Introduction to DPPs
Digital Product Passports (DPPs) are tools for collecting and sharing product data throughout its lifecycle, focusing on sustainability, environmental, and recyclability attributes.
The European Union's Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) and initiatives like the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) drive the adoption of DPPs, with key industries such as batteries, textiles, and electronics being prioritized.
Various EU regulations, including the EU Battery Regulation, Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), and EU Green Claims Directive, will utilize DPPs to promote sustainability, reduce waste, and increase transparency, with full implementation expected by 2030.
The Digital Product Passport (DPP) is influenced by EU laws such as the Right to Repair, Extended Producer Responsibility, and the European Critical Raw Materials Act, which aim to promote sustainability and reduce waste.
How DPPs Work
The DPP creates a digital twin of a physical product, recording data on its lifecycle, including sustainability, recyclability, and ownership, and can be accessed via a QR code, barcode, or NFC tagging.
The EU's Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) outlines key DPP requirements, including general, access, and data requirements, to ensure compliance and promote circularity.
A Digital Product Passport (DPP) can be carried by various methods, including QR codes, barcodes, and NFC tags, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.
DPP Requirements and Technologies
The European Commission will define permissions to access, modify, or update DPP data, which will be categorized as private or public, ensuring data security and privacy.
Blockchain technology is ideal for DPPs due to its data security, immutability, transparency, and efficiency, allowing for secure and trustworthy data storage and sharing.
Benefits and Use Cases of DPPs
DPPs offer benefits to businesses, consumers, and policy makers, including increased consumer trust, validated green claims, and improved quality control, as well as enabling consumers to make informed purchase choices and policy makers to verify compliance with sustainability initiatives.
Companies like Breitling and organizations such as the European Commission are already utilizing or proposing the use of DPPs to promote circularity, sustainability, and transparency in various industries.
Digital Product Passports (DPPs) enable organisations to prove sustainability, track product lifecycles, and promote circularity by capturing key data points throughout the manufacturing and product creation process.
DPPs have various use-cases, including provable sustainability, lifecycle tracking, enabling circularity, data transparency, trace provenance, ownership verification, and combating counterfeits.
Implementation of DPPs in Industries
Multiple industries, such as batteries, chemicals, construction, electronics, furniture, luxury goods, plastics, textiles, and toys, are identified as high priority for sustainability and circularity measures, with DPP requirements to be delivered via delegated acts under the ESPR between 2026-2030.