Regulation and sustainability
What the digital product passport is
What information it asks for, where it comes from, and why it resembles a case file.
The digital product passport is a set of information about a specific product — what it is made of, where it comes from, how it is repaired, how it is recycled — usually accessible by scanning a code on the product or its packaging.
Why it resembles what you already do
Because it is the same thing under another name: information coming from third parties — your suppliers — that has to be gathered, that expires, and that someone outside will consult. The difference is who consults it: here it may be a customer, a recycler or an authority.
| What you already do | What the passport asks for |
|---|---|
| Request certificates from a supplier | Request composition and origin of each component |
| Mark what expires | Keep the information current while the product exists |
| Show a case file to an auditor | Let anyone consult it by scanning |
Where the information comes from
Important
The rollout is being staged by product category and is not the same for everyone. When it affects you and which exact fields you will be asked for is something to confirm with your adviser or trade association: this explains how to have the information ready, not what the rule requires in your case.
Watch out
The hard part is not publishing the passport: it is getting the data from your supplier's supplier. Starting to ask for composition and origin before it is mandatory is what separates arriving early from arriving in a rush.
Worth knowing
If you sell to large customers, they will probably ask before any authority does. That is usually the first real warning.
›Does this replace labelling?
No. It is additional information, accessible digitally.
›Do I have to publish it myself?
It depends on your role in the chain; check.
›Can I start without knowing the exact date?
Yes, and it is sensible: gathering composition and origin from your suppliers helps under any timetable.
A real case
The situation
A furniture manufacturer is asked by a large customer for per-product composition data.
What you do
- Builds a process requesting composition and origin from each supplier
- Marks the data that needs renewing
What you get
When the formal requirement arrives, they already hold what others are only starting to request.
The situation
The information requested is spread across five suppliers.
What you do
- Requests each one's part and gathers it into one file
What you get
What was scattered becomes consultable at once.
The situation
Each supplier sends their data in a different format.
What you do
- Requests specific documents to a single destination
What you get
What is received is comparable across suppliers.
The situation
A figure changes and nobody knows which version was declared.
What you do
- Keeps each version with its date
What you get
You can say what was declared at each moment.
The situation
A supplier's data is missing and they do not reply.
What you do
- Records what was requested, when, and what came back
What you get
The gap is documented rather than blank.
The situation
Preparation for next year starts and nobody knows where to begin.
What you do
- Starts by inventorying what information already exists
What you get
The real work turns out smaller than it looked.
This article answers
- what is the digital product passport
- dpp meaning
- product passport ecodesign
- what information does the dpp carry