Participants in GS1 Sweden’s associations such as councils, user groups, reference groups, or other working groups must always bear in mind that the purpose is to enhance the competitiveness of stakeholders in the business community, in order to deliver added value to the consumer or end user.
As GS1 Sweden’s activities almost always involve collaboration between competitors, great caution must be exercised to ensure compliance with competition law. Therefore, anyone participating in GS1 Sweden’s working groups must adhere to our collaboration rules.
A. Participation is voluntary.
B. A company must not be penalized for choosing not to participate.
C. No discussions may take place regarding:
- prices, discounts, or other price-affecting conditions,
- boycotts or division of markets, customers, services, or products, or
- market shares, sales volumes, costs, and other trade secrets.
D. A company may not disclose whether it intends to submit a bid in an upcoming procurement. Nor may it disclose the price levels it plans to offer in such a bid, or any information that could influence those price levels.
E. Discussions as outlined in points C and D above must not occur before or after user group meetings or similar gatherings organized by GS1.
F. If a participant believes that the group is about to discuss a prohibited topic, the matter must be tabled until a legal expert in competition law can provide an opinion on its compatibility with competition regulations.
G. Meetings must be conducted in accordance with a pre-established agenda and documented in minutes prepared immediately after the meeting.
H. Tests or data collection must be governed by agreements developed in consultation with a legal expert in competition law.
I. Any recommendations issued by a GS1 working group are solely recommendations. Each individual company is free to make independent and competitive decisions.
J. All standards developed must be voluntary standards.
These principles were established by GS1 Sweden’s CEO on 16 October 2025.