BARCODE @50

GS1 is a neutral, non-profit organisation that provides global standards for efficient business communication.

We are best known for the barcode, named in 2016 by the BBC as one of “the 50 things that made the world economy.”

GS1 standards improve the efficiency, safety and visibility of supply chains across physical and digital channels in 25 sectors.

We enable organisations of all types and sizes to identify, capture and share information seamlessly. Our scale and reach – local Member Organisations in 116 countries, more than 2 million user companies and 6 billion transactions every day, help ensure that GS1 standards create a common language that supports systems and processes across the globe.

50 years ago, on 3 April 1973, the GS1 barcode was created and forever changed the way we shop.

Though now a part of everyday life around the world, the universal barcode is often taken for granted or even ignored.

We propose a global 50th anniversary campaign to celebrate the barcode and GS1 while looking toward the future. The future starts with 2D barcodes but will certainly go beyond this.

As the barcode turns 50, next-generation barcodes, such as two dimensional QR codes, promise to once again change our lives in new ways.

These new codes can capture unprecedented amounts of trusted data for businesses, regulators, consumers, and patients alike, offering much more than just links to webpages.

They can tell a product’s “story”, where it comes from, if it contains allergens, is organic, how it can be recycled and what its environmental footprint is. This new level of transparency will ultimately help people make smart decisions about what they buy and use.

To usher in this new reality, GS1 is building a coalition of industry leaders to deploy next generation barcodes around the world.

GS1, the organisation behind the barcode, has evolved over the last five decades, from a standards organisation towards a standards and services organisation currently present in 116 markets.

More and more, GS1 is empowering businesses of all sizes take their digital transformation journey to the next level, ultimately benefiting consumers and patients.

About GS1 Ghana

GS1 Ghana was established in May 2006 and has since issued GTINs to over 2000 companies in Ghana and other West African countries for the generation of barcodes thereby facilitating the sale of consumer goods in the local and international markets. If the 13-digit number beneath the barcode on a product you buy starts with 603, then be assured that it was issued by GS1 Ghana.

GS1 Ghana operates in partnership with GEPA, GSA, AGI, GEA, Supermarkets, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Health to empower industry’s digital transformation to ultimately benefit consumers and patients.