GS1 Sunrise 2027: the QR code deadline, and what to prepare in 2026

GS1 Sunrise 2027 is the global initiative coordinating the move from 1D barcodes to 2D codes at retail point of sale, with the soft target set at the end of 2027. Major grocery and pharmacy retailers including Walmart, Carrefour, Tesco and Albert Heijn have published acceptance timelines, and several large CPG brands have already moved their highest-volume SKUs to dual-coded packaging.

What “Sunrise 2027” actually refers to

“Sunrise” is GS1’s term for the moment a new data carrier becomes acceptable at retail point of sale. The carrier already exists today: many retailers can scan a 2D code at the till. The Sunrise milestone marks the point at which retailers commit to accepting 2D codes as the primary identifier on packaging, with 1D barcodes moving to a supporting or phase-out role.

The carrier of choice for the migration is the GS1 Digital Link QR code. The Digital Link URL embeds the GTIN inside a web URL, so the same code reads at the till as a GTIN and opens a product page on a consumer phone. That dual function is the reason the migration has consolidated around this one format rather than a generic QR code.

The published timeline

2024–2025: preparation phase. GS1 member organisations published national roadmaps. Pilot programmes ran with major retailers across grocery, pharmacy and general merchandise. POS suppliers (NCR, Toshiba TEC, Diebold Nixdorf, Datalogic, Zebra) released firmware updates enabling 2D scanning at the till on installed terminals.

2026: ramp year. The current year. Major retailers expect their largest suppliers to begin shipping dual-coded packaging, meaning the 1D barcode and the 2D GS1 Digital Link code on the same pack. Several European retailers have moved acceptance dates earlier than 2027 for new product listings.

2027: target year. The 2D code becomes the expected primary carrier on new packaging across grocery, pharmacy and DIY categories at the major retailers that have signed up to the migration. The 1D barcode remains supported for the rest of the decade, but no longer dictates the artwork.

2028 onwards: regulatory layer arrives. The EU Digital Product Passport (Regulation 2024/1781) starts requiring a data carrier on textiles and batteries, with food, cosmetics and electronics scheduled to follow. The carrier specified by most working groups is the GS1 Digital Link QR code, which is the same code retailers will already be reading at the till.

What major retailers are actually asking for

The published asks vary by retailer, but the common pattern is the following:

• dual-coded packaging during the transition window;
• GTIN-12 or GTIN-13 encoded in the 2D code using the GS1 Digital Link URI syntax;
• a stable resolver URL behind every code;
• a packaging supplier capable of holding the print contrast for 2D reads under retail lighting.

The retailer-side asks live in their supplier portals, but the GS1 specification itself is freely available and is the document a packaging team should read first.

Suppliers shipping to multiple retailers usually find it easier to design once for the strictest published requirement and use that artwork across the range, rather than maintaining retailer-specific packaging variants.

What this means by sector

Food and beverage. The largest in-scope category by SKU count. The first to pilot, and the first where dual-coded packaging is now common on top-volume products. Existing EU regulations on wine labelling already require a digital data carrier for nutritional and ingredient information, which the GS1 Digital Link code can also serve.

Cosmetics. Already moving ahead of the official timeline, driven by ingredient transparency expectations and the upcoming Digital Product Passport scope. L’Oréal, Estée Lauder and Beiersdorf have all run public pilots.

Pharmaceutical. A specific case. Serialisation requirements under the EU FMD (Falsified Medicines Directive) and the US DSCSA already mandate 2D codes on prescription packaging. GS1 Digital Link extends those codes to consumer-facing information, so the carrier consolidates regulatory tracking and patient information into one scan.

DIY, electronics and home appliances. Slower to move on the retail side, but pulled into the timeline by the EU Digital Product Passport regulation. Repair information, energy data and end-of-life instructions all become accessible from the same code.

What to prepare in 2026

The single most useful thing a packaging team can do this year is run a controlled pilot. Pick five to ten reference SKUs, dual-code them, and put them in front of the retailer contact for POS validation. The pilot exposes the things that paper specifications do not catch: how the substrate behaves, how the artwork team handles the new code position, what the print contrast looks like on the actual press, and which internal systems need to know about the GTIN-to-URL mapping.

The second priority is a single managed resolver. A GS1 Company Prefix combined with a GS1-compliant resolver removes the bookkeeping problem brands run into when they try to combine a third-party QR code generator with a separate redirect tool. Unitag’s Digital Link Resolver is the managed service we run for the food and industrial brands described on our packaging solutions page, with Unitag referenced as a GS1 Solution Provider Partner. The same console manages the codes, the GTIN-to-URL mapping and the scan analytics that retailer and marketing teams ask for during rollout.

The third is internal alignment. Sunrise 2027 is a cross-functional programme that involves procurement, packaging design, IT and marketing at the same time, and the rollout works best when the four owners agree on the SKU list, the print specification and the resolver content before the pilot starts, rather than negotiating during artwork sign-off.

Related articles

• What is GS1 Digital Link? The QR code that replaces the barcode
• GS1 Digital Link vs QR code: what brands and printers need to know before Sunrise 2027
• QR codes on packaging: the complete guide for 2026