What is the Digital Product Passport (DPP)?

The Digital Product Passport(DPP) is a digital record that contains comprehensive information about a product throughout its life cycle. It is essentially the digital identity of a product.

The EPD was implemented by the European Union through the Ecodesign Regulation for Sustainable Products (ESPR), which came into force in July 2024.

Each passport will be digitally linked to the product via a unique digital identifier. This will generally be achieved through data carriers such as QR codes, NFC tags or RFID, which customers or regulators can scan to obtain product information immediately.

Companies supplying, selling or owning any type of physical product in the EU market should consider the DPPs. Failure to comply could result in product blocking in the EU, including fines or market access restrictions.

Content:

• The passport brings together comprehensive information about the product and its supply chain, including details on raw materials, production, environmental impact, care instructions, and what to do with the product at the end of its life, such as repair and recycling options.
• Specific data it may contain include material composition (e.g. 98% steel and 2% iron ore), recycled content (e.g. 18%), carbon footprint (e.g. 2.10 kg CO2e/kg), certificates (e.g. EN 10204-3.1), material origin and recyclability.
• Life cycle traceability is also required, recording events such as maintenance, calibration and inspections to prove ongoing equipment compliance.

_
Obligations:

• The responsibility for ensuring the accuracy of the DPP data rests with the business placing the product on the EU market.
• Passports must remain accessible years after the product has left the point of sale; in some categories, this can be up to 10 years, or at least 5 to 10 years for customers to find repair or recycling information.

_
Implementation Timeline

The introduction of the DPP will be phased in over the next five years, starting with the first requirements planned for 2026, and adding additional categories annually until all items sold in the EU must carry a DPP by 2030.

2026

• Product Prioritization: Initial requirements are planned for batteries and other energy-intensive industrial products.
• Central Infrastructure: By July 2026, the EU will establish a central digital registry that will serve as centralized storage for all DPP data.
• Publication of Standards: It is expected that by December 2025 the European standards organizations will provide harmonized standards for the DPP system.

_
2027

• Entry into Force: In mid-2027, the standards for textiles, footwear, and iron/steel will come into force. This will require all products in these categories to have a fundamental EPD with basic product and environmental information. The implementation of the DPP for textiles will be phased and progressive, requiring increasing levels of sophistication, data and traceability over time.
• Batteries and large industrial equipment: The battery passport, established under a separate regulation, also starts in 2027. Requirements for batteries and large industrial equipment will be implemented between 2026 and 2027.
• Other Sectors: Aluminum and tires are also prioritized for 2027.
• Machinery Regulation (Under the EU Machinery Specific Regulation): In parallel and independently, the EU Machinery Regulation requires basic documentation (manuals, certificates) of all machinery to be mandatorily digital from 2027. This transition to “digital first” documentation established by the Machinery Regulation will facilitate the implementation of the DPP, as companies will already be obliged to manage a large amount of digital equipment data and records in a centralized system.

_
2028 and 2029

• Category Expansion: Between 2028 and 2029, categories such as electronics, furniture, mattresses and vehicles will be added.

_
2030 and 2033

• Full Adoption: By 2030, all remaining product groups will be required to carry a DPP.
• Sophistication: By this date, a more sophisticated DPP for textiles will be required that captures more detailed life cycle information and has greater accessibility to stakeholders.
• Full Circular DPP: By 2033, a full circular DPP for textiles will be required, including all life cycle data, including reuse and recycling routes.