{
  "id": 12062426,
  "title": "GS1 Lanka drives Sri Lanka’s shift to 2D barcodes",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/gs1-lanka-drives-sri-lankas-shift-to-2d-barcodes",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-05T00:08:09.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Island Sri Lanka",
    "slug": "the-island-sri-lanka",
    "url": "http://island.lk/gs1-lanka-drives-sri-lankas-shift-to-2d-barcodes/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "GS1 Lanka celebrated its 10th Annual General Meeting, highlighting the upcoming transition to 2D barcodes in Sri Lanka. President Revan Fernando highlighted that GS1 has been providing Sri Lankan products with internationally recognized identities for more than three decades. He emphasized the shift from traditional barcodes to more informative 2D barcodes, such as QR codes and Data Matrix codes, aligning with consumers' growing interest in product origins, ingredients, authenticity, and usage.\n\nGS1 Sunrise 2027, a global industry initiative, seeks to transition retail checkout systems to read 2D barcodes alongside traditional 1D UPC stripes by the end of 2027. GS1 Lanka is collaborating with the retail and healthcare sectors to prepare businesses for this change. Fernando urged brands to participate in this transition, noting that businesses will need to rethink product packaging space and consumer communication due to the change.\n\nGS1 Lanka is introducing a new retail information platform to enable member brands to offer more comprehensive product details and improve product presentation. CEO Alikie Perera stated that GS1 Lanka's efforts increasingly focus on helping Sri Lankan businesses adapt to evolving global supply chains and consumer expectations. The organization will prioritize 2D barcodes, GS1 Digital Link, traceability, and digital product information in the upcoming phase.\n\nAt the local level, GS1 Lanka continued its awareness programs for entrepreneurs, SMEs, manufacturers, and exporters, covering product identification, barcode standards, traceability, supply chain efficiency, and market access. Over 5,500 companies are registered on GS1 Activate and Verified by GS1 platforms, with more than 20,000 product records uploaded. The AGM concluded by recognizing the contributions of GS1 Lanka's members, partners, Board, and team, while outlining the organization's strategy for further integration of global standards and new identification technologies into Sri Lankan businesses.",
  "summary": "GS1 Lanka marked its 10th Annual General Meeting with a focus on the next stage of product identification in Sri Lanka, as businesses prepare for the wider adoption of 2D barcodes and the growing demand for trusted product information. Addressing the AGM, GS1 Lanka president Revan Fernando noted that GS1 has been giving Sri Lankan […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}