iQRcode™ an intelligent QR code simplifying EU environmental labelling | 20-04-2026 |

With the introduction of the Digital Product Passport (DPP) requirements and the GS1 Sunrise 2027 transition toward two-dimensional identifiers, packaging is set to become a carrier of verified product information, no longer just a means of communication. This is one of the major developments under discussion at the upcoming  AIPIA/AWA Smart Packaging Congress in Amsterdam (20-21 May) and is sure to be a ‘hot’ topic SEE HERE. So it is interesting to see this particular development from Italy.

The Digital Product Passport, provided for under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, will require structured product data to be accessible throughout the entire life cycle. Information on materials, recyclability, and traceability will support market surveillance activities, recycling operations, and cross-border compliance within the single market. 

This transition presents significant operational challenges, to which AIPIA member Botta Ecopackaging  - a company specialized in sustainable packaging and active with exporting SMEs - has responded by introducing iQRcode™, a dynamic QR system in which each printed code is associated with a centrally managed digital record for that specific packaging item. 

The code does not lead to a simple web page, but to organized and updatable information (including disposal instructions with national symbols, material composition, and user guidance). In the event of regulatory updates, it is sufficient to update the data, and all packages already distributed automatically display the new information when scanned, reducing the risk of non-compliance and the need for urgent reprints.

Lara Botta, VP of BOTTA EcoPackaging commented, “Packaging is becoming part of the compliance infrastructure. The identifier printed on a box will increasingly connect logistics, regulatory documentation, and environmental information. For many SMEs, the challenge is not printing a code, but managing the data behind it.

As the implementation timelines of European regulation become progressively clearer, the management of data associated with packaging is becoming an operational variable, no longer merely a technical one. Companies that move late may find themselves facing concentrated adjustments within short timeframes, complex documentation updates and packaging changes required by business partners or distribution operators.

 In the coming years, the difference will lie not so much in adopting a two-dimensional code, but in the ability to promptly integrate information systems, packaging design and regulatory requirements.

ALL AT AIPIA/AWA SMART PACKAGING WORLD CONGRESS 2026