English
Deutsch
Français
Polski
Dutch
Swedish
GS1 / PPWR / DPP
The Power of Three: Transforming Today's Standards and Regulations into Your Competitive Advantage
As a certified GS1 Solution Partner, Koenig & Bauer Coding provides tailored marking and coding solutions that enable you to turn the requirements of these closely interconnected standards and regulations into a competitive advantage.
Packaging Transformation
GS1 Sunrise, PPWR and DPP are more than just new acronyms, they represent a fundamental shift toward a digitally connected and more sustainable product ecosystem. They are redefining the rules for businesses across virtually every industry. Companies that act now will not only be prepared to meet future regulatory requirements but also lay the foundation for greater efficiency, transparency, and long-term competitiveness. The packaging transformation is both a challenge and an opportunity.
Organizations that embrace this transformation early can ensure compliance, streamline internal processes, and create lasting value for retailers, consumers and the environment.
The future of packaging starts today.
Your Journey to Future-Ready Packaging Starts Now
- GS1 Sunrise
The Technology Foundation: The traditional linear barcode (1D) is being replaced worldwide by data-rich 2D codes (QR Codes and DataMatrix codes), enabling significantly more product information to be stored and accessed. Deadline: December 31, 2027 (Global POS readiness)
- PPWR (EU-Verpackungsverordnung)
The Physical Framework: Focused on waste prevention, full recyclability, and the mono-material principle to support a circular economy.
Deadlines: August 12, 2026 (Phase 1) | 2030 (Design for Recycling requirements)
- DPP (Digitaler Produktpass)
The Digital Component: Delivers end-to-end transparency across the entire product lifecycle, making information such as carbon footprint, origin, and sustainability data accessible through a machine-readable code.
Rollout: Phased implementation beginning in 2027, starting with batteries and textiles.
What Do These Three Pillars Mean for Your Business?
Marking and packaging processes need to be reimagined, data must be intelligently connected, and systems aligned with the requirements of tomorrow. Product identification is becoming a critical enabler of transparency, traceability, and a truly circular economy.
Which requirements are your top priority?
- Speed?
- Print resolution?
- Packaging design?
- Data management or something else entirely?
Koenig & Bauer Coding
Your Partner for Future-Proof Marking
Every application is unique. That’s why it requires a solution tailored precisely to your production processes. Whether for primary, secondary, or tertiary packaging, different materials, production speeds and application requirements demand the right coding and marking technology.
For more than 50 years, we have been developing and manufacturing premium coding and marking solutions at our production sites in Germany and Sweden, engineered to meet your specific needs. With outstanding print quality, reliable code readability and seamless integration into existing production lines, our systems ensure efficient, dependable, and future-ready marking processes. Backed by a comprehensive portfolio of technologies, we provide transparent, vendor-neutral advice focused on finding the best solution for your application.
We already support companies worldwide in implementing track-and-trace solutions and meeting the requirements for regulated 2D codes. We bring this expertise to every project, combining practical experience, future-focused thinking and a commitment to smooth integration into your existing production environment.
Together, we will find the coding and marking solution that is right for your business.
Explore Our GS1-Compliant Technologies:
Continuous-Inkjet Systems
Laser Marking Systems
DOD-Inkjet Systems
Print & Apply Systems
Thermo-Transfer Systems
FAQs
That depends on the requirements of your production line. The key factors are the required print resolution and production speed. Together, we take a technology-neutral approach to assess whether your existing systems are sufficient or whether an alternative solution would provide the most cost-effective and future-proof option in the long term. Our goal is to help you make the right investment decision based on your specific application, operational requirements, and future compliance needs.
Dynamic 2D codes require consistently high print quality and reliable readability. To ensure this, we integrate high-performance vision and inspection systems that are hardware-independent and seamlessly adapted to your production line. For very high line speeds, our patented Laser Noodle Code technology enables coding at up to three times the speed of conventional methods, helping maintain maximum throughput without compromising code quality or readability.
The right choice depends on your specific application. GS1 Digital Link (QR Code) is ideal for providing consumer information and enabling digital services, while GS1 DataMatrix is the preferred solution for compact encoding of logistics and regulatory data. For particularly high production speeds, DotCode offers a powerful alternative. Together, we will identify the 2D code that best meets your operational, regulatory, and production requirements.
The Digital Product Passport (DPP) is linked to the product through a 2D code. To enable this, relevant product data must be reliably provided from your IT systems and applied to the packaging. Together with our partners, we integrate the right solution for your requirements, regardless of whether the marking is applied early in the production process or directly at the packaging line.
The Smart Connection: GS1 Digital Link
The GS1 Digital Link creates a central connection between product identity and digital information. As part of the global GS1 Sunrise 2027 industry initiative, traditional 1D barcodes (EAN/UPC) are being replaced by modern 2D codes.
Why Switch to 2D Codes?
Traditional 1D barcodes have been the trusted standard for product identification for decades. However, the digital future brings new requirements: their limited data capacity only allows the storage of static information such as the GTIN.
QR Codes and GS1 DataMatrix codes can store significantly more information and connect product identity with dynamic data. The 2D code becomes a digital gateway, enabling greater transparency, more efficient processes and new opportunities across the entire value chain.
Benefits of 2D Codes:
- High Capacity: Combines URL, GTIN, expiration date, batch, and serial numbers in one 2D code.
- Robust Data: Remains readable even if packaging is damaged, thanks to error correction.
- Smart Retail: Enables automated recall stops and dynamic pricing at the POS.
- Full Traceability: Optimizes inventory and supply chains via serial/batch tracking.
- Future-Ready: Powers the global transition from 1D barcodes to 2D codes at checkout.
- Compliant: Meets EU regulations, including the Digital Product Passport (DPP).
- Space-Saving: One single code for both scanners and consumer smartphones.
- Instant Transparency: Delivers real-time product info and marketing without reprinting.
A New Era for Packaging: PPWR
The EU is responding to the steadily increasing consumption of packaging. Each EU citizen currently generates around 190 kg of packaging waste per year and this figure continues to rise. At the same time, many packaging materials are still not being recycled to a high-quality standard. The PPWR is set to accelerate the transition toward a truly circular economy and protect resources, the climate, and the environment. It requires companies to rethink packaging concepts and move toward highly efficient, recyclable mono-material solutions.
Companies that fail to meet the defined deadlines, especially the first milestone in August 2026, will face serious consequences, including restrictions on placing non-compliant packaging on the EU market.
The Goals and Benefits of the PPWR:
- Waste Reduction & Single-Use Bans: Binding EU targets to slash packaging waste and phase out unnecessary single-use items.
- Mandatory Recycling & Recycled Content Quotas: All packaging must be recyclable by 2030 and meet minimum recycled plastic quotas.
- Expansion of Reuse Systems: Legally binding reuse quotas for specific industries, packaging types, and transport routes.
- Packaging Minimization & Maximum Empty Space: Packaging must be as light/small as possible; shipping boxes allow max. 50% empty space.
- Harmonized Material Labeling: Standardized EU pictograms for clear material identification and proper waste sorting.
- Mandatory Identification & Contact Info: Required on-pack display of address, digital contact data, and ID numbers.
- Digital Hazardous Substance Labeling: Mandatory tracking of hazardous substances via digital interfaces (e.g., QR codes).
Digital Identity of the Product: DPP
The Digital Product Passport (DPP) is a key element of the European sustainability strategy. It is designed to make product information digitally available throughout the entire product lifecycle. Its goal is to create greater transparency, support the transition toward a circular economy and enable more sustainable decisions when purchasing, using and recycling products.
The Goals and Benefits of the DPP:
- More Transparency: Digital product information on origin, materials, and recycling.
- Strengthening the Circular Economy: Better information for repair, reuse, and recycling.
- Promoting Sustainable Purchasing Decisions: Product data easily accessible via QR code.
- More Efficient Supply Chains: Greater traceability and better data exchange.
- Meeting Legal Requirements: Support with EU compliance and documentation obligations.