What is a GS1 Digital Link?

A GS1 Digital Link is a standardised URL that encodes GS1 identifiers (such as GTINs, batch numbers, and serial numbers) in a web-compatible format. It allows any internet-connected device to scan a QR code and resolve it to product information hosted online. GS1 Digital Link is defined in the ISO/IEC 18975 standard and is the foundation of the GS1 Sunrise 2027 initiative.

What is the GS1 Sunrise 2027 initiative?

GS1 Sunrise 2027 is an industry initiative to transition retail point-of-sale systems from traditional 1D barcodes (EAN-13, UPC) to 2D barcodes (QR codes, Data Matrix) that encode GS1 Digital Links. By 2027, major retailers globally are expected to accept 2D barcodes at checkout. This transition directly supports ESPR DPP requirements by enabling the same QR code to serve both retail and regulatory functions.

How does GS1 Digital Link relate to the EPCIS standard?

EPCIS (Electronic Product Code Information Services) is a GS1 standard for sharing supply chain event data — where a product was, when, and what happened to it. GS1 Digital Link provides the product identifier structure; EPCIS provides the event data. Together, they enable end-to-end supply chain traceability that supports ESPR DPP requirements for provenance and lifecycle data.

What is a GS1 resolver and how does it work for DPP?

A GS1 resolver is a web service that maps GS1 identifiers to URLs for different types of product information. When a GS1 Digital Link QR code is scanned, the resolver directs the request to the appropriate data source based on the requester type (consumer, repairer, regulator) and the data requested. GS1 provides a global resolver at resolver.gs1.org.

ESPR Glossary

GS1 Digital Link

GS1 Digital Link is the ISO/IEC 18975 standard that transforms a product barcode or QR code into a web address (URL) that resolves to machine-readable product data. It is the preferred data carrier standard for ESPR Digital Product Passports.

Legal Basis: ESPR Article 8(2)(b) and the EU DPP technical specification. EUR-Lex CELEX:32024R1781

Full Definition

GS1 Digital Link is a URI syntax standard developed by GS1, the global supply chain standards organisation. It was published as ISO/IEC 18975 in 2022. The standard encodes GS1 identification keys — such as the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) — into a URL structure that can be scanned by any QR code reader and resolved to product data hosted on any compliant server.

A GS1 Digital Link URL follows the syntax: https://[domain]/[primary-key-qualifier]/[primary-key-value]. For a product with GTIN 09506000134352, the GS1 Digital Link URL is: https://id.gs1.org/01/09506000134352. This URL resolves to the product's data record when scanned. The resolver can return different data subsets depending on the context of the scan — consumer data, recycler data, or market surveillance data — from the same QR code.

GS1 Digital Link is the preferred standard for ESPR DPP data carriers because it is open, interoperable, globally supported, and directly compatible with the EU DPP Registry. The GS1 global resolver at id.gs1.org provides a free resolution service for any GS1 Digital Link URL.

Related Terms

Register Your Digital Product Passport

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GS1 Digital Link: The Technical Standard

GS1 Digital Link is a standard published by GS1 (the global supply chain standards organisation) that defines how GS1 identifiers — GTINs, GLNs, SSCCs, and other GS1 keys — can be expressed as web URIs (Uniform Resource Identifiers). The standard is formally known as GS1 Digital Link: URI Syntax, version 1.2. It enables a single QR code to serve multiple purposes simultaneously: a consumer scanning the code gets product information, a retailer scanning the code gets supply chain data, and a market surveillance authority scanning the code gets the full ESPR Digital Product Passport. The resolver — a web service that interprets the GS1 Digital Link URI and returns the appropriate response — is the key component of the GS1 Digital Link system.

GS1 Digital Link and ESPR Compliance

The EU Commission's preparatory work for ESPR DPP technical requirements has consistently identified GS1 Digital Link as the preferred data carrier standard for ESPR DPPs. GS1 Digital Link is already widely used in the EU retail supply chain, which means that manufacturers implementing GS1 Digital Link for ESPR compliance can use the same QR code infrastructure for both retail supply chain and ESPR DPP purposes. GS1 membership is required to obtain a GS1 Company Prefix, which is the basis for generating GTINs and GS1 Digital Link URIs. Manufacturers that are not already GS1 members should apply for membership as the first step in their ESPR DPP implementation.

GS1 Digital Link is a web URI standard that encodes GS1 product identifiers (GTINs, GLNs, SSCCs) into URLs that can be resolved to product information. A GS1 Digital Link URL for an ESPR DPP has the format: https://[domain]/01/[GTIN]/21/[serial-number] where 01 is the GS1 Application Identifier for GTIN and 21 is the Application Identifier for serial number. The URL resolves to the DPP data endpoint when scanned. GS1 Digital Link is the recommended data carrier format for ESPR DPPs because it provides a standardised, globally interoperable way to link physical products to their digital information. Manufacturers that already use GS1 barcodes for their products can extend their existing GS1 infrastructure to support GS1 Digital Link for ESPR DPP compliance.