GTIN — Global Trade Item Number

The product identifier the Digital Product Passport is built on

Product with a QR code encoding a GTIN for a Digital Product Passport

A GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) is the globally unique GS1 number that identifies one trade item — a specific product in a specific pack and size. It is the number behind the barcode that checkouts have read for decades.

For the Digital Product Passport, the GTIN takes on a new role. The European standard EN 18219 on unique identifiers converges on the GS1 stack, and GS1 Digital Link turns that same number into a web address that resolves to the product passport.

In short

It identifies the product, not the company

A GTIN answers "which product is this". Identifying the economic operator is a separate class — in EN 18219 those are the EOID and the FID.

Three levels of granularity

The GS1 application standard for DPP maps the three levels to identifiers: model "/01/{GTIN}", batch "/01/{GTIN}/10/{batch}" and item "/01/{GTIN}/21/{serial}".

Fourteen digits

Since version 1.4.0 of the GS1 Digital Link syntax the number is written as fourteen digits, with shorter GTIN-8, GTIN-12 and GTIN-13 padded with leading zeroes.

QR is the primary carrier

EN 18220 sets QR Code and Data Matrix as primary data carriers, with NFC and RAIN RFID secondary. The GTIN is what the carrier encodes.

GTIN — Global Trade Item Number

Frequently asked questions

Question Mark Section Supporting Image

The number is the same, but the carrier and the purpose differ. A classic EAN barcode encodes only the GTIN; a passport needs a carrier that resolves to the data, normally a QR code following GS1 Digital Link.

Yes, where they are sold as distinct trade items. GS1 rules require a new GTIN whenever a change is one the buyer distinguishes when ordering.

No. The GTIN identifies the product. The registration identifier for the economic operator is generated by the registry itself and is a separate thing.

Product with a QR code encoding a GTIN for a Digital Product Passport
Last verified