From February 2027, industrial batteries over 2 kWh and electric vehicle batteries sold in the EU will need a digital passport. Textiles, furniture, tyres, steel and aluminium will follow under the Ecodesign Regulation. A manufacturer that does not know today where its product data sits, and who can check it, will find the passport hard to fill in.
- Digital product passport: a digital record of a product's materials, origin, durability, carbon footprint and end-of-life options.
- Legal basis: the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR); for batteries, the Battery Regulation.
- First products: batteries from 2027, then textiles, furniture, tyres, mattresses, iron, steel and aluminium.
- Preparation: audit your product data, calculate the product footprint or EPD and plan the data structure.
The digital product passport: a new duty and a chance for companies
The Digital Product Passport (DPP) is one of the EU's main tools for a circular economy. It should make the supply chain fully open. It lets everyone trace materials, and it makes products easier to repair, reuse and recycle.
The DPP will become a duty in many sectors under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), Regulation (EU) 2024/1781. The ESPR is a key part of the EU's circular economy plan.
What is a digital product passport?
A digital product passport is a digital ID card of a product. It shows what the product is made of, where it comes from and how long it lasts. It also gives its carbon footprint and what to do with it at the end of its life. Everyone in the value chain, from maker to consumer, can see this data.
In practice, a DPP is a unique identifier, such as a QR code or an RFID tag, linked to a database. The database holds:
- a basic description of the product;
- its material composition and the origin of raw materials;
- emissions data, including the product carbon footprint (GWP);
- energy efficiency data;
- information on how long it lasts and how to repair it;
- information on recycling;
- certificates and other relevant documents, such as declarations of performance.
Who must introduce a digital product passport?
The ESPR sets the frame, and separate acts set the duty for each product group. The Commission's plan for 2025–2030 names these groups among the first:
- textiles, above all clothing;
- furniture;
- tyres;
- mattresses;
- iron and steel;
- aluminium.
Energy-related products and electronics will follow. The new EU rules on construction products also bring a passport for them.
Batteries come first. From 18 February 2027, the battery passport becomes mandatory under the Battery Regulation. It covers industrial batteries over 2 kWh, electric vehicle batteries and batteries for light means of transport.
What data must a digital product passport contain?
Article 9 of the ESPR sets the general rules, and separate acts set the data for each product group. A passport will usually hold:
- a unique product identifier linked to a QR code or an RFID tag;
- data on the origin of materials and the carbon footprint;
- information on how long the product lasts, repair and reuse;
- data on recycling and recovered raw materials;
- references to standards and declarations of conformity.
All data must be structured, readable by machines and based on open standards. Then it can be compared across the supply chain.
How do you introduce a DPP system in your company?
A DPP needs a digital data system. In practice, you can use:
- your existing ERP systems to collect data;
- tags such as barcodes, QR codes or RFID.
If each company keeps its own data, the system is safer, and you keep control over your information. This also fits the EU data strategy.
Companies should prepare a plan now that covers:
- an audit of the product data you already have;
- a life cycle assessment of the product, for example as an EPD;
- a passport data structure that meets the ESPR;
- links between the data and your other systems;
- a pilot on a selected product group.
A sample product passport
We have built a platform where companies can publish their digital product passports: dpphub.org. Access is free. You can publish passports for your products and embed them, for example, on your company website. The QR code opens a sample passport.
Why is it worth introducing a digital product passport?
The DPP is a legal duty, but it is also a chance for companies. The benefits include:
- an edge over rivals: open data builds customer trust and supports credible green claims;
- marketing insight: customers click, read and download documents from the passport, and your marketing team learns what interests them;
- easier compliance: the passport shows that the product meets legal and environmental rules.
The DPP and the circular economy
Digital product passports support the goals of the Green Deal and the EU's circular economy plan. They help to manage the life of products, cut the waste of raw materials and save energy.
Companies that start now will gain an edge and a name as leaders. The DPP is a chance to build open, circular and low-carbon supply chains.
Do you want to start preparing for the digital product passport?
EXERGY specialists help companies prepare for the digital product passport. We start with data such as the carbon footprint. Then we build a passport that meets the ESPR, for example in our app, digply.com.
Every day we prepare carbon footprints and environmental product declarations (EPD), the basis of digital product passports. Together we build solutions that make supply chains more open, cut the carbon footprint and support the shift to a circular economy.