The plain-English explainer

What is a Digital Product Passport (DPP)?

A Digital Product Passport is a structured, machine-readable record of a product's sustainability data — composition, recycled content, repairability, recyclability and more — that you reach by scanning a QR code, GS1 DataMatrix or RFID/NFC tag on the product. It is a core tool of the EU's Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation. CIRPASS

Last updated · 2026-06-08

TL;DR

  • What: a machine-readable product dataset reached via a data carrier (QR / GS1 DataMatrix / RFID-NFC).
  • How: the carrier resolves a unique product identifier that points to the data; each audience sees only what it needs.
  • Where the data lives: a decentralised model — no single EU mega-database — plus an EU registry of carriers and IDs, due before 19 July 2026.
  • Who: manufacturers (incl. non-EU), importers and distributors of in-scope products.
  • When: Battery Passport from 18 February 2027; textiles expected ~2028; other groups follow.
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On this page: what it is · how it works · worked example · what data it carries · registry & IDs · standards · when per sector · software.

The first live DPP

18 February 2027

The EU Battery Passport becomes mandatory — the first Digital Product Passport to go live, under the EU Battery Regulation.

Before 19 July 2026

The Commission must set up the central EU DPP registry of data carriers and unique identifiers.

Battery Passport CIRPASS, DPP registry. See the full DPP timeline.

What a Digital Product Passport is

A Digital Product Passport is a defined set of product data, with agreed data-management and access rules, conveyed through a unique product identifier and read electronically via a data carrier. Its job is to carry the sustainability and circularity information — reuse, repair, remanufacturing, recycling — that consumers, businesses and authorities need to make better decisions about a product. CIRPASS

Under the ESPR, the DPP is the main way the regulation's information requirements are delivered. It is not a single fixed format: which data a DPP carries, and how granular it is, is set product group by product group in each delegated act.

How a DPP works

The mechanics are the same across products, in three moves.

1. Scan the data carrier

A QR code, GS1 DataMatrix, RFID tag or NFC chip on the product, packaging or documentation — scanned with a phone or reader. CIRPASS

2. Resolve the unique ID

The carrier points to a unique product identifier, which locates the product's dataset — held in a decentralised model, not one central database.

3. See your slice

Access is differentiated — “need-to-know”. Consumers, repairers, recyclers and authorities each see different datasets, protecting commercially sensitive information. JRC framework

A worked example: scanning a T-shirt

The example below is illustrative — it is not a real product, and the exact textile fields will only be fixed once the textiles delegated act is adopted (expected ~2027). It shows the idea: scan one QR code, and different people see different things.

Illustrative DPP data for a T-shirt, and who can see each part
You scan the QR......and might seeWho it's for
Composition60% organic cotton, 40% recycled polyesterEveryone
Recycled content% recycled material, by componentEveryone
Care & repairWash instructions, repair tips, spare-part infoConsumers, repairers
RecyclabilityHow to sort and recycle at end of life; fibre detailRecyclers, waste operators
Substances of concernAny flagged substances and where they sitRecyclers, authorities
Compliance & identifiersOperator details, conformity data, unique IDsMarket-surveillance & customs authorities

Illustrative only — not a real product, and field detail is set per delegated act. The differentiated-access principle is from the JRC DPP methodology. See likely real fields on DPP data requirements.

What data a DPP carries

The precise fields are set per delegated act, but the JRC methodology and the battery precedent point to a consistent shape:

  • Product identification — e.g. a GTIN plus model, batch or serial number
  • Operator details — manufacturer and other economic-operator information
  • Material composition and substances of concern
  • Durability and reparability data
  • Environmental and carbon footprint indicators
  • End-of-life and recycling information

Granularity can be model-level, batch-level or item-level. For the field-by-field detail, see DPP data requirements, or start mapping your own with the DPP Data Field Template. JRC methodology (JRC145830)

The decentralised model, the EU registry and unique IDs

A common misconception is that the DPP is one giant EU database. It is not. The DPP uses a decentralised data model — the data stays with economic operators and their solution providers. CIRPASS

The Commission must set up a central DPP registry before 19 July 2026, but it holds essentially the list of data carriers and unique identifiers, so passports can be located and connected (and used by customs) — not all the underlying product data.

Unique identifiers operate at three levels:

  • Unique product identifier — the product (or model/batch/item)
  • Unique operator identifier — the economic operator
  • Unique facility identifier — the site

GS1 is working with the Commission and CIRPASS-2 on this identification architecture. CIRPASS

Standards status

The technical standards that make DPPs interoperable are still being finalised, so treat designations and dates as provisional.

Standards are provisional

The horizontal DPP standards are built by CEN-CENELEC JTC 24 (“Digital Product Passport — Framework and System”), covering unique IDs, data carriers, access-rights management, security, interoperability and lifecycle APIs. The EN 18000-series went to public enquiry in mid-2025, with final publication expected in 2026 — but designations and timing are still moving. In parallel, the EU-funded CIRPASS and CIRPASS-2 projects (€12.5m, May 2024–April 2027) run real-world DPP pilots across textiles, electronics, tyres and construction. CEN-CENELEC JTC 24 CIRPASS-2

When DPPs arrive, per sector

DPPs do not all switch on at once — they arrive sector by sector as rules are adopted. The order, with the battery passport first:

  • Batteries — 18 February 2027. The first live DPP, under the EU Battery Regulation. Fixed in law. Battery Passport
  • Textiles — ~2028 (expected). The most-cited first ESPR consumer DPP; the delegated act is expected ~2027 with a typical ~18-month application lag. Indicative, not law.
  • Iron & steel, tyres, aluminium, furniture, mattresses. Follow across the 2025–2030 Working Plan window, each with its own delegated act. 2025–2030 Working Plan

See the dated detail on the ESPR & DPP timeline and the per-sector pages under product groups.

DPP software

Most companies will issue and host their DPPs through a software platform — one that mints unique IDs and data carriers, manages differentiated access and connects to the EU registry. The market is young and interoperability hinges on the emerging CEN-CENELEC and GS1 standards.

We sell no software, so our vendor-neutral DPP software comparison is a buyer-side view of the landscape — sectors served, standards and GS1 alignment, hosting and pricing bands — with no ranking or endorsement.

By the numbers

The DPP in a few figures

18 Feb 2027

The EU Battery Passport, the first live DPP, becomes mandatory.

3

Levels of unique identifier: product, operator and facility.

19 Jul 2026

Deadline for the Commission to set up the central EU DPP registry.

~2028

When a textiles DPP is realistically expected to apply (indicative).

ESPR product-group dates are indicative Working-Plan estimates, not yet fixed in law. 2025–2030 Working Plan

FAQ

People also ask

What is a Digital Product Passport?
A Digital Product Passport (DPP) is a structured, machine-readable set of product data - covering things like composition, recycled content, repairability and recyclability - that you reach by scanning a data carrier such as a QR code, GS1 DataMatrix or RFID/NFC tag on the product. The carrier links to a unique product identifier, and different audiences (consumers, repairers, recyclers, authorities) see different parts of the data.
How does a Digital Product Passport work?
You scan a data carrier (QR code, GS1 DataMatrix or RFID/NFC chip) on the product, its packaging or its documentation. That resolves a unique product identifier, which points to the product’s dataset. The data does not sit in one giant EU database - it stays in a decentralised model with the economic operator or its solution provider - and access is differentiated, so each audience sees only the data it needs.
Who needs a Digital Product Passport?
Economic operators placing in-scope products on the EU market - primarily manufacturers (including non-EU manufacturers), with importers and distributors pulled in. A DPP becomes required for a product group once its ESPR delegated act takes effect, or, for batteries, under the EU Battery Regulation. The first live DPP is the EU Battery Passport, mandatory from 18 February 2027.
What data goes in a Digital Product Passport?
The exact fields are set per delegated act, but typically: product identification (e.g. a GTIN plus model, batch or serial), manufacturer and economic-operator details, material composition, substances of concern, durability and reparability information, environmental and carbon footprint indicators, and end-of-life or recycling information. Granularity can be at model, batch or item level.
When do Digital Product Passports become mandatory?
It depends on the product. The EU Battery Passport is mandatory from 18 February 2027. Under the ESPR, DPPs arrive product group by product group as delegated acts are adopted; textiles are the most-cited first consumer DPP, expected to apply around 2028. ESPR product-group dates are indicative Working-Plan estimates, not yet fixed in law.
Is the battery passport a Digital Product Passport?
Yes - the EU Battery Passport is the first live DPP. It is required under the separate EU Battery Regulation (2023/1542) rather than the ESPR, applies from 18 February 2027 to EV, light-means-of-transport and industrial batteries over 2 kWh, and is widely treated as the working template for ESPR Digital Product Passports.
Where is DPP data stored?
In a decentralised model - there is no single EU mega-database. The data stays with economic operators or their solution providers. The Commission must set up a central DPP registry before 19 July 2026, but it holds essentially the list of data carriers and unique identifiers so passports can be located and used (including by customs), not all the underlying product data.

This is guidance, not legal advice

This is guidance to help you understand the Digital Product Passport, not legal advice. DPP rules are set per delegated act and the standards are still being finalised, so for decisions specific to your business, confirm with the official sources we link or a qualified adviser. We cannot guarantee compliance, and you should be wary of anyone who says they can.

Sources

  1. [1]CIRPASS: the Digital Product Passport in a nutshellretrieved 8 Jun 2026
  2. [2]CIRPASS FAQ: data carriers, registry and decentralised modelretrieved 8 Jun 2026
  3. [3]JRC DPP data-requirements methodology (JRC145830)retrieved 8 Jun 2026
  4. [4]CEN-CENELEC JTC 24: Digital Product Passport - Framework and Systemretrieved 8 Jun 2026
  5. [5]CIRPASS-2: EU DPP pilots (Digital Europe Programme)retrieved 8 Jun 2026
  6. [6]Switzerland Global Enterprise: introduction to the EU Battery Passportretrieved 8 Jun 2026
  7. [7]Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 (ESPR), full text (EUR-Lex)retrieved 8 Jun 2026

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