About GS1 | Trust starts with traceability

What is GS1?

GS1 Denmark is the Danish division of the global standardisation organisation GS1.

We offer standards and services that support all operators in creating a more efficient, secure and sustainable supply chain. This can involve anything from implementing barcodes and tracking products and shipments - to exchanging master data, purchase orders and invoices.

The barcode turns 50 and is changing our lives - again

The barcode, which we know from virtually all products and goods we encounter in our everyday lives, turns 50 years old. What started as a desire to shorten the lines in the supermarket has since - and without most people noticing - evolved to play a major role in food and patient safety. Not just in Denmark, but all over the world.

Now the familiar row of vertical lines is facing a new look and a new desire. To contribute to the development of the circular economy and society's green transition.

1973

On April 3, 1973, industry leaders in the U.S. grocery sector created the 12-digit Universal Product Code (UPC barcode) - an innovation that has since transformed the modern economy and society.

1974

The U.S. Uniform Code Council (UCC) was appointed as the administrator of the new Universal Product Code (UPC) barcode. On June 26, at a Marsh supermarket in Ohio, a pack of Wrigley’s chewing gum became the first product in the world to be scanned using a barcode.

1977

The European Article Numbering Association (EAN) was established in Brussels as an international, not-for-profit standards organisation. The new EAN barcode was fully compatible with the U.S. UPC barcode. EAN Denmark was established on June 14, 1977.

1995

GS1 enters the healthcare sector, implementing standards to improve patient safety, enhance supply chain efficiency, and strengthen the identification and traceability of medical products.

en sygeplejerske der ser på en patient i en seng

2000

At the start of the new millennium, GS1 is present in 90 countries. LE@N, an internet service that enables companies to exchange electronic orders and invoices with other internet-based users, is established by GS1 Denmark.

2002

GS1's Global Standards Management Process (GSMP) is launched, which provides neutral ground for the industry to discuss common business challenges and establish new standardized based solutions for their companies.

2003

EPCglobal, Inc. is established to develop standards for the Electronic Product Code (EPC) and to support the use of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology. These standards are adopted particularly in the healthcare sector, as well as in the fashion and technical industries.

Electronic invoicing to the public sector is introduced via EAN. The first pharmaceutical packages are scanned in Denmark, and a pilot project for bedside scanning based on GS1 standards takes place at Frederiksberg Hospital.

2004

GS1 DataMatrix is approved as the first two-dimensional barcode adopted by GS1. GS1 Global Data Synchronization Network (GS1 GDSN) is also launched, enabling companies to seamlessly share high-quality product information across countries and continents.

2005

UCC and EAN merge to form one global organisation with 101 local GS1 member organisations. As a result, many well-known standards are renamed: the EAN location number becomes GLN, and the EAN product number becomes GTIN. EAN Denmark becomes GS1 Denmark.

2011

The Falsified Medicines Directive is adopted, requiring certain medicinal products to be labelled with a unique GS1 2D barcode. At the same time, Directive 1169 is adopted, ensuring that digital consumers are not placed at a disadvantage compared to physical consumers.

2013

GS1 receives accreditation from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) as an issuing agency for Unique Device Identifiers (UDI), used to globally and uniquely identify medical devices.

2016

In Denmark, LE@N is upgraded to the GS1Trade Transact service, and the BBC names the GS1 barcode as one of the 50 things that made the modern economy.

2017

GS1Trade Exact and GS1Trade Image are integrated with GS1Trade Sync, offering data quality validation and product photography services. GS1 also enters the financial sector as an accredited issuer of Legal Entity Identifiers (LEI), which uniquely identify companies participating in financial transactions.

2019

The GS1 Registry Platform (GRP) is established as a platform for GS1 Company Prefixes (GCP), GTINs (barcode numbers), and Global Location Numbers (GLN). Verified by GS1 operates on this platform, enabling brand owners to share trusted product data with retailers and marketplaces.

2020

In Denmark, GS1Trade Activate is launched. Connected to the GS1 Registry Platform, it supports Verified by GS1 and provides a digital overview of a company’s GTINs and GLNs. At the same time, the GS1 Digital Link standard is introduced, using QR codes to connect consumers with product information, promotions, ingredients, and recipes.

2021

GS1 supports the industry with the ambition to enable the scanning of two-dimensional barcodes - QR codes and GS1 DataMatrix - at retail points of sale worldwide by the end of 2027. At the same time, a Norwegian pilot project demonstrates that 2D barcodes are highly effective in reducing food waste.

2022

Digital product passports are introduced as part of a new EU regulatory framework under the green agenda. A key requirement is that product passports must be based on open and interoperable standards. A joint report by the WTO and the World Economic Forum also highlights that GS1’s product and location identification improves global trade by making it more efficient, inclusive, and sustainable.

2023

GS1 celebrates the 50th anniversary of the barcode together with its 116 member organisations worldwide. More than one billion products now carry GS1 barcodes, which are scanned over six billion times every day around the world.

What are GS1 standards?

GS1 standards provide a global, common language to identify, capture and share quality-assured data.

Our standards can help ensure traceability on anything, be it a liter of semi-skimmed milk, a medicinal product, a pallet, a container, a hospital bed, or a location such as a factory, a warehouse, a shop, a restaurant or even a field.

Our employees

"We Love Standards" - and so should you.

It's no secret that GS1 employees are the biggest supporters of standards and standardized approaches.

This makes them some of the most competent standardisation experts who daily advise large and small companies and organisations in Denmark as well as abroad.