EPR Insights 2
QR codes make packaging lighter, more informative, and more transparent.
The world of packaging is complex and full of levers in the fight against global waste. With the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), the European Union is setting clear guidelines: packaging must be reduced to the essentials. Size and weight should only be as much as needed, to protect the product. Oversized boxes or heavy glass bases in bottles are becoming a thing of the past. At the same time, the regulation calls for greater reusability, improved recyclability, and increased use of recycled materials. But sustainability does not end with material and construction.
Beyond protecting the product, packaging primarily serves as a key communication tool. It provides information about contents, ingredients, origin, and use. With the Digital Product Passport, this role is fundamentally expanding. Supply chains become transparent, and consumers gain access to comprehensive information, from production to recycling.
The interface between physical packaging and the digital world is a small, inconspicuous element, namely the QR code. It can store far more information than a traditional barcode, entire links instead of just product numbers. And in the future, it will be found on nearly every package.
This is where enormous potential for more sustainable packaging design lies.
A QR code makes information simply via smartphone accessible at any time. Printed inserts can be reduced or even replaced entirely. Manuals, assembly guides, or tutorials become digital, multimedia, and interactive. At the same time, new opportunities for storytelling emerge, from the origin of raw materials and production processes, to repair instructions and disposal guidance.
Regulatory requirements for packaging communication in the EU are currently evolving towards a hybrid model. Digital content such as QR codes is gaining importance but can only partially replace mandatory printed information so far. While additional information, such as recycling, sustainability, or product details, is increasingly provided digitally, key consumer information must still appear physically on the packaging. This includes, in particular, safety-related details and mandatory information in the food sector. Digital solutions are therefore primarily complementary. In the long term, a system combining concise printed information with more detailed digital content is emerging.
A key role in standardization is played by the organization GS1, which already coordinates global product identification in retail. Technology providers such as AuraVeo, Sharpend, Snoopstar, and info.link are developing the digital ecosystems behind these codes.
When brands, manufacturers, designers, and the recycling industry collaborate across the entire value chain, intelligent solutions with real added value emerge for consumers as well as for the responsible use of our resources.
Written by Uwe Melichar
>> See further insights on design and upcoming regulations at Normina