GS1 Digital Link: What It Is and Why DPP Cloud Uses It

A GS1 Digital Link QR code is the EU-mandated data carrier standard for battery passports. It encodes a web URL that identifies the battery and links directly to its Digital Product Passport. DPP Cloud generates these automatically when you activate a passport.

What GS1 Digital Link is

GS1 Digital Link is a standard developed by GS1 (the international standards organisation behind barcodes and GTINs) that turns a product identifier into a web-resolvable URL. Instead of encoding a plain number like a traditional barcode, a GS1 Digital Link QR code encodes a structured URL that contains:

• The product's GTIN (Global Trade Item Number).
• An optional serial number or passport identifier.
• A domain that resolves to the product's digital information.

When anyone scans the QR code — with a phone camera, a customs scanner, or a warehouse terminal — the URL opens in a browser and displays the battery passport.

The URL structure

A GS1 Digital Link URL follows a specific format:

https://dppcloud.co.uk/01/[GTIN]/21/[Passport-Number]
Example: https://dppcloud.co.uk/01/09501234500003/21/PP-2026-9SC8GW

The path segments mean:

• /01/ — GS1 Application Identifier for GTIN.
• 09501234500003 — the 14-digit GTIN from your GS1 account.
• /21/ — GS1 Application Identifier for serial number (used here for the passport number).
• PP-2026-9SC8GW — the DPP Cloud passport number.

Why not a regular QR code?

A regular QR code can encode any text or URL — there is no standard structure. The EU Battery Regulation's Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1346 specifically mandates GS1 Digital Link as the data carrier because:

1. Standardised identification — every battery's QR code follows the same structure, making it machine-readable across the entire EU supply chain.
2. Label portability — the same QR code works whether scanned by a customs officer in Rotterdam, a recycler in Berlin, or an end consumer in Milan.
3. Resolver infrastructure — GS1 Digital Link URLs can be resolved through GS1's global resolver network, providing redundancy and interoperability.
4. Multi-purpose — the same QR code can serve different information to different scanners (e.g., full passport data to authenticated users, public summary to consumers).

DPP Cloud's GS1 membership

What you need: a GTIN

To generate a GS1 Digital Link QR code, your battery needs a GTIN. This is a 14-digit number obtained from your national GS1 Member Organisation (e.g., GS1 UK at gs1uk.org). If you already have GTINs for your products (from existing barcode registrations), you can reuse them. If not, you will need to register with GS1 and obtain GTINs for each battery model.