What does it mean for your cannabis brand?
If your products use UPC barcodes, QR codes, or are sold through retail, there's an important change on the horizon: GS1 Sunrise 2027.
Don't worry—we'll keep it simple.
For decades, the standard UPC barcode has mainly answered one question at checkout:
“What product is this?”
The industry is now moving toward 2D barcodes, such as GS1-powered QR codes and GS1 DataMatrix codes, that can hold or connect to much more information.
For cannabis brands, that could mean one code helping connect your product to information such as:
- Product identification
- Batch or lot information
- Expiration or production dates
- Traceability information
- Product details and instructions
- Brand and consumer information
- Online product experiences
So, what's happening in 2027?
The goal of Sunrise 2027 is for retail point-of-sale systems to be capable of reading GS1-standard 2D barcodes by the end of 2027.
That doesn't mean your UPC suddenly becomes obsolete.
There will be a transition period where traditional UPC barcodes and newer 2D barcodes may appear together on packaging.
The important part is to start thinking about the transition before you're redesigning thousands of labels or packages.
Why should cannabis brands care?
Cannabis already requires brands to fit a lot of information into a limited amount of packaging space.
Moving toward smarter 2D codes creates an opportunity to connect the physical package with additional digital information while also improving product identification and traceability.
And as retailers, distributors, and other partners update their systems, barcode requirements may begin changing as well.
You don't need to figure it out alone.
At THC Label Solutions, we're more than a label printer—we help our customers find the right solution for their packaging and labeling needs.
We're preparing for the transition to GS1 Sunrise 2027 so we can help our customers understand their options and make sure their labels are ready for what's ahead.
Whether you're working with UPCs, QR codes, variable data, serialized labels, or new packaging, now is a good time to start the conversation.
Already planning your 2027 packaging?
Talk to THC Label Solutions before your next label redesign, and we'll help you determine what changes may make sense for your products.
THC Label Solutions
Custom Labels • Packaging • Variable Data • Label Application • Printing Solutions
LET'S GET YOUR LABELS READY FOR 2027 EMAIL US AT SALES@THCLABELSOLUTIONS.COM FOR MORE INFO.