The global language of business

We believe in the power of standards to transform the way we work and live

GS1 UK is a community of over 33,000 members working in retail, foodservice, healthcare and more. We are one of 112 independent, not-for-profit GS1 organisations operating across 150 countries worldwide.

We help everyone involved in making, moving and trading goods to automate and standardise their supply chain processes using the common language of GS1 global standards. And we bring the same efficiencies to the healthcare supply chain – right through to improved patient safety.

Making a difference

GS1 standards have provided a common foundation for business since the first barcode was scanned over 40 years ago. Our standards now play their part around the world and around the clock – from scanning supermarket groceries or buying a CD online, to locating equipment in a hospital quickly enough to save a life. In fact, there are over 5 billion successful scans of a GS1 barcode every single day. What’s more, we make a difference for over 2 million members worldwide – enabling enhanced efficiency, safety and sustainability for a wide range of businesses and their customers. 

Setting standards for the future

Our globally recognised open standards help our members to uniquely identify, capture and share information, wherever they operate in the value chain and whatever their size. And as the landscape adapts to changing technology and globalisation, we evolve our standards too, so that we can support our members as they develop and grow.

Our principles

We are:

• Neutral and not-for-profit
• User-driven and user-governed
• Global and local
• Inclusive and collaborative

View our brief video on GS1 barcodes and standards to see how we’ve helped the retail, food service, healthcare and online sectors improve their service delivery to customers.

Annual Review 2016-2017

A year of progress