Bayer Consumer Health UK, in partnership with Zappar, has introduced a new Accessible QR code (AQR) on its Canescool Soothing Gel Cream product packaging to help those who are blind or partially sighted.
Canescool is the world’s first women’s intimate health brand to adopt AQR codes on its product packaging and gives the over 200,000 women who are registered as blind or partially sighted in the UK improved access to information on its product.
These innovative QR codes, created by Zappar working closely with Bayer and in collaboration with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), can be detected by popular accessibility apps such as the Envision app, Microsoft SeeingAI (as of mid-October) and Zapvision’s reference app.
Structured product information will be announced through text-to-speech for users who are blind or partially sighted. Users will also be directed to a dedicated landing page on the Canescool website with expanded product information and a myth-busting knowledge quiz.
Marc Powell, Accessibility Innovation Lead at the RNIB, said: “Independence and choice is something we should all have, especially when it comes to looking after ourselves. More than two million people in the UK are living with sight loss and by 2050 it will double to over four million people. We’re delighted that Bayer and Zappar are collaborating and are now on a journey to ensure that packaging information is available to blind and partially sighted consumers through the use of the Zap Vision technology and encourage other big brands to make that leap too.”