The QR Code Will Replace the Barcode on Products Starting in 2027

GS1, which is in charge of managing barcodes on a global scale, plans to use a new code on products starting in 2027 that will resemble a QR code more and be connected to the internet. 

Also, smartphone users will be able to scan the code in addition to cash registers.

Jan Somers, CEO of GS1 Belgilux, said on Monday's Flemish radio that consumers can see product information such as origin, composition, as well as ecological footprint by scanning the product's code.

Retailers will have to make significant efforts to implement the new QR code, as cash registers will need to be modified to scan the new code. 

The packaging used by manufacturers will need to change as well.

GS1 plans to introduce a new QR code in the future

"We want to support as many businesses as we can in implementing the new code because it offers so many opportunities," according to Somers. 

This is a significant transition, thus the new code won't be implemented until 2027.

Although the current barcode is generally known, he understood that it also has some drawbacks. "For a specific product, every country and occasionally even every merchant has its unique barcode. 

This implies that products may occasionally be harder to track down in the event of issues.

Furthermore, the conventional barcode method also has limitations. 

There are only a finite number of conceivable combinations of stripes and numbers. However, GS1 also emphasized that there would be no end to the possibilities with the new QR codes.

Read more: Persil Has Added New QR Codes To Its Packaging