September 25, 2026

The barcode is being replaced: Paula Rivero in Forbes on getting brands ready for 2027

My colleague Paula Rivero, our COO, has written a column for the Forbes Business Council about the biggest change to product packaging in half a century: the move from the linear barcode to QR codes built on GS1 standards. Here is the short version, and what it means if you look after packaging, product data or marketing for a consumer brand.

Sunrise 2027 is a transition, not a switch-off

GS1's Sunrise 2027 initiative asks retailers to have checkout systems that can read 2D codes by the end of 2027. Nobody turns off the linear barcode on a given day. For a period, both codes will sit side by side on packs. That gives brands time. It also means the decisions made now about what goes into the new code will be printed on millions of products and stay there for years.

Why Paula calls it a P&L issue

A linear barcode holds a product number and nothing else. A QR code powered by GS1 Digital Link can hold that same number and open a web page: ingredients, recalls, reorders, loyalty, reviews. The square the till scans is the one the shopper scans in the kitchen. Brands that treat the change as a label update will print a code that does one job. Brands that plan it will print one that informs, sells and reports back.

Large retailers are already moving. In her column Paula points to Tesco, which has moved an entire product range to GS1-powered QR codes, and to Walmart and Wegmans, which are testing 2D barcodes in their stores.

Regulation is arriving at the same time

In the EU, the Digital Product Passport becomes mandatory for batteries on 18 February 2027, with more product categories to follow. Wine producers have been able to move ingredient and nutrition information behind a QR code since December 2023. One code that serves the retailer, the regulator and the customer costs less than three separate solutions.

Three things to do this quarter

1. Audit the codes you already print. Where do they point, who owns the destination, and what breaks if a link changes?
2. Decide what the code should do for the customer: product information, care instructions, reorder, a promotion by market.
3. Give it an owner. Someone has to be responsible for the codes and the data behind them after the pack is printed.

How QRCodeKIT helps

QRCodeKIT creates GS1 Digital Link QR codes that retail scanners can read and customers can open on their phones. Because they are dynamic, you can change the destination after printing without reprinting the pack, and you can see where and when each product gets scanned.

Create your first GS1 QR code

For the detail, read our guides to GS1 Sunrise 2027, GS1 Digital Link 2027 and the EU Digital Product Passport.

Read Paula's full article on Forbes