A complete guide to the EU’s Digital Product Passport: What to do and when

The European Commission’s plan for the digital product passport signals a significant shift in how products are documented, verified, and sold across the single market. Almost every item entering the European Union (EU) will require a digital record covering material data, origin details, verified sustainability information, and end-of-life guidance. Sectors such as textiles, furniture, cosmetics, and fashion and apparel will see the earliest requirements.

If your business depends on suppliers, complex reporting, DPP rules introduce stricter expectations for how you collect, validate, and share information. Your teams will need reliable data flows, consistently updated records, and the ability to publish verified product details at speed.

Inriver supports this shift with deep product data expertise and a proven PIM solution that manages DPP operations at scale.

How will digital product passport requirements impact my business? 

Digital product passport rules will reshape how your business manages and shares product information across the value chain. Research shows rising pressure to maintain accurate, traceable, and securely shared data, since suppliers and partners each contribute information that forms part of the passport. These expectations influence how you manage supplier relationships, plan system investments, and prepare for sector-specific timelines.

What are the EU digital product passport requirements?

The digital product passport is mandated under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), which took effect in 2024. Each product group will receive its own delegated act, meaning obligations and timelines differ across sectors. Any business selling into the EU or supplying components used in EU-bound products must comply, regardless of where it operates.

Core regulatory obligations

Under ESPR, businesses must maintain accurate, verifiable information covering:

• Material composition and component details
• Manufacturing data and processes
• Durability, repairability, and safety information
• Environmental performance and end-of-life instructions
• A unique digital identifier linked to the product’s verified record

How the data must function

The DPP must be:

• Transparent so regulators can audit claims at any time
• Accessible for customers through a scannable digital record
• Shareable with upstream suppliers and downstream distributors
• Consistently updated as specifications change
• Structured and reliable, supported by strong product data management practices

Alignment with wider EU and global transparency rules

The passport connects with the EU’s broader open-data agenda and intersects with:

• EUDR (EU Deforestation Regulation) for deforestation-free supply-chain reporting
• CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism) for embedded carbon reporting for imports
• ICS2 Release 3 (Import Control System 2) for advanced product data declarations 
• ESPR life-cycle and design requirements

Outside Europe, regulations such as the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act follow similar expectations around traceability and verified product information.

Evidence from pilot programs

The CIRPASS initiative has tested shared data models, digital identifiers, and early technical standards across multiple product groups. These pilots highlight the need for decentralized data collection, supplier participation, and harmonized schemas across the value chain.

What this means for your operations

Rising expectations will increase the pressure on the accuracy and structure of your product information. Inriver helps you stay ahead with a DPP-ready model that collects, verifies, and publishes compliant data at scale.

How does the EU’s digital product passport solution improve transparency and the circular economy?

Digital product passports enhance visibility across the value chain by providing customers, regulators, and partners with access to verified product information. With rising demand for product-level traceability, the passport helps close information gaps around materials, durability, and environmental impact. This clarity supports a more circular marketplace where repair, reuse, and responsible recovery become easier for both customers and operational teams.

Customer expectations are a major driver. People want more evident proof behind the products they buy, and brands that make this information easily accessible earn stronger trust. Aligning with these expectations positions the passport as a growth opportunity. Better transparency across the supply chain enhances supply chain transparency, helping your business adapt to more sustainability-driven purchasing behaviors.

Verified information also supports your sustainability work. Accurate data feeds into emissions tracking, resource planning, and the circular product journey across your portfolio. Preparing early gives your teams more flexibility and lowers compliance risk as DPP requirements expand.

Consumer expectations that strengthen the case for DPP

Insights from the Deloitte Sustainable Consumer Study 2024 show how quickly expectations are shifting toward transparency, durability, and responsible product design. Customers want reliable information that helps them make informed choices, and they reward brands that make sustainability easier to understand. This growing demand reinforces why verified product data is becoming an integral part of the buying experience.

These insights reveal why customers expect more robust information flows and why businesses benefit from having accurate, verified product records.

Who benefits from the digital product passport?

A digital product passport creates value across the entire product ecosystem. Verified product data strengthens decision-making, improves coordination, and supports more sustainable operations—from sourcing to repair, resale, and recycling.

What is the digital product passport timeline in my business sector?

Digital product passport timelines differ by category because each industry follows its own delegated act under the ESPR framework. Your readiness depends on the materials you use, the complexity of your supply chain, and how your products fit within these groups.

The table below reflects the current direction of travel and highlights where deeper, sector-specific guidance may be helpful as you plan your approach.

A practical guide to digital product passport implementation for your business

Implementing digital product passports requires systems that can manage decentralized supplier data, secure information exchange, and frequent updates across the value chain.

Research indicates that flexibility is crucial, as product attributes and supplier inputs can evolve throughout the product lifecycle. These pressures make preparation critical. The following sections outline the information likely to be required, key actions for your teams, and examples that demonstrate how DPP adoption is taking shape across industries.

What your digital product passport is likely to include

The European Commission is still finalizing the complete set of DPP requirements, but early guidance offers a clear view of the information categories your teams should prepare for. Much of this data already exists within your supply chain, but it will need a stronger structure, governance, and verification as delegated acts are released.

Your digital product passport is likely to include:

• Basic product information, including product name, model, batch number, manufacturing date, and warranty details
• Material and component data, such as raw material origins, responsible sourcing details, and the suppliers involved
• Ownership information for long-lasting products that may be transferred, sold, or resold
• Repair details covering repairability, repair events, replacement components, and reasons for service
• Sustainability data, including carbon footprint, energy use, and emissions across production and use phases

Digital product passport implementation checklist

Implementing digital product passports demands stronger coordination across your teams and supply network. The steps below outline how to build the structure, accuracy, and governance needed to keep pace with DPP requirements.

• Centralize product information: Create a single source of truth for core product data so teams work from consistent, verified information. A PIM platform keeps this information organized and ready for downstream sharing.
• Align suppliers on data expectations: Set clear requirements for material origins, component details, and sustainability metrics. This alignment strengthens supply-chain readiness and reduces delays later.
• Run structured data audits: Identify information gaps across sourcing, repairability, sustainability metrics, and end-of-life guidance. Audits help you build the complete lifecycle picture regulators expect.
• Upgrade data collection technology: Evaluate tools that support secure, traceable data exchange. NFC chips, QR codes, or RFID tags may be required to link products with their digital passports.
• Define repair and ownership record processes: Clarify how repair events, reasons for repair, and ownership changes will be captured. Establishing these pathways now prevents bottlenecks once definitions become mandatory.
• Prepare sustainability datasets: Start building carbon, energy, and emissions data that will support DPP reporting. These datasets strengthen both compliance and internal sustainability planning.
• Pilot the workflow for one product line: Test the end-to-end process before scaling. Pilots identify gaps in data, systems, and supplier readiness, helping teams refine their workflows.
• Monitor delegated acts for your sector: Track updates to ESPR delegated acts, as definitions, data structures, and timelines differ by product category.

The importance of business partnerships for product data management and DPP

Digital product passports raise expectations for how your product data is collected, validated, and shared. No single system or team can support this alone. Strong partnerships help you meet these demands with accuracy and scale. Working with experienced implementation and technology partners matters because they help you:

• Coordinate supplier data and maintain verifiable information across the value chain
• Structure and govern product information so it aligns with DPP obligations and sustainability reporting
• Configure PIM to support new data fields, changing schema definitions, and evolving compliance rules
• Reduce manual effort through more consistent workflows and cleaner data exchanges
• Build a flexible foundation that adapts as DPP requirements expand across categories

Together with Inriver, these partnerships provide your teams with the support, expertise, and operational structure necessary to run DPP programs with confidence.

Digital product passport software, technology, and operations best practice 

Preparing for digital product passports requires a tech stack that can orchestrate product information across teams, suppliers, and systems. PIM sits at the centre of that model, with other tools working around it to support accuracy, governance, and scale.

1. Position PIM as your operational hub
The Inriver platform provides the structure, governance, and enrichment workflows needed to create verified, shareable product records. As DPP fields expand, PIM gives your teams the flexibility to adapt quickly.

2. Strengthen consistency with MDM
Master Data Management (MDM) aligns naming conventions, identifiers, and core attributes across systems. When paired with PIM, MDM strengthens the reliability of every field that feeds into your passport.

3. Use product lifecycle management (PLM) for upstream technical data
Product Lifecycle Management houses engineering, materials, and design information. Connected to PIM, PLM becomes the source of verified technical details that support durability, repairability, and lifecycle reporting.

4. Extend capabilities through trusted partner solutions
Traceability tools, supplier-onboarding platforms, and secure data-exchange solutions from Inriver’s partner ecosystem help you manage complex inputs and automate verification steps.

5. Adjust your tech model to your business size and product complexity
Smaller brands may only need streamlined workflows, while global manufacturers often require deeper integrations and broader supplier networks. Complex products, such as electronics or automotive components, demand richer data structures than simple consumer goods.