What Sunrise 2027 asks for
Sunrise 2027 is a target date, not a switch-off date. The goal is that point-of-sale systems in US retail can scan 2D barcodes by the end of 2027, so brands can start printing them on consumer products with confidence that checkouts will read them.
It is an industry initiative led by GS1 US rather than a government mandate. The formats in focus are QR codes carrying GS1 Digital Link and GS1 DataMatrix.
What happens to UPC barcodes
Linear barcodes such as UPC-A are expected to stay on packs alongside 2D codes during the transition. Many retailers and brands are running pilots in which a product carries both a UPC and a 2D code, and the timeline for relying on 2D codes alone is not fixed.
Why brands care
A 2D code can hold much more than a GTIN: batch numbers, expiry dates and serial numbers support recalls, freshness checks and traceability. With GS1 Digital Link, the same QR code also opens a web page for shoppers, which reduces the number of codes a package needs.