What is GS1 Sunrise 2027?
Sunrise 2027 is GS1's target for retail point-of-sale scanners worldwide to read 2D barcodes — QR codes and GS1 DataMatrix — not just the 1D UPC/EAN barcodes they've read since the 1970s. If you sell a physical product, it changes what goes on your pack — and it changes the scanners at the stores that carry it.
The timeline
- Now through end of 2027Dual labeling is the recommended approach: keep your existing 1D barcode on the pack and add a 2D one alongside it. Nothing you already have needs to come off.
- End of 2027GS1's target is for point-of-sale scanners worldwide to be able to read 2D codes. This is a retailer/scanner readiness target, not a deadline that makes your current barcode stop working.
- From 2028Once scanner support is in place, brands can choose 1D, 2D, or both going forward.
What changes at the store
The checkout scanner is the other half of this. GS1 US's guidance for retailers is to "install optical scanners that are Sunrise-capable to read 2D barcodes and extract the GTIN at POS." A scanner that only sweeps a laser line across stripes can read a 1D barcode but can't decode a QR code, so stores with 1D-only scanners will need to upgrade before they can ring up a 2D code. That is the retailer's decision and schedule, not yours — which is why the pack should carry both codes for now. Here is what to ask the stores that carry you.
Is it mandatory?
GS1 describes Sunrise 2027 as "a milestone in the transition to 2D barcodes" and says "it is not necessary to implement all the capabilities of 2D by that date." Whether a particular retailer asks you for a 2D code, and by when, is that retailer's call — ask your buyers.
GS1's phased approach
GS1 US suggests going step by step, which it calls crawl, walk, run:
- Crawl: add a 2D barcode to your existing packaging, and make sure any QR code you already print follows GS1 Digital Link and includes your GTIN. (For retailers, crawl means installing Sunrise-capable scanners.)
- Walk: carry more product detail in the code, such as product variants and production or expiration dates.
- Run: use the code to engage the shopper.
This resolver covers the GTIN, product variant, batch/lot and serial today.
Why a QR code, specifically
GS1 recommends two 2D formats for point-of-sale: GS1 DataMatrix (a dense square code, no URL) and QR Code with GS1 Digital Link (a URL that a checkout scanner reads as the GTIN, and that a shopper's phone camera reads as a normal web link). The second one is what this product builds — the same code does both jobs, which is the entire point of the standard.
Do I need new GTINs for this?
No. A GS1 Digital Link QR code carries the GTIN you already have — it's the same number, in a new container. You don't re-register anything with GS1; you claim the GTIN you already own on a resolver (like this one), and the resolver handles pointing a scan to the right destination.
Are the stores that carry your products ready? Checkout scanners have to change too — an older 1D-only scanner can't read a QR code. See what to ask your retail partners.
What this changes for you
Practically, three things:
- The barcode on your pack gains a second format — for a while, both.
- The QR version can point somewhere useful — a product page, allergen info, a recall notice for a specific lot — instead of being a static image.
- You need somewhere that resolves that QR code correctly when it's scanned, which is what a GS1 Digital Link resolver does. That's the part this product is.
How to prepare
The step-by-step version is in how to add a GS1 Digital Link QR next to your UPC. In short:
In order: claim the GTIN you already have on a resolver, generate the dual-format label (QR + your existing UPC-A/EAN-13, both correctly sized to GS1's print minimums), decide where the QR code should point, and keep both codes on the pack through the transition. All four of those are things you can do today, not in 2027 — the earlier a resolver's actually live on your packaging, the less of a scramble this is later.
See how this actually works, with a real example →Sources: GS1 US, "What is GS1 Sunrise 2027?". This page summarizes publicly available GS1 guidance; it isn't official GS1 material and isn't legal or compliance advice.