What is a Digital Product Passport?

The new EU standard for product transparency, traceability, and compliance, and why a growing range of products sold in Europe will need one.

What is a Digital Product Passport?

A Digital Product Passport (DPP) is a structured digital record that contains key information about a product's composition, origin, repairability, and end-of-life handling.

Under the EU's ESPR regulation, DPPs become mandatory product group by product group, as the Commission adopts a delegated act for each group. Each passport is accessible via a QR code, RFID, or other data carrier linked to each individual product or batch.

What data does a DPP contain?

• Product identification and manufacturer details
• Materials composition and substances of concern (SVHCs above 0.1%)
• Carbon footprint data
• Repair and disassembly instructions
• Recycled content percentages
• End-of-life and recycling guidance

Who needs to create a DPP?

The manufacturer is responsible. If the manufacturer is outside the EU, the importer inherits the full obligation.

Key dates

• 20 July 2026: EU DPP Registry went live (ESPR Article 13)
• 18 February 2027: Battery passports mandatory for EV batteries, LMT batteries and industrial batteries above 2 kWh
• No date yet: ESPR DPP requirements, phased in by product category. Each delegated act normally applies at least 18 months after it enters into force (ESPR Article 4(4)), and no ESPR product group has a dated DPP obligation yet

Common misconceptions

• DPPs do not require blockchain — the EU is explicitly technology-neutral
• DPPs are not optional — they are a legal requirement for market access
• DPP data must remain accessible beyond the company's lifespan

Sources

• Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 (ESPR), Articles 9–13 (Digital Product Passport requirements) — EUR-Lex
• Digital Product Passport and indicative DPP timeline, European Commission: single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu