The sound of a beep at the checkout counter. The GS1 barcode launched a digital revolution that forever changed the way the world does business. With a simple scan a product could be identified and connected to a computerised system.

Companies of all sizes need barcode numbers to correctly identify and sell their products in stores or online. The power of the data captured through the barcode is helping to solve large and complex industry challenges.

Consumers, patients, business partners and regulators are demanding more and better product data than ever before—but complex and costly data exchange processes are producing a surge in low-quality data.

GS1 empowers industry’s digital transformation by enabling businesses to create a digital version of a product that is as good as the physical one. Ultimately, consumers and patients will benefit from increased product transparency and the seamless experiences that this brings.

GS1 standards are the most widely used system of standards in the world. By enabling the sharing of trusted quality data everywhere, they tell the story behind products—where they originated, what they contain and where they have been during their supply-chain journey. This, in turn, removes friction between business partners and improves performance and safety across the entire supply chain.

GS1 is a neutral, global collaboration platform that brings industry leaders, government, regulators, academia, and associations together to develop standards-based solutions to address the challenges of data exchange. Our scale and reach—local Member Organisations in 115 countries, over two million user companies and 6 billion transactions every day—helps ensure that there is a common language of business across the globe.

We work with organisations of every size. Over two million are part of GS1—from international household names to small, local businesses. Designed by consensus, our standards are proven, open and benefit from collaboration with respected global companies.