31 March 2021 marks the 50th anniversary of the GTIN.

50 years ago, on 31 March 1971, the modern economy was born. That sounds like hyperbole, but that was the day when leaders from the biggest names in commerce came together and developed the Global Trade Item Number, known as the “GTIN”.

The GTIN is the number behind the barcode, the most important supply chain standard in history. Today, the barcode is scanned over six billion times every day and remains one of the most trusted symbols in the world.

It is no exaggeration to say that the development of the GTIN set the stage for global, digitalised commerce. This really is one of the great, untold stories in the history of international business, a remarkable coming together of fierce competitors to solve real business challenges.