Digital product passport
A Digital product passport (DPP) is a structured digital collection of product information linked through a unique identifier and accessible according to defined rights. Under the EU framework, its product-specific data can support sustainability, circularity, compliance, market surveillance, value-chain decisions, and informed use or disposal.
In simple terms
A DPP connects a physical product, batch, or model to machine-readable information through a data carrier such as a QR code. The applicable rules determine what data must be present, who can view or update it, how long it remains available, and who is responsible for accuracy. A Digital product passport enables Product traceability but is not merely a tracking number: it can organize information on materials, performance, repair, substances, or end-of-life handling when legislation requires those fields.
Why it matters
Product information is often fragmented across suppliers and lifecycle stages. A governed passport can make relevant data available to consumers, repairers, recyclers, businesses, customs, and authorities, supporting Ecodesign and a Circular economy. Its usefulness depends on interoperable data, reliable identifiers, appropriate access controls, updates, and verification. It can support investigations, but it does not itself provide Access to remedy, and digitizing an unsupported claim does not make that claim trustworthy.
Example
A regulated product carries a QR code linked to its registered identifier. A consumer sees approved durability and care information, a repairer accesses service data, and an authority retrieves compliance information permitted for its role. The exact fields and access levels come from the product-specific rules, not from the general DPP concept alone.
References
Current status
- As of
- Issuer
- European Union
- Jurisdiction
- European Union
- Instrument or version
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1781
- Status
- The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation establishes the EU Digital Product Passport framework; detailed obligations are introduced through product-specific measures and other applicable legislation.
Applicability: Required data, granularity, access rights, data carrier, retention, registration, and commencement depend on the product group and applicable delegated or sector-specific legislation. The framework should not be read as imposing one identical passport or immediate duty on every product.