What is a Digital Product Passport?
A Digital Product Passport (DPP) is a structured digital record that contains verified information about a product — its materials, environmental impact, recyclability, supply chain origins, and compliance status. Think of it as a product's verified digital identity.
It's not just a QR code. It's not a PDF certificate. It's a structured, machine-readable dataset that can be shared with different audiences at different levels of detail.
What data does a DPP contain?
Under the EU's Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), a DPP must contain data across several categories:
- Material composition — what the product is made of
- Environmental impact — carbon footprint, energy consumption
- Recyclability — how the product can be recycled or repaired
- Durability — expected lifespan, warranty information
- Supply chain — origin of materials, manufacturing locations
- Compliance declarations — certifications, test results, regulatory approvals
The exact requirements vary by product category, but the principle is the same: structured, verifiable, shareable.
Who needs a DPP?
Any company selling products into the EU market will eventually need DPPs for regulated product categories:
- Batteries (industrial + EV) — DPP required from early 2027
- Textiles and apparel — expected 2027-2028
- Electronics — to follow by 2030
- Furniture, construction materials — subsequent waves
If you manufacture, import, or sell physical products in Europe, this affects you.
The three audiences of a DPP
A DPP serves three distinct audiences, each needing different levels of information:
- Regulators and auditors — need complete data with audit trails and evidence
- B2B buyers (retailers, brands) — need verified product data for procurement decisions
- Consumers — need accessible, relevant product information (often via QR code)
This is why field-level visibility matters. Not everything should be public. A platform like Passiris lets you control exactly what each audience sees.
Why self-declaration isn't enough
Simply declaring your product's composition in a spreadsheet doesn't constitute a compliant DPP. Regulators expect:
- Structured data — machine-readable, not free-text PDFs
- Evidence — certificates, lab reports, and test results linked to specific claims
- Audit trail — who entered what data, when, and what changed
- Versioning — a history of the passport's evolution over time
How to get started
Building your first DPP doesn't require a massive IT project. The key steps are:
- Choose a template — define what data fields your passport needs
- Collect data — gather information from your team and suppliers
- Attach evidence — link certificates and documents to specific claims
- Publish — make the passport available via QR code and secure links
- Maintain — update as products and certifications change
The sooner you start, the more prepared you'll be when mandates hit. Companies building DPP infrastructure now will have operational experience that late movers won't.
Passiris is a Digital Product Passport platform designed to make this process structured, collaborative, and audit-ready. Book a demo to see how it works.