GTIN Rules Have Changed

No, the update to the global standard applies to all trade items, regardless of sector.

In some sectors, such as Healthcare, GTIN non-reuse has been in effect since 2011.

Before January 1 2019, GTINs could be reused—within certain parameters—after a product had been removed from the physical supply chain.

However, the standard was updated so that as of January 1, 2019, the GS1 General Specifications no longer allow GTIN reuse for any sector.

Through system validations and other data excellence checks, GS1 Canada solutions may detect when a GTIN has been applied to more than one product and prevent that GTIN from being used within our solutions.

Further, through community data excellence methods such as GTIN Discrepancy Reports (GDRs), retail trading partners may report when a GTIN they receive does not match the GTIN in GS1 Canada systems.

Additionally, GS1 Canada is taking extra steps to ensure that all of our subscribers, data recipients and data providers, are participating in this new global standard. This continues to include renewing your annual license with an account in good standing.

Some of the consequences your organization might face if it continues to reuse GTINs are:

• Your trading partners will be notified of non-compliant GTINs, potentially affecting those relationships
• Non-compliant GTINs will be removed from local and global registries making your product less visible to Canadian and global trading partners and marketplaces

Yes, maintaining an active GS1 Canada subscription is needed to maintain the benefits of being a GS1 Canada user including access to industry-managed solutions, educational resources, our help desk and the ability to participate in our community management processes.

As retailers become increasingly aware of the value of unique product identification, they are asking GS1 member organizations to regularly provide information authenticating the identifiers used by their vendors are current and valid.

In the Canadian market, the GTIN is the core of the business. Many trading partners require it as a part of their terms of trade and use it as the key identifier of a product. Being an active GS1 Canada subscriber also helps to ensure that your product content is discoverable to trading partners looking for active GTINs in GS1 Canada resources.

This will not affect you because you are already complying with the update. All you need to do is continue not reusing GTINs on your products and renew your annual GS1 subscription in order to keep your GTINs valid and, if applicable, in the national registry.

The new global standard of GTIN non-reuse rule is a result of industry feedback to GS1 on a global level. This rule was created to help support your peers with long-term product traceability in both supply chain distribution and after its purchase. GS1 prides itself on being neutral and industry-driven and regularly updates the global standard which may only affect a portion of subscribers. It is still critical to comply with these updates to ensure everyone is using best practices.

All organizations need to have implemented this new global standard by January 1, 2019.

You need to have cleansed your systems based on the updates made by brand owners to GDSN or ECCnet Registry and product catalogs.

GTINs that were discontinued BEFORE 12/31/2018 can be reassigned to a different product.

GTINs that are active or "in use" as of 1/1/2019 or later, cannot be reassigned to a different product.

If you have discontinued GTINs, make sure they are marked as such, or remove them from all relevant trading systems.

This includes, but is not limited to: GDSN, product catalogues, internal GTIN assignment systems, and ECCnet Registry.

No, content management fees are not currently applied to discontinued GTINs.

Maintaining records of GTINs that have been used continues to be the user’s responsibility. If you accidentally reuse a GTIN, you face many of the consequences GTIN non-reuse is designed to eliminate, including confusion between products, loss of data integrity, discrepancies around GTIN ownership, the need to reprint product packaging or withdraw products from shelves and potential reputational damage between trading partners.

To prevent GTIN duplication issues, GS1 recommends keeping a thorough and centralized database cataloguing the GTIN, which product it is assigned to, and any key defining attributes to avoid confusion down the line.