A Digital Product Passport (DPP) is a structured digital record attached to a physical product. It travels with the product through its entire lifecycle — from raw material extraction all the way to end-of-life recycling — and is readable by anyone with the right access level: consumers, recyclers, customs authorities, and market surveillance bodies.
Why does it exist?
The EU introduced DPPs as part of the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR, Regulation (EU) 2024/1781). The core problem it solves: today's supply chains are opaque. A product might be labeled "sustainable" with no way to verify it. DPPs make sustainability claims machine-readable and legally accountable.
"The Digital Product Passport is not just a compliance requirement — it is the information backbone of the circular economy."
— European Commission, ESPR Impact Assessment
What data does a DPP contain?
- Product identity — GTIN, batch number, serial number, manufacturer details
- Carbon footprint — CO₂e across production, transport, use phase, and end-of-life
- Material composition — recycled content percentages, hazardous substance declarations
- Repairability — score, spare parts availability, disassembly instructions
- End-of-life handling — recycling instructions, waste codes, take-back programs
- Certificates — CE marking, RoHS, REACH, sector-specific certificates
- Supply chain origin — country of origin for key components and raw materials
How is it accessed?
Every DPP is linked to a physical data carrier — most commonly a QR code printed on the product label or packaging. The QR code links to a public viewer URL (e.g. https://dpp.d-pass.eu/p/ABC123). Consumers can scan it with any smartphone. For high-value products, NFC chips or RFID tags can serve as data carriers instead.
Who can read it?
DPPs implement tiered access. The public tier is freely accessible — basic product info, sustainability summary, QR code. The authorized tier requires an account — full material composition, audit trails. The regulatory tier is reserved for market surveillance authorities — complete supply chain data, test reports.
When is it mandatory?
The first mandatory DPPs apply to batteries under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, with industrial and EV batteries requiring a DPP from 18 February 2027. Textile, electronics, steel, and other sectors follow under ESPR delegated acts from 2026–2030.