GS1 today marked 25 years of its presence in the country – empowering businesses and government entities with globally trusted standards that drive transparency, efficiency, and safety across supply chains.
The milestone celebration coincides closely with a historic moment in global commerce today: in June of 1974, the very first product was scanned using a GS1 barcode in a supermarket in Ohio, USA. What began as a simple scan of a pack of chewing gum sparked a revolution in how the world tracks, sells, and understands products. Today, GS1 UAE stands at the forefront of that same legacy — helping businesses in the UAE digitize, standardize, and future-proof their operations.
Since its establishment in 2000 in the United Arab Emirates, GS1 UAE has played a pivotal role in the UAE’s digital transformation journey. Its globally recognized barcoding, data and traceability standards have become the backbone of key sectors as diverse as retail, healthcare, logistics, manufacturing, and e-commerce.
Over the years, GS1 UAE has established strategic collaborations with several key government bodies, including the Federal Tax Authority (FTA), where its standards have been instrumental in enabling excise tax compliance and the traceability of Digital Tax Stamps. GS1 UAE has also supported the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) through initiatives like Tatmeen that ensure the authentication of medical products, helping safeguard public health and align with national pharmaceutical safety goals.
In the healthcare sector, GS1 UAE has partnered with health authorities such as Dubai Health, Emirates Drug Establishment,and Emirates Health Services,as well as hospitals such as Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi,and manufacturer associations such as Mecomed and Pharmag to implement serialization and traceability systems that strengthen patient safety, combat counterfeiting for pharmaceuticals and facilitate unique identification for medical devices.
GS1’s barcoding solutions in the retail and e-commerce industries have improved inventory accuracy, pricing consistency, and consumer trust, in collaboration with the likes of Dubai Duty Free, Al Ghurair, Transmed, Huda Beauty, Jumbo Electronics, Barakat, and Al Douri, to name a few.
“As we mark this important milestone, we reflect not only on our impact in the private sector but also on the strong partnerships we’ve built with UAE government institutions to promote trust and transparency at scale,” said Rami Habbal, CEO of GS1 UAE. “From healthcare safety and regulatory compliance to consumer transparency and sustainability, GS1 UAE remains committed to delivering globally trusted standards that help the UAE lead in innovation.”
Looking to the future, GS1 UAE is aligned with the global transition to next-generation QR codes powered by GS1 that will unlock richer trusted data at the point of sale. These QR codes will empower consumers, support sustainability efforts, and enhance real-time supply chain insights.
About GS1 UAE:
GS1 UAE® is a not-for-profit organization that works with industry, for industry, providing global standards and technology-neutral services and solutions to help solve the business challenges of today and tomorrow. GS1 develops and maintains the most widely used global standards for efficient business communication. It is best known for the barcode, named by the BBC as one of “the 50 things that made the world economy.” GS1 standards and services improve supply chains’ efficiency, safety, and visibility across physical and digital channels in 25 sectors. With offices in 120 countries, 2 million companies, and 10 billion transactions every day, GS1 standards create a common language that supports global systems and processes. Find out more at www.gs1ae.org
