GTIN
Colloquially, many know GTIN as a barcode, but technically, GTIN is the number found beneath the barcode symbol itself, and can therefore also be used for other technologies such as 2D barcodes and RFID tags.
Colloquially, many know GTIN as a barcode, but technically, GTIN is the number found beneath the barcode symbol itself, and can therefore also be used for other technologies such as 2D barcodes and RFID tags.
With more than 600 registered attendees—250 in person and the rest online—the beautiful premises at the Carlsberg Museum & Business Centre in Copenhagen were packed with curious and expectant people for this year's GS1 Forum 2023. They had come to learn how the rules for extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging will affect their businesses in the coming years.
At 9:00 AM, Martin Ankerstjerne, the day's moderator, was ready to welcome everyone to a day full of speeches, presentations, and inspiration on how it is actually possible to turn the new packaging regulations into a competitive advantage rather than just a burden.
The first speakers to take the stage in front of the packed hall were Thomas Bangsgaard and Lise Larsen from the Danish Environmental Protection Agency. They provided an update on when the implementation of producer responsibility is expected to be in place. Next, lifestyle expert Anne Glad gave a wake-up call about the importance of being an environmentally responsible company. Because, as she put it, that is what the younger generation wants.
"91% of Danes want a lifestyle that considers the climate and the environment. That is a huge potential," she urged the curious faces in the audience.
And if you want to remain relevant to future consumers, who are highly climate-conscious, it is wise to meet them on their own terms.
"Because it suddenly becomes a competitive parameter to make it easy to choose sustainably," said Anne Glad.
During the first break of the day, there was an opportunity to grab a cup of coffee and visit some of the many stands set up for the occasion. Several companies showcased solutions for, among other things, what future packaging might look like and how technical solutions for packaging management will take shape. Attendees could also chat with the collective scheme VANA, which participated to explain their role in relation to producer responsibility.
VANA was the next participant on stage after the break. Rikke Halkjær Kristensen explained the framework and requirements of producer responsibility and how it is actually possible to turn it into a competitive advantage. Rikke shared the same message as Anne Glad: consumers today are very conscious of wanting to live more sustainably.
"People actually want to be able to see in their trash bin at home that they have less packaging," Rikke explained.
Andreas Schjølin from the IT company ATEA and Trine Schmidt from MC Emballage teamed up for the next presentation on how Atea, among others—with their approach to IT infrastructure—has been named a Climate Leader by the Financial Times. Trine from MC Emballage talked about how they help companies on a daily basis, for example, by replacing their packaging with more sustainable solutions.
"At Mikkelsen Electronics, we went in and replaced their EPS filler, or Styrofoam as it's commonly called. We switched it to paper filler, which is 100% recycled paper. And that results in a much lower CO2 footprint," she explained.
After lunch, which consisted of smørrebrød provided by Aamanns, attendees heard from Marie Thea Hentze and Per Runchel from GS1. They spoke about some of the services and tools that GS1 can contribute in the short term, in the form of a free starter kit from GS1, so you can get started with mapping your packaging materials and quantities. And then they unveiled GS1Trade Packaging, which will be launched in 2024 as a new service designed to make it easy for GS1 members to report packaging data to authorities and collective schemes.
Watch the video about GS1Trade Packaging below.
At the end of the afternoon, the floor was opened to the audience, who had plenty of questions for the expert panel on stage, consisting of representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency, VANA, MC Emballage, and GS1. One of the questions directed at the Environmental Protection Agency concerned how small businesses can find the resources to comply with the extended producer responsibility for packaging.
- You already have records of how much you sell. That’s where you can start. Then you need to figure out how much packaging accompanies your products when you sell them—and what types. That is the beginning of your packaging accounting. It’s about building on what you already have. But start now and take it in small steps. That is probably our best advice, replied Lise Larsen.
Once the Q&A session concluded, it was time to hear from a new group of experts who discussed and provided perspectives on why data will be a key parameter for succeeding with producer responsibility. For about 45 minutes, Per Ahlmann and Mads Kibsgaard from GS1 were joined by Rikke from VANA and Niels Jensen from MLDK. Together, they provided further perspective on extended producer responsibility for packaging, discussing, among other things, how to ensure that data flows freely between different companies so that requirements and regulations can still be met, even with international operations in mind.
Finally, the audience experienced a somewhat unconventional wrap-up when rapper, author, and performer Per Vers had nine minutes to rap about what he had observed from his seat at the back of the room, where he had been sitting since the morning to follow the conference. With swaying beats and a steady stream of rhymes, he rounded off the day to a standing ovation from an enthusiastic audience, who, after seven hours of conferencing, could step out into the cold winter weather with a wealth of new knowledge or stay at the bar for an after-work drink.
We would like to thank all participants for their great engagement and excellent questions (over 80 in total). It made for an educational day for competitiveness and the climate, as well as for the value of doing things in a standardized way—including when it comes to exchanging packaging data.
All presentations from the day were recorded, so you can watch or re-watch them whenever it suits you. You can also download the speakers' presentations and see more photos from the day.
GS1Trade Image provides professional marketing and planogram images that meet retailers' requirements and imaging guidelines.
If you want to create your own product photos, we can also help you get certified.
GS1Trade Sync is a data pool for product data exchange that your trading partners can access.
GS1Trade Sync streamlines data exchange between trading partners because data only needs to be entered in one place. This increases the quality of product data and creates value for you - and the entire value chain.
GS1Trade Packaging is a packaging data system that gathers your packaging data in one place. The system ensures efficient collection, structuring, and declaration of packaging data, and makes it easy to exchange packaging data with other companies.
GS1Trade Exact ensures the quality of your product data. All physical products are checked against the data registered in GS1Trade Sync.
With this service, you get verified and quality-assured data that benefits the entire supply chain.
GS1Trade Transact handles the digital receipt of orders and the sending of documents to your customers. You can choose whether to integrate it with your financial system or access it online.
GTIN (also known as EAN) stands for “Global Trade Item Number” and is the number sequence shown beneath a barcode symbol.
GTIN (EAN) is a global standard used to uniquely identify digital and physical products, allowing the barcode to be scanned anywhere in the world throughout the supply chain.
A GLN (also known as EAN) allows you to uniquely identify physical, functional, legal, or digital entities. This can include the sender, receiver, buyer, seller, supplier, manufacturer, delivery location, billing location, store, or internal departments.
