Do I need a QR code on my product by 2027?

What Sunrise 2027 is

Sunrise 2027 is GS1's global target for retail point-of-sale systems to be able to read 2D barcodes (QR codes and GS1 DataMatrix) by December 31, 2027. It's a voluntary, industry-led readiness goal, not a law and not enforced by any regulator. Your 1D UPC or EAN barcode does not become invalid on that date, or any date after it — nothing stops working.

What it isn't

As of this writing, no major retailer has announced a supplier requirement forcing brands to add a 2D barcode to general-merchandise packaging. Sunrise 2027 is a target for what checkout hardware and software should be capable of reading, not a rule about what you must print. If a vendor tells you 2027 is a hard deadline for your product line and you're not in one of the regulated categories below, ask them to point to the specific retailer requirement — as of now, there generally isn't one for general merchandise.

Brands that do add a 2D code during the transition are expected to keep printing their existing 1D barcode alongside it — see our dual marking guide — until most point-of-sale hardware supports 2D. GS1's own materials describe that crossover happening gradually as retailers upgrade scanners, not on a fixed calendar date for suppliers.

Where a real legal deadline does exist

A small number of categories have genuine, binding requirements — worth knowing if your product falls into one:

• US pharmaceuticals (FDA DSCSA): serialized GS1 DataMatrix codes are required on prescription drug packaging; a small-dispenser exemption is set to end November 27, 2026.
• EU Digital Product Passport (ESPR): a legally binding, category-by-category rollout. Batteries are first, with a deadline of February 18, 2027; textiles and furniture follow around 2027–28, electronics through 2030. The QR code is the expected carrier, and GS1 Digital Link is a recommended (not mandated) way to build it.

Outside pharma and EU-regulated product categories, we're not aware of a general legal requirement tying your barcode format to a 2027 date. If that changes — a major retailer publishes a supplier mandate, for instance — that would be the real starting gun, and we'll update this page when it happens.

So why would I bother before I have to?

Two honest reasons, neither of them fear-based. First, adoption is genuinely underway: retailer pilots are live in dozens of countries and point-of-sale hardware capable of reading 2D codes keeps climbing — being ready early costs little and avoids a rushed relabel later if a retailer you sell through does eventually ask for it. Second, a 2D code is useful today, independent of any deadline — it can open a product page, an ingredients list, or care instructions on a customer's phone, something your existing UPC can't do. If neither reason moves you yet, waiting is a perfectly reasonable choice.

What we couldn't verify

We're being specific about dates and requirements above based on GS1's and regulators' own published materials as of mid-2026. Retailer-by-retailer supplier requirements change, and we haven't independently confirmed every major retailer's current position — if you sell into a specific large retailer, check their supplier portal directly rather than relying on this page alone for that relationship.