Connected packaging: why the code is only the beginning

QR codes, 2D barcodes and digital product identifiers are turning packaging into an access point for product data. As connected packaging moves beyond marketing into traceability, retail and compliance, the bigger challenge is building the infrastructure behind the code.

Packaging is acquiring a second function. Alongside protecting, containing and identifying a product, it is increasingly becoming an access point to the information behind it.

QR codes are the most visible sign of this shift, but connected packaging now extends well beyond consumer promotions.

The move towards 2D barcodes at retail, growing demand for traceability and the development of digital product passports are bringing packaging into a wider digital infrastructure spanning manufacturing, retail, compliance and product lifecycle information.

The technology on the pack can be relatively simple. The harder task is ensuring that the information behind it is accurate, current and connected to the right product.

That distinction matters for packaging companies, brand owners and retailers. As connected packaging develops, expertise in packaging design, printing and converting increasingly has to work alongside data management, code verification and digital product-information systems.

There are signs that interest is growing. Research from Innova Market Insights, published in Packaging Insights’ 2026 packaging trends report, found that 61% of global consumers said they at least sometimes interact with connected packaging, such as QR codes, on food and beverage products.

The research also recorded a 28% compound annual growth rate in global food and beverage launches featuring QR codes between 2021 and 2025.

A separate 2026 survey by Appetite Creative and Koenig & Bauer AURAVEO found that 81.2% of participating companies were using connected packaging, compared with 72.6% in 2025. Some 92.3% expected connected packaging to become increasingly important over the following 12 months and beyond.

The survey covered 712 respondents across industries, so its findings should not be treated as a measure of adoption across the entire packaging market. The figures nevertheless point to a broader shift: packaging is becoming a link between physical products and the digital systems around them.

What is connected packaging?

Connected packaging links a physical pack to digital information or services through a data carrier or other digital technology.

The simplest example is a QR code printed on a label, carton or other pack. Consumers can scan it with a smartphone to access product information, recycling guidance, recipes, authentication services, promotions or customer support.

Other applications can use NFC, RFID, digital watermarks or serialised identifiers. These technologies are not interchangeable, and their suitability depends on the application.

QR codes are particularly accessible for consumer-facing uses because most smartphones can scan them without specialist hardware. NFC enables close-range interaction between a compatible device and a tag, while RFID is widely used to identify and track products and assets through supply chains.

Connected packaging can therefore serve different users at different stages of a product’s lifecycle.

A consumer might use a QR code to check recycling instructions. A retailer could use a digital identifier to support inventory management or recalls. A manufacturer might use the same product identity to improve traceability.

That makes connected packaging more significant than simply adding digital marketing to a pack.

Why 2D barcodes matter

One of the most important developments for packaging is the transition from traditional one-dimensional barcodes towards 2D barcodes.

GS1 has set a global industry goal for retail point-of-sale systems to be capable of reading and processing specified GS1-compliant 2D barcodes alongside existing linear barcodes by the end of 2027. The transition is expected to be gradual, with 1D and 2D barcodes coexisting for some time.

The significance goes beyond replacing one barcode format with another.

Traditional retail barcodes primarily identify a product at the point of sale. Depending on the data carrier and implementation, 2D barcodes can carry additional information or provide access to information held elsewhere.

GS1 Digital Link extends this principle by connecting GS1 identifiers to online information and services. This can create a digital link between the physical product, retail systems and other sources of product information.

The result could be one product identity supporting several functions rather than separate mechanisms for checkout, consumer information, traceability and other applications.

For retailers, this means preparing point-of-sale and other scanning infrastructure. For brands and packaging suppliers, it raises practical questions about code selection, artwork, print quality, verification and management of the information associated with each product.

From marketing tool to information layer

QR codes on packaging were initially associated strongly with promotions and marketing campaigns. Their potential role is now broader.

Connected packaging can provide access to information about ingredients and sourcing, product authenticity, batch and production details, recycling and disposal, sustainability, product use and customer support, as well as loyalty services and promotions.

The important distinction is usefulness.

Consumers have little reason to scan a code simply because one is present. A QR code leading to a generic corporate website may offer little value. A code that provides precise recycling guidance, verifies authenticity or supplies useful information that cannot fit on the physical pack has a clearer purpose.

This also addresses one of the basic limitations of physical packaging: space.

Labels and cartons must accommodate branding, regulatory information, instructions and other communications within a finite area. Digital content can supplement the physical pack without requiring every detail to be printed on it.

Where the system is designed appropriately, information associated with a persistent identifier can also be updated without changing the physical code.

Packaging can therefore become an access point to an information layer around the product rather than simply a printed information carrier.

Regulation is accelerating the shift

The move towards more structured product information is also being reinforced by regulation, particularly in Europe.

Digital Product Passports (DPPs) are one example.

Under the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, a DPP provides a digital record of product information and is linked to a unique product identifier through a data carrier. The framework is designed to improve access to product information, support sustainability and facilitate compliance.

The European Commission launched the EU Digital Product Passport Registry and testing environment in July 2026. The registry provides an EU-level index for DPPs and stores unique identifiers, registration information and relevant metadata, while detailed product information remains decentralised.

This does not mean that every product or package will suddenly require a digital passport.

The system is being introduced progressively for specified product groups and through applicable EU legislation. Current implementation work covers a range of products, while separate legislation establishes digital product-information requirements for some other categories.

Although the regulatory framework is European, its implications extend internationally for companies manufacturing, packaging or supplying products for the EU market.

Its wider significance for the packaging industry is the direction of travel. More product information is becoming structured, digital and accessible across the product lifecycle, and packaging can provide one of the physical interfaces through which that information is accessed.

Sustainability claims need data behind them

Environmental communication is another important application for connected packaging.

Claims such as “recyclable” or “sustainable” can be difficult to explain fully within the space available on a physical pack. A connected data carrier can provide access to more detailed information about materials, recycled content, disposal instructions, certifications and other relevant evidence.

Innova Market Insights identified “Substantiated Sustainability” as a leading packaging trend for 2026, reflecting growing interest in environmental claims supported by evidence.

But connected packaging cannot make a weak environmental claim credible.

A QR code is simply a route to information. The underlying data still needs to be accurate, relevant and capable of supporting the claim being made.

This makes data quality increasingly important to packaging companies and their customers.

The difficult part is the data behind the code

Printing a QR code on a package is relatively straightforward. Maintaining reliable information behind millions of products can be much more complicated.

Product and packaging data can be distributed across brand owners, packaging manufacturers, converters, material suppliers, logistics providers and retailers. Information about materials, weights, recycled content, production batches, certifications and environmental performance may also sit in different systems.

Connected packaging works only when the physical identifier points to the correct information and that information remains reliable.

This turns data management into part of the packaging challenge.

The issue becomes more complex where products require unique or serialised identifiers. Printing a static barcode across a production run is very different from producing and managing millions of variable codes.

Depending on the application, suppliers may need capabilities covering variable-data generation and printing, database integration, code verification, inspection and quality control, as well as secure data exchange between systems.

Packaging production is becoming more digital

The physical production process remains critical.

Code dimensions, contrast, placement, substrate, print quality and the shape of the pack can all affect whether an identifier can be read reliably.

A packaging line may also need to generate or receive variable data, print unique identifiers, inspect them and connect production records with the corresponding digital information.

Connected packaging therefore brings digital requirements closer to established disciplines such as artwork, prepress, printing and converting.

For packaging suppliers, the opportunity is broader than selling a new type of label or printing service. As digital product identities become more common, packaging companies may increasingly operate at the intersection of physical production and product data.

Retailers become part of the infrastructure

Retailers are also becoming part of the infrastructure needed to make connected packaging work.

The move towards 2D barcodes requires point-of-sale and other scanning systems to recognise and process the relevant data carriers. GS1’s 2027 ambition is designed to support a gradual global transition rather than an immediate replacement of existing barcodes.

The potential benefits extend beyond checkout.

Richer product identifiers can support inventory management, traceability, recalls and access to product information. The same underlying product identity could potentially serve manufacturers, logistics providers, retailers and consumers at different points in the product lifecycle.

This could reduce the need for disconnected systems that identify the same product in different ways.

Realising that benefit, however, requires cooperation between businesses that have traditionally managed different parts of the product and packaging data chain.

Technology still has to serve the consumer

For all the infrastructure behind connected packaging, consumer-facing applications still have to solve a recognisable problem.

Recycling guidance, authenticity checks and useful product information can give consumers a reason to interact with packaging. Digital experiences that add unnecessary steps, or require an application without a clear benefit, can have the opposite effect.

Privacy also needs consideration where connected packaging collects information about consumer interactions. Brands should be clear about what information is collected and how it is used, particularly when personal data is involved.

The principle is simple: digital technology should make the physical product more useful rather than merely more complicated.

Not every product needs NFC, RFID, serialisation or a complex digital experience. In many cases, a well-designed QR code or other 2D barcode linked to useful, reliable information may be sufficient.

From connected packaging to connected products

Connected packaging is unlikely to replace conventional packaging. Digital capability is instead becoming another layer of packaging design, production and product management.

QR codes and other 2D barcodes provide an accessible entry point. NFC, RFID, digital watermarks and other technologies can support applications with different requirements. At the same time, retail standards and regulatory developments are encouraging businesses to improve the way they collect, structure and exchange product information.

The long-term significance may therefore have less to do with the code printed on the pack than with the infrastructure behind it.

A product with a persistent digital identity can potentially connect information across manufacturing, distribution, retail, consumer use and end-of-life handling. This could improve traceability, support recalls, help verify authenticity and provide access to regulatory and environmental information.

For packaging manufacturers and converters, the development brings traditional expertise in materials, printing and physical production closer to data management and digital systems.

For brand owners and retailers, it creates the possibility of using the same product identity across multiple stages of the supply chain.

The question is therefore shifting from whether a package can be connected to what useful information that connection can reliably deliver.

The package on the shelf may still look much the same. Its role in the digital infrastructure surrounding the product is becoming considerably bigger.