meet the rules that ask for a code connected to a unique product identifier.
GS1 Digital Link is a standard from GS1, the organization behind the barcode, that turns a product's identification number into a web address. This page covers the basics around it: what it changes for each team, the dates that make it relevant now, and the terms you will meet in every conversation about it. For a step-by-step introduction to how it works and how to start, read what GS1 Digital Link is and how to use it.
Why brands adopt GS1 Digital Link
The same code does a different job for each team:
| Team | What changes | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Compliance and regulatory | One code can carry the information rules ask for, and it can be updated without reprinting | Wine ingredients on an e-label, a Digital Product Passport |
| Packaging and design | One code can replace several: the barcode, a marketing QR code and separate information codes | Fewer symbols and more free space on the pack |
| Supply chain and operations | The batch and expiry date travel inside the code, readable at the checkout | Stopping the sale of a recalled batch at the till |
| Retail and checkout | A 2D code that a 2D-ready checkout reads like a barcode | Ready for the Sunrise 2027 transition |
| Marketing and customer experience | A direct, owned channel to the people who bought the product | Product pages, instructions, offers, by language and country |
| Brand protection | A serial number per item, on the brand's own domain | Checking whether a product is genuine |
The value comes from one property: the code carries a standard GS1 identity and a web address at the same time. A checkout reads the first, a phone opens the second, and the brand decides what that address shows, after printing as well as before.
The dates that make it relevant now
| Date | What happens | Where GS1 Digital Link fits |
|---|---|---|
| 8 December 2023 | EU wine labels must declare ingredients and nutrition; most of it may move to an e-label | The code that opens the e-label (wine guide) |
| 18 July 2024 | The EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation enters into force, creating the Digital Product Passport | A standards-based carrier for the passport (DPP guide) |
| 18 February 2027 | The battery passport applies to LMT, EV and industrial batteries over 2 kWh | The code that reaches the passport (battery guide) |
| End of 2027 | Sunrise 2027: retail checkouts aim to read 2D barcodes | Optional: a GTIN-only 2D code is enough, GS1 Digital Link adds the web layer (Sunrise guide) |
| From 12 August 2028 | EU packaging rules (PPWR) bring harmonised labels and QR-based data carriers | A code that can carry packaging information (PPWR guide) |
| 23 September 2029 | The EU Detergents Regulation applies, with a Digital Product Passport | The code that reaches the passport (detergents guide) |
GS1 Digital Link terms to know
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| GTIN | Global Trade Item Number: the product number behind EAN and UPC barcodes, 8, 12, 13 or 14 digits long, assigned through your GS1 Member Organization |
| GS1 Member Organization | The national GS1 office that licenses GS1 identifiers to companies in its country |
| Application Identifier (AI) | A short numeric prefix that says what the value after it is: 01 for the GTIN, 10 for the batch or lot, 21 for the serial number, 17 for the expiry date |
| Primary key | The main identifier in a GS1 Digital Link, such as the GTIN after /01/. Other GS1 keys identify shipments (SSCC, AI 00) and locations (GLN, AI 414) |
| Key qualifier | A value that narrows the primary key to a variant, a batch or a single item, written in the path, such as /10/LOT42 or /21/1234 |
| Data attribute | Extra information written after ? in the address, such as the expiry date ?17=271231 |
| Element string | The traditional GS1 way of writing the same data, such as (01)09506000134352(10)LOT42, used in GS1-128 barcodes. GS1 Digital Link writes it as a web address instead |
| GS1 Digital Link URI | The full web address: a domain followed by the keys, qualifiers and attributes |
| Domain | The web address's host: the brand's own, such as id.yourbrand.com, or a resolver provider's |
| Resolver | The service behind the domain that reads the identifiers in a scanned address and redirects to the right destination |
| Link type | A category of destination the resolver can offer for a product, such as the product information page, instructions or recall status |
| Default link | Where a scan goes when nobody asked for a specific link type: usually the product page |
| Data carrier | The symbol printed on the product that holds the identifier: a QR code, a Data Matrix, or a linear barcode for the GTIN alone |
| 2D barcode | A two-dimensional symbol, such as a QR code or a Data Matrix, that holds far more data than a linear barcode |
| Sunrise 2027 | The industry initiative for retail checkouts to read 2D barcodes by the end of 2027 |
| Digital Product Passport | The EU's digital record of a product's identity, composition and end-of-life information, reached through a data carrier |
For the full syntax rules, see the technology guide. For how the routing works, see the resolver guide, and if a code doesn't open, the troubleshooting guide.
What GS1 Digital Link doesn't change
Three things stay as they are, which is what makes the move cheap:
- Your product numbers. GS1 Digital Link uses the GTINs you already have. There is nothing new to register for the product itself.
- Your checkout. A 2D-ready checkout reads the GTIN from a GS1 Digital Link the same way it reads it from a barcode, without the internet.
- Your choice of symbol. The same address can be printed as a QR code or a Data Matrix, and you can keep the linear barcode next to it during the transition (see the dual barcode guide).
Frequently asked questions
What are the benefits of GS1 Digital Link?
One code that rings up at a 2D-ready checkout and opens a web page on a phone. That lets a brand replace several codes on the pack, carry regulatory information that can be updated without reprinting, act on specific batches for recalls, authenticate individual items and reach its buyers directly.
Who publishes the GS1 Digital Link standard?
GS1, the global not-for-profit organization that maintains the barcode standards used in retail, such as EAN and UPC. The standard is free to use.
What is a GS1 Application Identifier?
A short numeric prefix that tells a scanner or a system what the value after it means. In a GS1 Digital Link, 01 precedes the GTIN, 10 the batch or lot, 21 the serial number and 17 the expiry date.
What is the difference between a GS1 Digital Link and an element string?
They carry the same data in two formats. An element string, such as (01)09506000134352(10)LOT42, is the traditional format used in GS1-128 barcodes. A GS1 Digital Link writes the same identifiers as a web address, so a phone can open it.
Does GS1 Digital Link replace the barcode?
It can, once the checkouts that scan your products read 2D codes. Until then, many brands print the linear barcode and the GS1 Digital Link QR code side by side.
Do I need a GS1 membership to use GS1 Digital Link?
You need GS1 identifiers, which come with membership of your local GS1 Member Organization. If your products already carry an EAN or UPC barcode, you already have them.
