What is GS1 Digital Link
GS1 Digital Link is a GS1 standard that writes GS1 identifiers, such as a GTIN, batch and serial number, as an ordinary web address. Encoded in a QR code, the address opens a page in a phone camera, and software that knows the standard can read the identifiers from it, even offline.
This lets one code play several roles at once: data carrier for the Digital Product Passport, a link for the customer and an identifier for warehouses, repairers and recyclers.
How the address is built
A sample GS1 Digital Link URI for one battery looks like this:
https://id.yourcompany.com/01/05901234123457/21/00127
| Part | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Domain | The server that redirects to the passport: yours or your service provider's. |
/01/ | GTIN, the Global Trade Item Number, written as 14 digits. Identifies the product model. |
/10/ | Batch number, when the passport is kept per batch. |
/21/ | Serial number, which identifies a single item. |
The keys match the passport levels in ESPR: model, batch and item (Article 9(2)(d)). Battery passports are kept for each battery individually, so the battery URI contains a serial number.
Why GS1 in a product passport
- Standards compliance. The Batteries Regulation requires a QR code and identifier compliant with ISO/IEC 15459 (Article 77(3)). ESPR Annex III names the same standards and explicitly lists the global trade identification number, i.e. the GTIN. GS1 is an issuing agency for identifiers under ISO/IEC 15459.
- Globally unique. A GTIN is unique worldwide, not just within your system.
- No app needed. A phone camera opens the address like any other link.
- The identifier is yours. You assign GTINs under your own company prefix, so the product keeps them even if you change system provider.
Where to get a GTIN
Manufacturers assign GTINs under a company prefix obtained from their national GS1 organisation, which in Poland is GS1 Polska. If your products already carry EAN-13 barcodes, you have GTINs: it is the same number, padded with a leading zero to 14 digits in a GS1 Digital Link URI.
A product without a GTIN can still have a passport in PassTrace. It then gets a permanent passport address instead of a GS1 Digital Link URI.
How to prepare the code for print
- Download the code as vector SVG so it stays sharp when scaled.
- Leave an empty margin around the code. For a QR code that is at least four modules (ISO/IEC 18004).
- Keep the contrast high: a dark code on a light background.
- On a battery the code must be visible, legible and indelible, printed or engraved (Article 13(7) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542).
- Before series production, scan a test print with several phones under the actual lighting conditions.
What happens after scanning
The phone opens the address and a server called a resolver redirects to the right page: the passport of the item, batch or model. The GS1 standard also defines link types, so the same code can lead to, for example, a user manual or recycling information.
In PassTrace every product with a GTIN gets a GS1 Digital Link code with a batch or serial number. The passport page works without logging in or installing an app, in Polish and English, and product data is also published in the GS1 Web Vocabulary (JSON-LD). See a sample passport.
Frequently asked questions
Can any QR code be used for a passport?
A QR code is only the carrier. What matters is the identifier it holds: it must be unique and comply with the standards named in the rules, such as ISO/IEC 15459. A plain link to a product page without such an identifier may not meet the requirements.
Does GS1 Digital Link replace the EAN barcode?
It does not have to. Both can be on the product at the same time: EAN-13 for existing scanners and a GS1 Digital Link QR code for phones and the passport. Both hold the same GTIN.
Does every item need its own code?
Yes, if the passport is at item level, because each item has a different serial number in the URI. That is the case for batteries. With a model-level passport, one code covers all units.
Can I change the page the code leads to?
Yes, without reprinting. The code holds a permanent identifier, and the resolver decides where to redirect. The condition is that the domain encoded in the code keeps working.
Sources
- GS1 Digital Link, a GS1 standard
- GS1 Poland: GTIN numbers and company prefixes
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 concerning batteries and waste batteries
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 (ESPR) on ecodesign requirements for sustainable products
This guide is based on the texts of acts published in the Official Journal of the EU and is not legal advice.