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GS1 Story

It all begun with a barcode

Beep! On 26 June 1974, a packet of chewing gum became the first barcoded product to be scanned in store. Today, barcodes play a crucial supply chain role, ensuring products hit retail shelves at the right times.

We manage the barcode standard used by retailers, manufacturers and suppliers. If you want to put a barcode on an item that can be scanned anywhere in the world, you need to talk to us.

But although our story started with the barcode, our standards have evolved to reflect and influence the world in which we live and work.

They boost efficiency in many sectors, from retail and health to transport and logistics. Always working for our members, we’re opening doors and driving down the costs of doing business. 

How we got here

Over the last 40 years, we’ve opened offices in over 100 countries and amassed more than a million members using supply chain standards that make business easier. Learn about key dates in our history.

  • 1973:   The barcode standard is agreed

    Industry leaders in the US select a single standard for product identification. Still used today, it’s known as the GS1 barcode.

  • 1974:   The first barcode is scanned

    The U.S.-based Uniform Code Council (UCC) is appointed as administrator of the new Universal Product Code (U.P.C) barcode. On 26 June—in a Marsh supermarket located in Ohio—a pack of Wrigley’s gum becomes the first product in the world to be scanned with a barcode.

  • 1977:   The GS1 system is launched

    The European Article Numbering (EAN) Association — later called GS1 — opens an office in Brussels. Its founding members launch an identification system to improve supply chain efficiency.

  • 1983:   Barcodes are used on wholesale multi-packs

    As barcodes have proved their reliability and usefulness in real-world environments, they are extended and used on product outer cases.

  • 1989:   GS1 moves beyond barcodes

    GS1 publishes its first international standard for electronic data interchange (EDI), creating an efficient, secure and automated way for trading partners to seamlessly exchange information and communicate with one another.

  • 1990:   Responsibilities grow

    The US and international arms of GS1 come together formally, creating a single organisation with a presence in 45 countries.

  • 1995:   First healthcare standards created

    GS1 expands into the healthcare sector, deploying standards to increase patient safety, drive supply chain efficiencies—and improve the identification and traceability of medical products.

  • 1999:   The GS1 DataBar arrives

    Specifications for the GS1 Data-bar are approved. These “reduced space” and stacked barcodes can identify small items like jewelry and fresh foods—and carry more information than traditional barcodes.

  • 2000:   90th local office opens

    At the start of the new millennium, GS1 is present in 90 countries, and

  • 2002:   Global standards forum launched

    GS1’s Global Standards Management Process (GSMP)is launched, providing a neutral setting for industry to discuss common business challenges and establish new standards-based solutions for their businesses.

  • 2003:   EPC Global

    EPC global, Inc. is formed to innovate and develop standards for the Electronic Product Code (EPC) and to support the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, ultimately improving inventory accuracy and increasing supply chain visibility.

  • 2004:   The first standard for RFID is created

    ~With Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Chips becoming more common, we create a standard for their implementation and use.

    ~The GS1 Data-matrix is approved and is the first two-dimensional barcode adopted by GS1.

    ~The GS1 Global Data Synchronization Network (GS1 GDSN) is launched. This product data network makes it possible for any company, anywhere, to seamlessly share high-quality product information.

  • 2005:   GS1 in Ecommerce

    GS1 builds a new global strategy to respond to the demands of digital, omni-channel commerce, including ratification of their first “digital” standard.

  • 2006:   GS1 is ISO Certified

    GS1 launches the first global traceability standard, paving the way for improved supply chain interoperability and transparency.

  • 2010:   GS1 enters the business-to-consumer world

    As ecommerce grows, we begin to create open standards that give consumers direct access to key product information.

  • 2013:   A 40-year celebration

    With a presence in over 100 countries and more than a million members, we celebrate 40 years of the global language of business.

    GS1 receives accreditation by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) as an issuing agency for the unique identifiers (UDIs) used to globally and uniquely identify medical devices.

  • 2014:   GS1 enters the business-to-consumer world

    As ecommerce grows, we begin to create open standards that give consumers direct access to key product information.

  • 2016:   World Economy

    The BBC names the GS1 barcode one of “the 50 things that made the world economy”.

  • 2018:   LEI

    GS1 expands into the financial sector as an accredited issuer of Legal Entity Identifiers (LEIs), the codes that uniquely identify companies participating in financial transactions.

  • 2019:   GS1 Global registry

    The GS1 Registry Platform (GRP) is established as a trusted source of GS1 Company Prefixes (GCPs), GTINs (or barcode numbers) and GS1 Global Location Numbers (GLNs). Verified by GS1 makes it possible for users to leverage the platform: brand owners can share basic data about their products and retailers and marketplaces can verify the identity of the products they sell.

  • 2020:   Digital Link

    The GS1 Digital Link standard leverages QR codes to help connect consumers to rich amounts of brand-authorized data on the web, including product information, promotions, ingredients, recipes—and more.

  • 2021:   2D migration

    GS1 supports industry with an ambition to read two-dimensional barcodes—QR codes and GS1 Data-matrix barcodes—at retail points-of-sale around the world by the end of 2027.

  • 2022:   Sustainabilty

    A joint World Trade Organisation and World Economic Forum report outlines the power of GS1 product and location identification to make cross-border trade more efficient, inclusive and sustainable.

  • 2023:   GS1 @50

    GS1 supports industry with an ambition to read two-dimensional barcodes—QR codes and GS1 Data-matrix barcodes—at retail points-of-sale around the world by the end of 2027.