The Digital Product Passport (DPP) is a “digital dossier” that is about to change how companies collect, govern, and distribute product data. It was created within the framework of the new EU Regulation on Ecodesign (ESPR) and becomes mandatory through delegated acts of the European Commission sector by sector, primarily batteries and textiles. In this article, you’ll discover in detail what it is, who it affects, and how to best prepare for it.
The Digital Product Passport is a structured collection of data associated with each individual product, with predefined purpose and access rights, linked to a unique identifier accessible through an electronic carrier (such as a QR code on packaging) that exposes a controlled set of data on origin, repairability, use, composition, and end of life. Designed to protect consumers and the environment, it is the core idea behind European projects such as CIRPASS, conceived to harmonize structure and data access rights throughout the life cycle.
For those who manage catalogs, product sheets, and product enrichment, the Digital Product Passport brings product data to a new level of quality, consistency, and traceability. A “good product sheet” is no longer enough: it will be necessary to create and maintain a consistent data model, govern versions and sources, track origin and transformations (materials, components, suppliers), and distribute portions of information to different audiences (from consumers to authorities or recyclers). In other words, the DPP makes strategic what is often perceived as “just” operational: data governance and integration between eCommerce systems, content management, and supply chain.
But DPP is not just online: the physical data carrier (e.g. QR code) applied to the product or packaging enables consultation in-store, at the service counter and after-sales. For retailers, this means managing returns, recalls and repairs with verifiable data on individual items, accessible to authorised staff and customers.
Three pillars are already clear:
Much of this information therefore already exists: product registries, bills of materials, manuals, compliance certificates. The real difference lies in centralizing, normalizing, and governing them to expose them with quality and control when necessary.
The Digital Product Passport is a framework provided by the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (EU Regulation 2024/1781): the European Commission will establish ecodesign and information requirements for product groups through delegated acts, and the DPP will be the tool to archive and share this data along the value chain.
It is already a reality in one initial area: with Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 on batteries and waste batteries, the battery passport will be mandatory from February 18, 2027 for certain categories (for example, batteries for electric and industrial vehicles), accessible via QR code.
For other sectors, the Commission has adopted the Working Plan 2025-2030 which prioritizes final and intermediate products: manufacturing and metals (iron/steel, aluminum), furniture and mattresses, electronics, tires, and textiles/apparel.
The textiles/apparel sector is among the first final products in the Working Plan table, with indicative adoption in 2027: its potential to improve product durability, material use efficiency, and environmental impact makes it a priority. Studies by the European Parliament Research Service (EPRS) for textiles highlight the need for a data structure with differentiated access (public/restricted) along the supply chain, from fiber sourcing to recycling.
For fashion eCommerce teams, the practical impact is threefold:
Note: footwear is not included in the first textile wave; the Commission has scheduled a dedicated study to evaluate its inclusion by 2027.
The starting point is organizational. For each attribute, you must define who owns it (owner), where it comes from (supplier, quality department, management systems), how it is approved, and how frequently it is updated. Visibility classes (public, operators, authorities) and versions must be designed to track changes without losing the data history. Finally, you must prepare the link between the physical carrier (QR, RFID) and the authoritative online source using open standards (e.g., GS1 Digital Link) that turn the code into a link to data.
The Digital Product Passport does not reward the quantity of data, but the quality. It feeds on a variety of heterogeneous information: descriptive data, technical composition data, origin information, indications on durability/end of life, and descriptive digital assets (images, manuals, labels). These elements typically come from multiple and fragmented sources: from PIM systems for registries and attributes, ERP/PLM or directly from manufacturers/suppliers for composition, origin, and end of life, and from marketing for editorial and visual content. The challenge lies in harmonizing this variety of data into a structured format that ensures consistency and accessibility.
The THRON Platform serves as an accelerator of standardization and governance: a single source to manage reliable, contextualized, and governed data, publishing it selectively to different channels and stakeholders. The software, powered by artificial intelligence, collects and standardizes all information from various sources into a coherent model, maintaining the origin and responsibility of each data point. The information is then associated with related digital assets, making it available in a controlled manner for different markets, channels, and use cases.
The benefit is twofold: internal quality control (reliable, up-to-date, verifiable data, with modification history) and near real-time information to consumers and other stakeholders (from retailers to after-sales partners), without duplications or inconsistencies across countries, languages, and channels. The result for eCommerce, product, quality, sustainability, and legal teams is faster and smoother DPP readiness.
What is the Digital Product Passport in practice?
It is a digital profile of the individual product, opened by a QR/tag on the item or packaging that shows verifiable data throughout the life cycle (what it contains, how to use/repair it, how to recycle it). Example: I scan a jacket and see composition, washing instructions, possible repairs, and how to dispose of it at end of life.
Who decides which fields to fill in?
The European Commission, through delegated acts provided by the ESPR for each product group. Example: for furniture, data on materials and disassembly might prevail; for tires on wear and recovery; for metals on recycled content and certifications.
Is it already mandatory for everyone?
No: it is a framework being progressively rolled out. Currently, it is only mandatory for batteries; in other sectors, the obligation will take effect with the publication of respective delegated acts according to the Working Plan 2025-2030.
What role do standards (e.g., GS1) play?
They serve to uniquely identify products and link the physical code to authoritative online data (e.g., GS1 Digital Link). Without standards, the DPP cannot scale and remain interoperable between actors and countries.
An example of Digital Product Passport application?
An aluminum component manufacturer links origin certifications and recycled content to the passport: the customer sees public info; the technician, with operator profile, accesses specifications and diagrams; the authority verifies documents and compliance.
Why the focus on fashion?
Because textiles/apparel is among the first final products in the Working Plan table, with indicative adoption in 2027: this means fashion brands must organize data and processes in advance. The fields to prepare are composition and origin of materials, care/washing/repair instructions, compliance documents, end-of-life indications (collection/recycling). Variants and batches must be accounted for when relevant, and a public view must be distinguished from that for authorities/operators.
Is blockchain needed?
It is not a legal requirement. What matters is being able to demonstrate provenance, integrity, and data governance, regardless of the chosen technical infrastructure. The ESPR does not prescribe a single technology.
How does it connect to my online catalog?
The QR code on the product refers to an authoritative source where the digital passport resides. With open standards like GS1 Digital Link, the code on the label becomes an intelligent URL that leads to the correct version (variant, batch) and shows only the correct fields. If your data is currently scattered, the most useful investment is to centralize, normalize, and make it accessible.