Barrier screening
Coatings and structures compared on oxygen and moisture transmission against the shelf life your category requires.
Capability 04 of 06Substrates · Barrier · Data carriers · Scale economics
Material Innovation & Connected Packaging
Most packaging innovation fails commercially long before it fails technically. The material performs but the line cannot run it, or the code ships with nothing worth scanning behind it.
- Materials assessed
- Barrier, mono-material, fibre, PCR grades
- Carriers assessed
- 2D codes, NFC, RFID, watermarks
- Typical timeline
- 5 to 12 weeks
- Reviewed
- July 2026
Definition
What is connected packaging?
Connected packaging is packaging carrying a machine-readable identifier, usually a 2D code, that links a physical pack to online data. Scanning it can return provenance, recycling instructions, batch and expiry detail, or promotional content. The identifier is the carrier, and what sits behind it is the actual product.
The technology is the easy part. Almost every failed programme we review failed for one of two reasons: nobody defined what a scan was worth to the business, or the code went on a substrate and print process that could not hold it at production speed.
Materials hit the same wall. A mono-material laminate that performs on a pilot line is worthless if it cannot hold seal integrity on equipment you already own.
The convergence
Three regimes, three clocks, one pack
These run as three unrelated projects in three departments. The pack can only be economically changed once.
2027
GS1 Sunrise 2027Retail point of sale goes 2D
Retailer checkout systems are expected to scan 2D codes by end of December 2027. It is a retailer readiness target, not a statutory mandate on brands, and the EAN code is not abolished. Most packs carry both through the transition.
2026 to 2030
EU PPWRLabelling and marking obligations
The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation applies from 12 August 2026, with harmonised marking and disposal information phasing through 2030, on its own schedule.
2027 onward
ESPR Digital Product PassportProduct passports, category by category
The Digital Product Passport phases in through delegated acts, batteries first from February 2027. There is no single deadline, and packaging is the carrier rather than the subject.
One data carrier, printed once, on one pack
Sequenced properly, one artwork change satisfies all three. Sequenced badly, you pay for three artwork rounds, three sets of plates and three scan verifications inside eighteen months.
Dates reflect the review date in the footer. The passport timetable moves as delegated acts are adopted, and several have slipped. We track it rather than assume.
What we do
Three programmes, one deployability test
All three answer one question. Can you run it at your volumes, on your equipment, at a cost the business accepts.
01
Substrate and barrier innovation
New materials are assessed against your line, not a supplier datasheet. Most value is in ruling options out early, before trials consume a year.
Mono-material routes
Recyclable structures tested for seal integrity, stiffness and machinability on your existing lines.
Fibre and PCR grades
Fibre-based replacements and recycled-content grades screened for availability at volume.
Line trial design
Trials structured to produce a decision, with failure criteria agreed before booking production time.
02
Data carrier and connected packaging strategy
The carrier decision looks technical and is commercial. We start from what a scan is worth, then work back to the technology that earns its cost per unit.
Carrier selection
2D code, NFC, RFID or digital watermark, chosen against use case, unit economics and real volumes.
Print and scan validation
Code quality verified on your substrate and print process, because a poorly graded code fails silently at checkout.
Use case business case
What a scan returns, who benefits and what it is worth, quantified before artwork is committed.
Sequencing plan
One artwork change mapped across Sunrise, PPWR marking and any passport obligation in your categories.
03
Pilot design and scale economics
Pilots succeed and rollouts stall. The gap is almost always that pilot conditions never represented the production estate.
Representative pilots
Trials designed on the sites, speeds and SKUs that reflect the estate, so results survive it.
Cost per pack at scale
Full deployed cost including artwork, plates, code, verification and integration, not unit price alone.
Contract packer readiness
Whether external partners can hold specification and code quality, where most rollouts lose consistency.
Stage gates
Defined kill criteria at each stage, so a failing programme stops before a second capital round.
Who uses it
Four teams, one artwork change
The convergence problem is organisational before it is technical. These four rarely share a plan.
Prove it runs
Material and code performance verified on your equipment at line speed, before spec is locked.
Build once
A carrier and resolver architecture serving marketing, traceability and compliance from one identifier.
Give people a reason
Scan use cases tested rather than assumed, so the code earns its place on pack.
Sequence the change
Marking and passport obligations mapped onto one artwork cycle instead of three.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What is GS1 Sunrise 2027, and are 1D barcodes being retired?+
GS1 Sunrise 2027 is an industry initiative for retail point-of-sale systems to scan 2D barcodes such as QR codes and GS1 DataMatrix by the end of December 2027. It is a retailer readiness target, not a statutory mandate on brands, and the EAN or UPC barcode is not abolished. Most packs carry both through the transition.
Does the Digital Product Passport apply to packaging?+
Not directly, and not yet. The Digital Product Passport under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation phases in by product group through delegated acts, batteries first from February 2027. Packaging is usually the carrier for a passport rather than the subject, which is why pack artwork lands on someone else's compliance timeline.
Should we use a QR code, NFC or RFID?+
A 2D code is the default for consumer-facing use because it costs almost nothing to print and every phone reads it. NFC earns its cost only where tap convenience or authentication changes behaviour, typically premium spirits, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. RFID makes sense where inventory accuracy pays for the tag, mainly apparel and high-value logistics.
Do consumers actually scan codes on packaging?+
Stated intent is high and real scan rates are far lower. A GS1 survey found around four in five consumers say they would be more likely to buy if they could scan for extra information, but measured scan rates in most grocery categories sit in low single digits. The gap is a missing reason to scan, not a technical failure.
How long does a connected packaging rollout take?+
Plan eighteen to twenty four months for a full portfolio transition. Artwork, resolver setup, code generation, print trials and scan verification each take time, and contract packers multiply it. A single-SKU pilot runs in three to four months, which is why sequencing matters more than speed.
Pack Performance & Shopper InsightsConverting & Supply Chain EconomicsCircularity & Packaging Compliance
On dates and standards. Regulatory and standards timetables change. This page reflects the position reviewed in July 2026 and is general information, not legal or technical advice. Confirm requirements for your categories before committing artwork.
Change the artwork once
Tell us your categories, markets and print estate. We come back with a sequencing plan, a carrier recommendation and cost per pack at your volumes.
Strategic Packaging Insights is a trading name of SRI Consulting Group Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 16581261. sales@strategicpackaginginsights.com
Last reviewed: 31 July 2026