Sunrise 2027 and the Packaging Shift to 2D Barcodes

For years, the 1D UPC barcode has done one job very well: it identifies a product at checkout. But that is no longer enough. Brands now need packaging to do more than support price lookup. They need it to carry data, support traceability, connect to digital content, and help retailers and consumers get the right information at the right moment. That is why GS1 Sunrise 2027 matters.

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Sunrise 2027 is the retail industry’s milestone for preparing point-of-sale systems to read and process 2D barcodes, including QR Codes powered by GS1 and GS1 DataMatrix. These codes can do what a traditional 1D barcode cannot. They can carry the GTIN that identifies the product, but they can also include more detailed data such as batch or lot numbers, serial numbers, expiration dates, and other attributes that support supply chain and consumer use cases. Just as important, GS1 Digital Link allows that barcode to connect a product’s identity to online information in a standardized way.

For packaging operations, this is not just a standards story. It is a print production story.

GS1 is already telling brands to start now by adding 2D barcodes to existing packaging and by upgrading current QR codes with GS1 Digital Link standards and a GTIN. That means companies do not have to wait for a total packaging redesign to move forward. But it also means the burden shifts quickly to the production line. Once a package has to carry more data, and once that data may vary by batch, date, or unit, the barcode becomes a variable print application instead of a static graphic element.

That changes the conversation. A 2D code is only useful if it prints cleanly, scans fast, and survives real production conditions. Size matters. Placement matters. Contrast matters. Quiet zones matter. Data volume matters too, because larger or poorly optimized symbols can slow read speed and create problems at checkout. During the transition period, many products will still need dual marking, with both a traditional linear barcode and a 2D code on pack, which makes barcode placement and print discipline even more critical.

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This is where reliable high-resolution inkjet and variable data printing become strategic, not optional. Expiration dates, lot codes, serialized numbers, and dynamic 2D barcodes are often printed on demand at the plant or production line, not preprinted upstream. If a line cannot apply that data consistently, at speed, and with the print quality needed for verification and scanning, Sunrise 2027 turns into a scramble. The problem is not just whether a code can be generated. It is whether it can be printed accurately every time on the actual substrate, with the readability needed for retail, distribution, and traceability workflows.

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That is the opportunity for packaging manufacturers and converters to get ahead of the curve. The companies that invest now in dependable variable printing, barcode quality control, and clean data workflows will be far better positioned when customers start asking for 2D-ready packaging as a baseline requirement. The ones that wait will be trying to solve standards, artwork, line integration, and print quality all at once.

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Sunrise 2027 is not simply about replacing the UPC with a new symbol. It is about packaging becoming a more intelligent, data-rich part of the product. And that means the printers on the line have to be ready long before the deadline becomes urgent.

Sources:

https://www.gs1us.org/industries-and-insights/by-topic/sunrise-2027

https://www.gs1us.org/upcs-barcodes-prefixes/2d-barcodes

https://ref.gs1.org/guidelines/2d-in-retail/

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