GS1 Verified by GS1: Product Data Verification for DPPs

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What Is Verified by GS1 and Why Does It Matter for DPPs?

The Digital Product Passport ecosystem depends on one fundamental principle: the data within a passport must be accurate, complete, and trustworthy. If a consumer, regulator, or recycler scans a product and retrieves incorrect or outdated information, the entire system fails. This is where the Verified by GS1 service becomes indispensable.

Verified by GS1 is a global data verification service that confirms whether a product's identification number, typically its Global Trade Item Number (GTIN), is legitimately registered, correctly assigned, and linked to the company that owns it. Think of it as a certificate of authenticity for product identifiers. When a GTIN passes verification, stakeholders across the supply chain can trust that the associated data originates from the brand owner and has not been duplicated, spoofed, or corrupted.

Under the ESPR, Digital Product Passports must be linked to unique product identifiers. The regulation emphasises interoperability and data reliability, making verification services like Verified by GS1 a natural complement to DPP compliance. Without verification, there is no mechanism to confirm that the identifier on a product genuinely belongs to the manufacturer claiming ownership of the passport.

How the Verification Process Works

The Verified by GS1 service operates through a network of GS1 Member Organisations in over 110 countries. When a brand owner registers a GTIN with their local GS1 office, the data enters the GS1 Global Registry Platform, a centralised database that connects all member organisations.

• The brand owner registers their company and obtains a GS1 Company Prefix, which forms the basis of all their product identifiers.
• Individual GTINs are assigned to specific products and registered in the national GS1 registry with core product attributes such as brand name, description, and product image.
• The GS1 Global Registry Platform aggregates and cross-references data from all national registries to create a single source of truth.
• Third parties, retailers, marketplaces, regulators, or DPP platforms, query the Verified by GS1 API or web interface to confirm that a GTIN is valid and belongs to the stated company.
• The verification response includes the company name, product description, and a confidence indicator confirming the data's authenticity.

This process creates an unbroken chain of trust from manufacturer to end user, which is precisely what Digital Product Passport regulations require.

Data Quality Requirements for Digital Product Passports

The ESPR sets stringent requirements for the data contained within Digital Product Passports. Verification is not merely about confirming that a GTIN exists, it extends to ensuring that the associated product data meets quality thresholds that support regulatory compliance and consumer protection.

Key data quality dimensions include accuracy (the data must correctly describe the product's characteristics, composition, and provenance), completeness (all mandatory fields defined in the relevant delegated act must be populated), timeliness (data must reflect the current state of the product, with updates propagated within defined timeframes), and consistency (the same product must be described in the same way across all channels and markets).

Verified by GS1 addresses the foundational layer of this quality framework, confirming that the product identifier is legitimate and correctly assigned. Building upon this foundation, Digital Product Passport platforms can layer additional verification for sustainability claims, material composition, and compliance certifications.

Integrating Verified by GS1 with Your DPP Platform

For manufacturers and brands preparing for DPP compliance, integrating the Verified by GS1 service into existing workflows creates an automated quality gate that catches identifier errors before they propagate into passports.

The integration typically follows a straightforward pattern. When a new product is created in your enterprise resource planning (ERP) or product information management (PIM) system, the GTIN is automatically validated against the GS1 registry. If the GTIN is unregistered, duplicated, or assigned to a different company, the system flags the error before the product enters production. Once validated, the GTIN and its associated data flow into your DPP platform, where they form the backbone of the Digital Product Passport.

The GS1 Digital Link standard further strengthens this integration by embedding verified GTINs directly into web-resolvable URIs. When a consumer or regulator scans a product's data carrier, the GS1 Digital Link URI resolves to the passport, and the underlying GTIN can be cross-referenced against the Verified by GS1 database to confirm authenticity in real time.

Combating Counterfeiting and Greenwashing

Two of the most significant threats to the Digital Product Passport ecosystem are counterfeiting, where bad actors create fake products with cloned identifiers, and greenwashing, where companies make misleading sustainability claims. Verified by GS1 helps address both threats.

Counterfeiters rely on the assumption that no one will check whether a product's identifier is genuinely registered to the company that manufactured it. When verification becomes routine, integrated into customs checks, marketplace listings, and consumer scanning apps, counterfeit products are far more likely to be detected. A GTIN that does not resolve through Verified by GS1, or that resolves to a different company, immediately raises a red flag.

Greenwashing is subtler but equally damaging. If a company claims in its Digital Product Passport that a product has a low carbon footprint or contains recycled materials, verification of the company's identity is the first step in holding them accountable. Regulators can trace verified identifiers back to specific legal entities, making it far harder for companies to hide behind anonymous or fictitious brand names when making environmental claims.

Global Interoperability and Cross-Border Compliance

Products do not respect national borders, and neither should the systems that verify their Digital Product Passports. Verified by GS1 operates across more than 110 countries, providing a truly global verification infrastructure that aligns with the cross-border nature of modern supply chains.

This global reach is particularly relevant for the ESPR, which applies to all products placed on the EU market regardless of their country of manufacture. A textile produced in Bangladesh, assembled in Türkiye, and sold in Germany must carry a verifiable Digital Product Passport at every stage. Verified by GS1 ensures that the identifier assigned by the Bangladeshi manufacturer is globally unique, correctly registered, and recognisable to European customs authorities and market surveillance bodies.

For UK businesses navigating both domestic regulations and EU compliance, having globally verified product identifiers simplifies the burden of maintaining parallel compliance systems. A single verified GTIN can serve as the anchor for passports required in multiple jurisdictions.

Practical Steps to Get Verified

Getting your products verified through the GS1 system is a structured process that most manufacturers can complete within a few weeks.

• Join GS1 UK (or your national GS1 Member Organisation) if you have not already done so. Membership provides your GS1 Company Prefix and access to the product registry.
• Register each product's GTIN in the GS1 registry with accurate product descriptions, brand names, and classification codes.
• Upload product images and additional attributes as required by your target markets and the relevant ESPR delegated acts.
• Use the Verified by GS1 self-check tool to confirm that your products appear correctly in the global database.
• Integrate the Verified by GS1 API into your DPP workflow to automate ongoing verification as new products are added.

By completing these steps before your sector's DPP compliance deadline, you ensure that your product identifiers are verified, trusted, and ready to anchor your Digital Product Passports.

Building Trust in the DPP Ecosystem

The long-term success of Digital Product Passports depends on trust. Consumers must trust that the information they access is genuine. Regulators must trust that companies are not fabricating compliance data. Recyclers must trust that material composition data is accurate enough to guide sorting and processing decisions.

Verified by GS1 contributes to this trust by providing an independent, globally recognised verification layer that sits beneath the passport itself. It does not replace the need for robust DPP content, verified sustainability data, substances of concern declarations, and repair instructions are all separate requirements, but it ensures that the foundation upon which all this data rests is solid.

As the DPP ecosystem matures and more product categories come under ESPR delegated acts, verification will shift from being a best practice to an expected norm. Manufacturers who embed verification into their processes now will find themselves well ahead of those who treat it as an afterthought.