If you have a lot of barcode numbers registered with GS1 and want to upload to Buyerdock in bulk, this little guide will help you. Please note, you need to have an account with Buyerdock with your brand and company profile created before we can help with the upload. And for reference, the upload will take minutes :)
Firstly, log in to your GS1 account. This will take you to the your Account dashboard.
First up, you need to get to your Numberbank
Then select GTIN-13 under Number type, like below
Next up, choose your Company prefix, simply click on the number showing.
Once both sides are selected, click on the orange button, 'Go to My Numberbank'
The next screen will show a list of your GTIN-13 numbers
Click on the button, 'Download GTIN-14s' - although we started by looking for GTIN13's, the new standard of 2D barcode will use 14 digit barcode numbers. This in simple terms adds a 0 to the front of your barcode numbers. Don't worry about that for now.
Once GS1 sends you a download link via email, click it, you'll have all your GTINs in a spreadsheet. Next up, we require you to do a tiny bit of work to make them easy to upload to Buyerdock.
When you open your spreadsheet, it will look like this (but populated)
Change the following headers in line 4 (in this example)
Number -> Barcode
Product Name -> Product Title
Description - > Product Description
Main Brand - > Brand (Please enter the brand name on the columns below exactly as it appears on Buyerdock)
Product Link -> Alternative URL
SKU -> SKU
NB: We don't use the other fields on the GS1 spreadsheet for our basic upload.
Then save the spreadsheet. Next steps, please contact us by email here, sending your spreadsheet and we'll get back to you asap. We will need to contact you to assign the categories of each product (if different, this could take a few minutes to go through) and ensure the fields are correct before uploading.
Product traceability is the process of identifying and tracking products through a supply chain.
Offer your consumers a top-level overview of where the components and processes are performed and sourced for a product. Traceability is not required on products and anything not populated will be hidden on the web-app.
This will be a requirement for the upcoming EU digital product passport.
Product attributes are the properties that describe product unique features and provide shoppers with information they can use to find, compare, and, ultimately, make a purchasing decision. We use custom product attributes for a product that isn't catered within the default Buyerdock fields and you may wish to set your own.
Attributes vary and can apply to a products and it's own child products, there are several common attributes you’ll see regularly. Here are a few examples:
Applying to multiple products. Lets say you are selling belts and you have these in three different lengths and three different hole counts for fastening each belt. On a product you would set up attributes:
Then on your product set the product values:
If you added child products to your you already created product it would adopt the same attribute names and you could edit the attributes to suit each product variation.
Please read 'Parent and child product' FAQ for more information
Parent and child product functions provides a solution for when several products have under the same product images and information, but each has slightly different attributes (specifications).
Child products will be tied to a parent product - If you are on an itemised billing structure a child product is much cheaper than a parent product. At any point you can promote a child product to a standalone product so you can edit any of the product data. Learn more about promoting a child product reading the 'Promoting a child product to a single product' FAQ
A child product will inherit ALL parent data apart from the following fields applied:
Title Suffix: Adjusts the parent product to be understood by the buyer. For example if you had 'Brown leather shoes' as a product. A child title suffix could change the title to 'Brown leather shoes - Size 6'. Another child added to the paretn could have the title suffix: 'Brown leather shoes - Size 7' and so on.
GTIN: If a GS1 Gtin is added then an iQRcode is created ready for scanning by users or at the till.
SKU: Your internal product management code - required
Attributes: Child products inherit any attribute fields from it's parent product. Each child product can be given. Learn more about Attributes reading the 'Product attributes' FAQ
We recommend a size of 3mb.
In Italy, the legislation states that the recycling logos can either be printed on the product packaging (or product directly) or displayed digitally behind our iQRcode.
The minimum font size to be displayed is 1.2mm
You can read more here
If your product is one of the categories below, you need to add an additional triman logo to the product. Most companies use a swing tag to display the product related logo, attached to the product. This is in additional to the packaging logo. Don’t forget, if you are using a swing tag, make sure you include this on the on-pack triman logo.
Textiles, clothing, shoes, DIY, garden, toys or electrical
When your product is a collection of products, for example a gift hamper, please add multiple products to cover all categories.
For a guide on how to display Triman logos, please click here
The obligation to inform the consumer about the environmental qualities and characteristics is imposed on the producers of the products covered by the article 13 of AGEC Law and codified in article R 541-221 of the environment code, according to their turnover and the number of sales units of these products that they have placed on the national market.
The Decree n° 2022-748 of April 29th adopted in application of article 13 regulates consumer information by specifying for each product concerned the nature of the information that should be provided the mention that should appear on the product if necessary.
Where to display?
Due to the complexity of the text, you can display this information on the product page on your website. Once you have answered all the questions below, you can embed the information on your website, simply follow this link buyerdock.com/licences/ and click on Widgets & API’s
WHEN DO THE REQUIREMENTS APPLY?
The legislative Decree No.116 of 3 September 2020 is a law that was passed in Italy in September 2020. The law includes several provisions that are intended to promote the transition to a circular economy in the country.
First, manufacturers of packaging must mark the material of the packaging as an alphanumeric code according to 97/129/EC. Secondly, packaging for end consumers must show clear instructions on how to dispose of a package - in Italian.
According to the recommendation of the Italian Consortium for Packaging Materials (CONAI), a packaging label should contain the following information:
This is law on all products sold in Italy from 1st January 2023.
You can ensure your product meets Italian regulations by completing the questions below.
In Italy, the legislation states that the recycling logos can either be printed on the product packaging (or product directly) or displayed digitally behind our iQRcode.
The minimum font size to be displayed is 1.2mm
In the case of incorrect or missing labelling, fines of €5,200 – €40,000 can be imposed.
PLEASE NOTE
As a producer you may also be required to register and pay EPR fees based on the amount of product placed in that market. Buyerdock do not provide this service as it needs to be carried out by the company placing the product on the market. For example, in France, if you have packaging, you need to register with Citeo, Leko or Adelphe and update the units shipped to France, if you have batteries in that product, you need to register also with Corepile or Screlec.
Buyerdock only provide the recycle logos - not the declarations of waste to governments.
Disclaimer: This information provides an overview for educational purposes only and is not legal advice. It is not intended to create, and receipt of it does not constitute, a lawyer-client relationship. The authors, Buyerdock Limited disclaim all responsibility for any and all losses, damages, or causes of action that may arise or be connected with the use of or reliance on these materials. Please consult a licensed attorney in your area for legal assistance.
This depends on your product type.
Characteristics for disclosure include attributes such as presence and amount of recycled content, recyclability, presence of hazardous substances, and traceability (amongst many others).
Why should I disclose?
✓ Increased attractiveness to buyers (through reduced administrative burden)
✓ Increased opportunity for growth on the French market
✓ Transparency on product environmental attributes to potential customers
✓ Risk of product not being stocked
✓ Fines including €15k per sku and 10% of global turnover
Yes - but you could be better protected.
While our servers are protected by the highest levels of security, we strongly recommend you turn on 2FA (Two-factor-authentication) on your account. This will protect anyone trying to log in with just your email address and your password. We've built this as an option for now, but it will be compulsory soon.
You can find out more and turn it on here
You can download all your data via the product dashboard
Simply click on the export products button.
Then delete your account and products, feel free to email us if you need support on this.
IMPORTANT
If you have 2D barcodes (QR codes) printed on products, you should simply unsubscribe and ensure that each product is linking to a URL of your choice, this will keep the QR code functioning.
If you are an Amazon seller that ships product to France or Italy either FBA or FBM, you need to ensure your packaging carries the correct recycle logo otherwise you will be at risk of a fine upto €100k or worse up two years in prison according to French law. As far as warnings go, it is pretty severe.
It’s not just Amazon sellers, anyone that ships directly to consumer via their website (such as Shopify, WooCommerce) needs to have the correct logo. This is also true if you sell in any shop in Italy or France today. The laws have been in place since 2022 and all stock must carry these logos now.
It may sound simple. It’s far far more complex than that.
Each and every part of your product packaging needs to be accounted for. For example, if you have a beauty product in a tube, and it is sold in a cardboard box with a leaflet inside, your French and Italian environmental labels need to show each element, in the native language, along with the specific bins each element goes in to.
How do you get these labels?
You can pay expensive consultants, you can download the Triman pdf and have a stab at it (get it wrong, you get the fines/prison option), or you can use Buyerdock’s automated EU recycle logo generator (the demo is here). Charges start at £59.99 per month and covers you for France and Italy now and will incorporate Spain and the UK next year (both will be mandatory) followed by Netherlands, Portugal and Poland – and then another 40 odd European countries that have all committed to this. Each with their own language recycle logo.
Do they need printing on pack?
In Italy, no, they can go behind a QR code, but if you have QR codes, you need to change them for 2D barcodes as per the global requirement from GS1 which is to move from linear barcodes to 2D barcodes in the next few years (we can help you with 2D barcodes too). In France, it depends on the size of your packaging, under our recycle tool in your Buyerdock account, if you know your packaging size, we’ll let you know whether you need to print on pack or display behind 2D barcode. tl;dr – almost all products currently need the French triman logo printed on pack.
Buyerdock have a team on hand to help answer any questions, if you have a lot of products we have built an amazing tool to enable you to upload many at once. If you need help, simply contact us and we’ll get back to you straight away.
When a country updates or adds new recycle logo regulation changes, Buyerdock will automatically update and we'll inform you if there are any further questions required to keep your products compliant.
Also, if a country launches new recycle logos, the account will automatically be updated for you, your annual licence fee covers all additional new countries launched during the calendar year you are subscribed to. An example of this is Spain. Right now (Sept 2023) Buyerdock provides the logos for France and Italy, Spain just announced their new logos, as complicated as the French Triman, once we have the full data-sets, we'll update the system and you will not need to pay any update fees.
PLEASE NOTE
As a producer you may also be required to register and pay EPR fees based on the amount of product placed in that market. Buyerdock do not provide this service as it needs to be carried out by the company placing the product on the market. For example, in France, if you have packaging, you need to register with Citeo, Leko or Adelphe and update the units shipped to France, if you have batteries in that product, you need to register also with Corepile or Screlec.
Buyerdock only provide the recycle logos - not the declarations of waste to governments.
Disclaimer: This information provides an overview for educational purposes only and is not legal advice. It is not intended to create, and receipt of it does not constitute, a lawyer-client relationship. The authors, Buyerdock Limited disclaim all responsibility for any and all losses, damages, or causes of action that may arise or be connected with the use of or reliance on these materials. Please consult a licensed attorney in your area for legal assistance.
If you decide not to continue to pay the monthly 2D barcode fee, the QR code will point to any website or webpage of your choice, the only difference is that the app will no longer load.
This is important if you are using the app for recycle logos, the product becomes non-compliant.
Buyerdock provides the 2D barcode free of charge, no payment sign up required. We strongly recommend using the app as the benefits to you are your consumer far outweigh simply sending a consumer to a web page or social media page.
Yes, if you are on a Growth package or above, you can view on all products, on starter, just the most clicked. From your product dashboard, simply click on the following button:
..and a new page will open, it will take a few seconds and then bring in analytics from the last day, last week and the last month.
The analytics show the following, please note, you are not allowed to identify the person due to EU law. But when you understand what tiles are being clicked most, you can focus more on updating that content to make it work better.
Q: We sell direct to businesses, where the end product is used by consumers, but no packaging. Example - we supply wine glasses in a box to restaurants. Do we need recycle logos?
A: The current recycle logos that Buyerdock provide are for B2C only. It is relating to consumer packaging.
This may change when authorities understand the volume of B2B. By signing up to the recycle licence, you'll get updated as and when this changes (and when new countries publish their logos) - the licence covers you for any updates
Disclaimer: This information provides an overview for educational purposes only and is not legal advice. It is not intended to create, and receipt of it does not constitute, a lawyer-client relationship. The authors, Buyerdock Limited disclaim all responsibility for any and all losses, damages, or causes of action that may arise or be connected with the use of or reliance on these materials. Please consult a licensed attorney in your area for legal assistance.
This is a question we are asked daily. Short answer, no. Long answer, it will.
Packaging regulations required include elements like Nutrition, Ingredients, Allergens etc printed on pack. This is not changing anytime soon. The EU and UK Gov are looking at how to reduce requirements on pack, but no decisions yet.
We think all post-purchase information such as company name and address, how to use, keep out of eyes regulatory logos (kite marks etc + recycling logos) can and will soon all go behind 2D barcodes. The EU have opened an infringement procedure with France as the triman logo printed on pack creates friction at the border. So we are sure this will be resolved behind the 2D barcode.
But we don't see any change with on pack regulations that are a matter of life and death anytime soon. If for example you are celiac, knowing the ingredients is crucial, the 2D barcode will help consumers read the ingredients easier and you can of course update your ingredients story to say Celiac friendly, Vegan etc etc.
We have a vision for the back of pack in the future, the following could be it, but for now, the only regulations we deliver are the recycle logo's and the French circular economy article 13.
Yes you can.
To get a copy of the comprehensive Buyerdock regulation guide, please email here
Or view it here
Disclaimer: This information provides an overview for educational purposes only and is not legal advice. It is not intended to create, and receipt of it does not constitute, a lawyer-client relationship. The authors, Buyerdock Limited disclaim all responsibility for any and all losses, damages, or causes of action that may arise or be connected with the use of or reliance on these materials. Please consult a licensed attorney in your area for legal assistance.