PassPer / Resources / GS1 Digital Link & DPP
Standards

GS1 Digital Link & the Digital Product Passport

The GS1 Digital Link is the standard that connects a physical product to its Digital Product Passport. It is the doorway — the QR or Data Matrix on the product that resolves to the passport.

Key idea: a Digital Product Passport resolves from a GS1 Digital Link URI keyed to the product's GTIN, with serial-level detail where item-level granularity is required.

How it works

A GS1 Digital Link encodes the product identifier — typically a GTIN — as a web URL, for example /01/{gtin}, with an optional serial (/21/{serial}) for per-unit passports. Encoded in a QR or GS1 Data Matrix on the product, scanning it resolves to the passport. The same link works for a consumer's phone, a recycler's scanner and a customs system.

Carriers

The link can be carried in a standard QR code, a compact GS1 Data Matrix (ISO/IEC 16022 ECC 200) for small labels, or an NFC/RFID payload for tap-to-verify and logistics. The carrier must print correctly at label size and always resolve to a reachable host — a QR that points at a dead URL is a recall risk, not a passport.

Access-tier resolution

Because the passport is served through a resolver, the same GS1 Digital Link returns different views to different audiences: the public view for consumers, the professional view for repairers and recyclers, and the authority view for market surveillance. PassPer generates real GS1 Digital Link carriers and validates reachability before you print.

Frequently asked questions

What is a GS1 Digital Link in a DPP?
It is the standardised product URL — encoded in the QR or Data Matrix on the product — that resolves to the Digital Product Passport. It is keyed to the product's GTIN and can carry a serial for item-level passports.
Does a DPP use a normal QR code?
The QR encodes a GS1 Digital Link. It can also be a GS1 Data Matrix for small labels or an NFC tag; the important part is that it resolves to a reachable, standards-based passport URL.
Do I need a GTIN for a Digital Product Passport?
In practice yes — GS1 Digital Link identifiers are the accepted route, and GTIN assignment is the first concrete identifier step for most products.

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