GS1 Italy: Powering Transparency and Smarter Supply Chains

What is GS1 Italy?

GS1 Italy (IT) is the official organization responsible for implementing and promoting global GS1 standards across Italian industries. These standards help businesses uniquely identify products, locations, and assets, making it simpler to share accurate data and operate efficient supply chains.

As a non-profit organization, GS1 IT supports over 42,000 companies, especially in the Fast-moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector. Its tools and services help enhance product visibility, optimize business processes, and strengthen communication between trading partners.

Beyond barcodes, GS1 IT offers solutions for traceability, digital product information, regulatory compliance, and sustainability labeling. These services help companies meet EU rules, build consumer trust, and share standardized data across the global markets.

Whether you are handling a startup or a large brand, the organization makes it easier to adapt to digital transformation, support e-commerce, and contribute to a more transparent trade ecosystem.
 
Address: Via Pietro Paleocapa, 7 20121 Milan, Italy
Contact no: + 39 02 777 2121
Email: info@gs1it.org

Introduced initiatives and collaborated campaigns

GS1 IT actively collaborates with industry partners to enhance supply chain transparency, drive digital innovation, and promote global standards adoption.

Barcode 4 Environment

GS1 Italy introduced Barcode 4 Environment, a smart web app that helps companies share verified environmental data about their products using GS1 standards, such as barcodes and GS1 Digital URI.

It supports businesses that use LCA (Life Cycle Assessment), PEF (Product Environmental Footprint), or EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) methodologies by simplifying the transfer of complex sustainability data into easy-to-read insights that end consumers can access from their phones.

This initiative was developed through a collaborative campaign coordinated by GS1 Italy within the ECR Italia framework. It brought together major consumer goods companies, such as Ferrero, Carlsberg, Coop Italia, and others, along with academic experts from Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna of Pisa.

The result of this collaboration is that the developed platform demonstrates best practices in environmental communication and encourages companies to adopt standardized approaches to measuring and sharing product impact.

By focusing on technological innovation and fulfilling regulatory expectations, GS1 IT facilitates smarter, more transparent supply chains.

Circol-UP

To support circularity in the FMCG sector, GS1 IT introduced Circol-UP, a web-based measurement tool that assesses how circular a company’s product life cycle really is. 

By answering 60 targeted questions across stages like procurement, design, production, and waste management, businesses get tailored KPIs that showcase their strengths and areas that need improvement.

This empowers companies to make smarter, more sustainable decisions while optimizing resource use.
Circol-UP tool accommodates key FMCG sectors, including retail, food and beverage, and personal care, making it widely applicable. Through this initiative, GS1 IT fosters collaboration and transparency, helping brands transition from linear models to circular systems with measurable impact.

Partnership with Alibaba Italia

GS1 IT partnered with Alibaba Italia to help Italian brands improve their presence on Chinese e-commerce platforms by adopting GS1 standards. This collaboration is aimed at standardizing product information, making it simpler for Chinese consumers to find, compare, and buy Italian goods confidently.

Through joint marketing and educational efforts, GS1 IT supported companies in implementing tools such as Allineo for data synchronization and Immagino for digital content management. 

Partnering for a sustainable supply chain

In 2024, GS1 IT strengthened its focus on sustainable practices through two strategic collaborations: Ecogentra and Sostenibilità nelle categorie. These initiatives aim to support businesses in reducing environmental impact by promoting circular economy practices and improving transparency across product lifecycles.

By providing tools like Circol-Up, Ecologistico2, and Eco-logicamente, GS1 IT empowers companies to optimize logistics and more effectively communicate environmental labeling.

GS1 IT also supports the Digital Product Passports (DPP), part of the EU’s Ecodesign rules. By using GS1’s global standards, this system helps companies track product data, meet regulations, and avoid using fragmented solutions.

These initiatives improved traceability, decreased logistics errors, and ensured regulatory compliance, boosting supply chain transparency and trust in cross-border trade.

Academic insights for efficient supply chains

In 2024, GS1 IT Academy launched the Percorso Logistica Collaborativa (Collaborative Logistics Path) course, designed to shape the future of supply chain management through shared knowledge and practical innovation. The program is developed in partnership with Politecnico di Milano and ECR Italia.

It blends academic insights with real-world case studies, offering participants tools to analyze models, interpret logistics data, and discover actionable solutions for collaborative efficiency.

This initiative reflects GS1 IT’s commitment to building a more integrated and responsive logistics ecosystem. The Academy fosters collaboration among producers, retailers, and logistics operators to empower businesses to solve challenges like delivery punctuality and slot booking optimization. It builds the foundation for more efficient supply chains.

GS1 IT services for businesses

The GS1 member organization provides a range of services to foster innovation across your business processes.

Codifico(I encode)

Codifico is a free tool included in GS1 IT’s annual membership that lets businesses easily assign EAN numbers and generate barcodes like GTIN-8, GTIN-13, UPC-12, and GTIN-14. It helps create digital product data needed for market entry, including barcode images, without extra cost or complexity.

Once registered, the product’s GTIN and key attributes are automatically published on the GS1 Registry Platform, forming its digital identity.

Through ‘Verified by GS1’, customers and partners can confirm the authenticity and uniqueness of your product data, barcode, and image, ensuring trust and transparency across the supply chain.

Immagino(I imagine) and Immagino Mex

Immagino and Immagino Mex are GS1 IT services that help businesses digitize product packaging and streamline retail operations. 

Immagino captures high-quality images and extracts label data, such as ingredients, nutrition facts, and certifications, to ensure regulation-compliant content for e-commerce, flyers, and digital catalogs. With a database of over 140,000 products and 1 million images, it enables fast, accurate sharing of verified product information across digital channels.

Immagino Mex benefits businesses by simplifying the creation of digital planograms. It provides low-resolution visuals and key product details from the Immagino database, allowing users to search by category, GTIN, or description and download content in formats compatible with major planogram software. 

Together, these tools save time, reduce costs, and ensure consistent, up-to-date product representation across retail and supplier networks.

ALLINEO(Align)

Allineo helps businesses share accurate product data like dimensions and labels between manufacturers and distributors using the global GS1 GDSN standard. This ensures real-time updates and eliminates errors in technical and commercial product sheets.

Allineo streamlines data exchange, improves quality checks, and accelerates time-to-market. It supports compliance with EU regulations and offers optional services like data entry and error correction for Italian suppliers.

BRINDO

Brindo is a digital labeling service designed for wine producers and distributors. It helps create QR codes with GS1 Digital Link that, when printed on bottles, give consumers easy access to product details like nutrition, ingredients, sustainability, and responsible consumption, meeting EU Regulation 2021/2117 requirements.

The platform also provides high-quality bottle photography, automatic product pages, and secure data hosting, all managed by GS1 IT. While Brindo simplifies regulatory compliance and transparency, businesses can also choose third-party solutions, such as QR Tiger, for more customizable product pages and branding flexibility.

ONE

It is a centralized platform that automatically gathers product data (like labels, logistics, and images) from multiple sources into a single easy-to-use system. It offers a unified, customizable data model that helps businesses access, compare, and update product information.

With over 100,000 products and advanced search filters, ONE simplifies data management for manufacturers, retailers, and service providers. Users can export product sheets in various formats or integrate data directly via APIs, making operations faster, more accurate, and aligned with GS1 standards.

ALLINEO MED

This advanced information management tool is dedicated to healthcare products (especially medical devices). It makes uploading data to the main healthcare databases easy, accurate, and quick.

VEICOLO(vehicle)

Veicolo is a digital solution that replaces paper-based delivery processes with real-time proof of delivery. It uses standard formats (DESADV and RECADV) to share delivery updates, documents, and electronic signatures across suppliers, transporters, and retailers, making logistic operations faster, compliant, and more transparent, and compliant.

The service supports a mobile app and a web platform, allowing transporters to track shipments, record events, and confirm deliveries digitally. It enhances data accuracy, speeds up invoicing, and supports integration with existing systems, helping businesses reduce errors and save time.

PROCEDO(I proceed)

This web-based EDI service lets suppliers and clients exchange commercial documents (like orders, invoices, and shipping notices) securely and digitally. It supports standard formats (EANCOM and EURITMO), helping businesses save time, reduce errors, and improve traceability.

No software changes are needed, and even companies with low invoice volumes can use it easily. With 650 companies connected and over 330,000 documents exchanged, Procedo simplifies communication across the supply chain.

Eco-logicamente(eco-logically)

Eco-logicamente is a digital labeling service helping businesses share environmental packaging information with consumers. By scanning a QR code containing a GS1 Digital URI on product packaging, users can access disposal instructions and sustainability details instantly without needing an app.

The platform is ready-to-use and requires minimal setup. It supports compliance with Italy’s mandatory environmental labeling laws and allows companies to add additional content like usage tips or marketing messages, all through a single GS1 QR code.

Like Brindo, Eco-logicamente focuses on delivering specific information, in this case, packaging and disposal guidance. Businesses looking to build more detailed product pages with more content can subscribe to GS1 solution partners that provide customizable options and expanded features.

If none of these services meet your specific needs, GS1 IT also offers access to solution partners who provide tailored tools and support for more advanced or customized requirements.

Applications of 2D barcodes across industries in Italy

One of the greatest changes since the inception of the barcode will happen in retail –the adoption of 2D barcodes by 2027. The expectation is that scanners in retail stores globally can read and process both traditional linear barcodes and new 2D codes.

The transition is not compulsory as of now.  The continued use of 1D barcodes remains valid until a regulatory or industry mandate requires a transition.

Once 2D barcodes have achieved universal adoption, brand owners and manufacturers will have options. They can use just the 2D barcode, keep using both the 2D and the regular barcode together, or stick with only the regular barcode used at checkout.

Companies can invest their resources and time to generate next-generation barcodes on their own. They must follow GS1’s implementation guidelines throughout this process.

If companies lack enough time, resources, or workforce to create GS1-compliant 2D barcodes, they can approach a reliable third-party service provider like QR Tiger’s GS1 QR code generator.

Here are some of the key applications of these codes across industries in Italy:

Logistics & Supply Chain

Logistics companies can use 2D barcodes to track goods from production to delivery. These barcodes carry key data like product codes, batch numbers, and delivery details, helping automate routing, reduce errors, and accelerate customs clearance.

GS1 IT’s Ecologistico² platform uses barcode data to measure CO₂ emissions per shipment.

Scan4Transport, a GS1 global standard, allows transport and logistics providers to encode key shipment data, like delivery address, hazardous goods info, and handling instructions directly into a 2D barcode on the logistics label. 

It enables faster, more accurate first and last mile operations, even without internet access, and enhances interoperability across supply chains by standardizing label formats and data capture.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Retailers are adopting 2D barcodes to make product packaging more informative and interactive. These 2D barcodes, like GS1 Digital Link QR code, let shoppers scan items to view details like ingredients, allergens, and eco-friendly features, strengthening transparency and trust.

Retailers are leveraging GS1-compliant 2D barcodes to enhance inventory management and point of sale (POS) operations. Unlike traditional barcodes, 2D formats encode richer data, such as manufacturer details, batch numbers, and expiry dates, within a compact symbol. 

This facilitates faster inventory tracking, more accurate recalls, and visibility into product movement, ultimately reducing waste and enhancing shelf availability.

Healthcare

The healthcare sector uses GS1 2D DataMatrix barcodes on all pharmaceutical packaging to enhance traceability and fight counterfeiting.

This system allows efficient checks and secure data sharing with EU databases. For manufacturers and Marketing Authorization Holders (MAHs), it means upgrading packaging lines and IT systems to stay compliant and ensure patient safety.

Fashion & Apparel

Fashion brands are using GS1 2D barcodes to track garments, possibly reduce counterfeiting, and optimize inventory more accurately. These barcodes help identify each item and track it through production and sales.

They are adopting GS1-compliant QR codes to support digital product passports, allowing shoppers to scan a label to see where a garment was made, what it's made of, and how to care for it. This helps brands meet upcoming EU sustainability rules and gives consumers more trust and transparency.

Driving Supply Chain Transparency Through Global Standards in Italy

GS1 Italy empowers businesses to build smarter, more transparent supply chains through globally recognized standards for product identification, traceability, and data sharing. Its services help companies streamline operations, meet regulatory requirements, and deliver trusted product information across every channel.

It supports digital transformation at every level, connecting producers, retailers, and consumers through verified, interoperable data. Registering GS1 IT ensures your business aligns with a future-ready ecosystem that values efficiency, authenticity, and sustainable growth in a rapidly evolving marketplace.

Frequently asked questions

How do I create and print barcode labels using my GTIN from GS1 IT?

You can generate barcode images for your GTIN using GS1 IT’s , a free tool included in annual membership; Codifico. It supports standard formats like EAN-13 and ensures quick, easy access to barcode visuals for labeling.

For correct label printing, you can follow the official GS1 size and layout guidelines provided in the Ten Steps to GS1 Barcode Implementation manual. GS1 IT also offers a verification service that allows retailers and manufacturers to verify product identity and barcode data using trusted information directly from brand owners.

Who can attend training courses by GS1 IT?

GS1 IT’s training courses are open to everyone, not just member companies. You can enrol whether you're part of a registered business, a non-member company, a consultant, or an ECR member.

ECR (Efficient Consumer Response) is a collaborative initiative between manufacturers and retailers aimed at improving supply chain efficiency, reducing costs, and delivering better value to consumers.

Even undergraduates interested in GS1 standards and supply chain topics can join. The courses are designed to support a wide range of professionals and learners looking to deepen their understanding of product identification, traceability, and industry best practices.

Do I need a new QR code if I update my GTIN?

Yes, if you change the GTIN encoded in the QR code, you must generate a new QR code. This ensures the code accurately reflects the updated product data.

Using an outdated QR code after changes can lead to the sharing of incorrect or misleading information. Regenerating the QR code keeps your product data consistent, reliable, and compliant with GS1 standards.

The GTIN embedded in the URL is static(unchangeable), the dynamic(can be changed) function on the QR code is only applicable to the web content and the links.

DISCLAIMER: We acknowledge that GS1, as well as the materials, proprietary items, and all related patents, copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property (collectively, “intellectual property”) relating to its use, are the property of GS1 Global, and that our use of the same shall be in accordance with the conditions provided by GS1 Global.