GS1 Hong Kong Highlights the Power of Unity & Innovation at Annual Dinner 2026 - Powering Product Story, Safety & Sustainability

HONG KONG, April 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- GS1 Hong Kong's Annual Dinner 2026 concluded successfully, bringing together around 600 distinguished guests from government, industry, and business communities. Embracing the spirit of the 2026 World Cup, the dinner is themed "One World, One Goal – Powered by One Code" this year. Ms Lillian Cheong Man-lei, JP, Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the HKSAR Government, graced the occasion as the Guest of Honour.

At the opening, Ms Lillian Cheong, JP, said "The 15^th Five Year Plan charts a clear roadmap for Hong Kong's development as an innovation and technology hub. Achieving this ambition requires close collaboration across the Government, industry, and the wider innovation ecosystem. While GS1 Hong Kong has provided simple yet powerful barcode in the past which has become a critical foundation for digital trade, the Government has been proceeding at full speed with the CorpID Platform project which is targeted to officially launch in end-2026. In addition, the Government is taking comprehensive actions to build Hong Kong into a leading AI innovation hub, citing the advancement of Sandy Ridge Data Facility Cluster and Cyberport AI Supercomputing Centre and the roll out of $3 billion AI Subsidy Scheme and the support of wider adoption of AI in manufacturing, retail, trade and logistics through various funding schemes such as NIAS and NIFS."

Mr. Roy Ng, Chairman of GS1 Hong Kong, emphasized the organisation's commitment to supporting companies in harnessing the potential of data in AI era, "AI is only as good as the data it consumes. With global standards such as product identifiers, GS1 standards make data accurate, structured and AI–readable - reducing fragmentation and enabling interoperable, consistent product information. When data is connected and trustworthy, it delivers the 'Triple S' of Product: Product Story, Product Safety and Product Sustainability."

Powering Product Story, Product Safety & Product Sustainability

• Product Story: Consumer demand for transparency is reshaping retail. The industry is undergoing the global migration to 2D barcodes (QR codes powered by GS1), and it is already adopted in 48 countries, covering 88% of global GDP. GS1 Hong Kong offers 1QR, a complimentary digital product platform for members, empowering consumers to instantly access trusted product information — from origin and ingredients to promotions with a single scan. This also enables brands to "tell good stories of products" locally & globally.
• Product Safety: Leveraging Global Standards, GS1 Hong Kong also enables end–to–end product traceability, cross–border visibility and authentication to ensure product safety, which also supports regulatory compliance and consumer confidence. We also advocated the use of QR codes powered by GS1 to digitally display test certificates, traceability, and authenticity information, or even enable warranty service, building trust across the supply chain.
• Product Sustainability: In parallel, GS1 Hong Kong is helping enterprises respond to ESG disclosures (Scope 3 emissions), as well as emerging regulatory requirements such as the EU Digital Product Passport, which will become mandatory by 2030. Our ESG Supply Chain Community Solution centralises data collection and automates the calculation of Scope 3 carbon emissions data between buyers & suppliers. Listed catering groups and their suppliers have already begun adopting the platform.

A Night Filled with Excitement

The evening showcased a vibrant lineup of programmes, including "GS1 Sing & Shine" performed by industry talents, Musical Runway that integrated music and fashion, and generous lucky–draw prizes sponsored by partners, grand prizes include Business Class round-trip tickets & HK Football Festival 2026: Chelsea vs Juventus Suite tickets. The celebration was further energized by a celebrity performance by the artist Joe Junior, who sang alongside guests on stage.

The night also recognised 78 outstanding enterprises at the award presentation ceremony of 15^th Anniversary of Consumer Caring Scheme. (Click here for the Recognised Companies list)

Ms. Anna Lin, Chief Executive of GS1 Hong Kong, thanked all the guests and highlighted how GS1 HK is supporting companies. She said, "My heartfelt gratitude goes to all our esteemed guests and generous sponsors for their invaluable support. We will continue to unite industries worldwide to unlock 'Go Digital, Go Green' opportunities, advance sustainability, and strengthen supply chain resilience."

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About GS1 Hong Kong

GS1 Hong Kong is the local chapter of GS1^®, a global, not-for-profit data standards organization headquartered in Brussels, Belgium and represented in over 120 countries. We help businesses identify, capture, and share trusted data across both physical and digital supply chains. Through global standards like GTIN (barcodes), GS1 Hong Kong empowers companies of their digital transformation, improve efficiency, enhance supply chain visibility, and strengthen collaboration.

Building on these standards, we've developed platforms such as ezTRADE for B2B data exchange, ezTRACK for real-time traceability, and 1QR, a GS1 Digital Link-powered platform that delivers rich product information—certifications, sustainability data, and more—via 2D barcodes.

Our trusted data infrastructure has now extended to support trade financing and Scope 3 emissions reporting, helping businesses meet ESG requirements.

In today's AI-driven economy, data quality is essential. GS1 Hong Kong provides a foundation for data that is accurate, visible, linkable, searchable, shareable, and traceable.

GS1 Hong Kong currently supports close to 8,000 corporate members from 20 sectors including retail & consumer packaged goods, food & beverage and food services, healthcare, apparel & footwear, logistics & ICT.

Website: www.gs1hk.org