A complete guide to preparing Digital Product Passports for fashion, footwear & apparel

Gen Z splurges on apparel more than any other discretionary category, with 34% naming it as their top area of spend in McKinsey’s State of the Consumer 2025 research. Strong demand holds even in a pressured economy, which shows that shoppers still gravitate toward products they believe offer lasting value. A growing share of that value comes from credible sustainability information, not aesthetics alone.

Moreover, research published in the Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management shows that when brands reveal how products are made or disclose responsible practices, willingness to pay rises by 2–10%. Buyers also favor suppliers that provide verified or frequently updated sustainability disclosures across materials, labor conditions, and sourcing networks.

As the Digital Product Passport advances, fashion and footwear brands face rising expectations for accurate, product-level data across multi-tier supply chains. Key considerations shaping DPP readiness include:

• Traceable material, origin, and durability data will be required across all fashion categories.
• Jewelry, footwear, and apparel will depend on specialized datasets such as ethical metal sourcing, fiber composition, and repairability.
• ESPR rules and high-impact materials will influence DPP timelines for fashion.
• Stronger visibility expectations will increase the value of verified traceability.
• Jewelry and apparel examples show how credible data strengthens trust and product value.
• PIM, PLM, and LCA will work together to manage and enrich DPP data.
• Brands already using PIM for sustainability work will gain a head start in meeting DPP requirements.

Digital Product Passport requirements for the fashion industry

EU policy is shifting how fashion and apparel products must be designed, sourced, and documented. The Circular Economy framework highlights the scale of the challenge, noting that up to 80% of a product’s environmental impact is determined at the design stage. Fashion categories carry particular weight because they rely heavily on resource-intensive materials and generate significant waste across global supply chains.

The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) extends ecodesign rules to nearly all physical goods sold in the EU. Textiles appear among the early product groups expected to receive delegated acts, reflecting their environmental impact.  Footwear has been removed from the current Ecodesign for Sustainable Products and Energy Labelling working plan 2025 – 2030, although the Commission may bring it back under the ESPR Article 5(6). ESPR introduces new expectations for durability, reparability, recycled content, and responsible material use, laying the regulatory foundation for Digital Product Passports.

Fashion and apparel brands will need to prepare for more granular data as the delegated act for textiles moves toward its indicative 2027 adoption. Key requirements include:

• Traceability data that remains accessible throughout the product’s lifetime
• Clear disclosure of substances of concern used in materials or processing
• Factory and processing details across each production stage
• Verified environmental metrics based on measured performance
• Quantified recycled and renewable content backed by supplier documentation
• Facility-level and batch-level information from upstream partners
• A publicly accessible product data record supported by QR, NFC, or URL
• Structured information that supports reuse, repair, and recycling programs

Digital Product Passport data types: Jewelry

High-value pieces demand precise tracking from the moment raw materials are sourced. DPPs bring that level of visibility into one place, providing a verified chain of custody for metals and stones and a clear record of how each piece was made. 

This foundation strengthens responsible sourcing claims and supports product stories built on quality and transparency.

Jewelry DPP data requirements

Final Digital Product Passport requirements for jewelry have not yet been set and will depend on future delegated acts or horizontal rules introduced under ESPR.

Digital Product Passport data types: Clothing and apparel

Apparel products move through complex global supply chains long before they reach your customer. A Digital Product Passport helps capture that journey in one clear record, enabling verified material data, transparent sourcing details, and reliable care and repair guidance.

Clothing and apparel DPP data requirements

Digital Product Passport data types: Footwear

Footwear products involve layered materials, complex construction methods, and multi-tier supply chains. These characteristics make component-level data essential for any future Digital Product Passport model. 

Brands still benefit from structuring footwear data, especially as supplier documentation, chemical reporting, and responsible material sourcing continue to gain importance across the EU.

Below is the footwear data model you can use to prepare proactively, even though footwear is not included in the 2025–2030 ESPR Working Plan.

Footwear DPP data requirements (preparation model)

Digital Product Passport timeline for the fashion industry 

The updated ESPR Working Plan provides the clearest view yet of when Digital Product Passports will apply to different product groups. For fashion, the most crucial change is that textiles and apparel now have an indicative adoption year of 2027, confirmed as a priority product group with high environmental impact.

Footwear, however, was removed from the 2025-2030 plan. The Commission notes that footwear has lower impacts than the prioritized final products and will instead undergo a separate study, to be completed by the end of 2027. Under Article 5(6) of the ESPR, the Commission can still introduce ecodesign requirements for products outside the working plan at any time.

Delegated acts will establish the final Digital Product Passport rules for each product group. These acts define the binding requirements, the scope of information, and the enforcement timeline. Until these acts are adopted, all dates remain indicative.

The working plan outlines a five-year cycle from 2025-2030, with a mid-term review in 2028.

Indicative EU milestones for fashion and apparel

• 2025-2026
  Preparatory studies and consultations are beginning to shape DPP-related ecodesign requirements for textiles and apparel.
  
• 2027 (Indicative adoption year)
  The Commission intends to adopt the delegated act for textiles and apparel, setting out the specific ecodesign and information requirements for the category. These requirements must include material composition, substances of concern, and information to support safe use, recycling, and disposal.
  
• 2028 (Mid-term review)
  The Commission reviews the working plan, assesses market readiness, and may add or reintroduce product groups. Footwear is a candidate for reassessment.
  
• 2029-2030
  Progressive implementation phases begin across product categories with adopted delegated acts. Specific enforcement dates for textiles and apparel will be set only in the delegated act itself. Additional product groups, such as mattresses and light sources, will see adoption dates between 2029 and 2030, illustrating the broader rollout pace.

Why product traceability matters for consumers and partners

Shoppers want clearer, verifiable information about how clothing, footwear, and accessories are made. Trust rises when brands share transparent details tied to actual production steps, not general sustainability statements. Research shows that most consumers question the accuracy of environmental claims, and many are more willing to pay when information is both measurable and verified.

Retailers and partners rely on the same level of clarity. Verified product data reduces compliance risks, supports responsible sourcing programs, and creates consistency across multi-brand assortments. 

The updated ESPR Working Plan also confirms that Digital Product Passports will support traceability after a product enters the market, ensuring that verified data remains available for repair, resale, or recycling over the product’s full lifetime.

Jewellery product traceability case study

A global luxury house recently outlined how traceability is reshaping its fine jewelry strategy. In a Fairly Made panel, its digital leader explained that verified material data helps create a more personal product experience by giving customers clear proof of quality and responsible sourcing. The brand treats traceability as a value driver, using it to strengthen buyer confidence and deepen the emotional connection to each piece.

One of its recent collections applies this approach, using certified recycled gold and a specialized diamond supplier that documents every stage of the supply chain. A blockchain-based verification system completes the experience, letting customers confirm origin and production details with certainty.

Growing expectations in the jewelry sector point in the same direction. Buyers want transparent product stories that stay consistent across channels, which requires accurate, structured product data. Strong product experience management and reliable product-level traceability provide the foundation for delivering those insights at scale.

Clothing Digital Product Passport case study: Early adopter example

A UK-based fashion brand has been piloting Digital Product Passports since 2023, starting with small capsule drops and denim programs before expanding across its supplier network. The brand shared its Digital Product Passport journey, outlining how it progressed from early pilots to more than 100 styles, collected 140+ data points across multiple partners, and recorded over 20,000 customer scans. Its next milestone is ambitious: make every Autumn/Winter 2025 garment scannable, with each piece carrying a QR code linked to verified product data.

The brand also offered a leadership perspective on scaling Digital Product Passports, noting that each product requires more than 100 data points and deeper collaboration with suppliers. Teams had to guide partners through new expectations, track fiber origins and energy sources, and manage the logistics of assigning and integrating unique QR codes across all SKUs.

Customers benefit directly from this work. Scannable garments reveal material origins, environmental impact, and care and repair details, supporting a more transparent and circular product experience. 

PIM and the Digital Product Passport for the fashion industry

A connected product data foundation maintains accurate material details, certifications, and environmental metrics as they move across teams. Digital Product Passports will introduce even more granular data requirements, and fashion brands will need systems that work together to collect, verify, and surface this information across the whole product lifecycle.

Fashion businesses face two data pressures. Upstream, teams must collect highly detailed information from suppliers, including material processing, finishing, factories used at every stage, carbon footprint, chemical disclosures, and recyclability metrics. Downstream, brands must publish a publicly accessible product data record through QR codes, RFID tags, or URLs, and keep that information available for as long as the product remains in use.

PIM plays a key role as a data provider within this ecosystem. It centralizes verified, customer-facing product information and connects with PLM, ERP, LCA tools, and other systems that supply deeper, component-level data.

In some cases, future data providers may also include repair shops or recycling centers when a product becomes a “SKU of one” through refurbishment or resale. Aligning these systems ensures complete, verifiable Digital Product Passport information from design through downstream consumer access.

How core product data systems connect to create and maintain Digital Product Passport data

Digital Product Passports rely on data from multiple systems that manage different stages of a product’s lifecycle. ERP, PLM, and supplier platforms record sourcing, processing, certifications, and manufacturing details.

PIM centralizes and structures customer-facing product information and supports the batch and SKU-level data used in DPPs. A DPP platform or data record ledger brings these inputs together, hosts the public product record, and connects QR codes or GS1 links to live information.

When these systems work in sync, brands gain a consistent, traceable data flow that accurately reflects each product as regulations evolve.

Footwear and clothing brands using the Inriver PIM to drive sustainability initiatives

PIM solutions, such as Inriver, are part of a broader product data ecosystem, and many fashion brands use them to improve the accuracy and consistency of the information needed to support traceability and sustainability programs.

Fjällräven

Uses structured product data to support responsible material choices and document the sustainability attributes of its outdoor apparel. Their PIM foundation helps maintain accuracy as products move through design, sourcing, and long-term durability programs.

“Accurate product data is critical. Inaccuracies can lead to lost sales, especially when customers make split-second decisions online. Ensuring consistency and quality across platforms was a growing concern.”

– Jenne Maes

Global PIM Manager, Fjällräven

Read the full case study

New Balance

Centralizes global product information to ensure consistent data across regions and channels. Their teams rely on accurate, enriched product content to support responsible manufacturing and deliver precise, reliable product details to partners and consumers.

“In a world where digital experiences are increasingly interactive and immersive, we must continuously evolve how we handle and integrate our data and assets. The Inriver PIM is central to this evolution.”

– John Fister

Senior Digital Product Manager, New Balance

Read the full case study

Pandora

Connects sourcing, certification, and component-level details for its jewelry collections. Their PIM-driven approach strengthens traceability for metals and gemstones and supports transparency expectations tied to responsible materials.

“A PIM system that met our immediate needs and allowed for ongoing development was crucial. We wanted a system that addressed the needs of local merchandisers, the global team, and myself. We found that with Inriver.”

– Isabel Marschall Thostrup

E-commerce Specialist, Pandora

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Carhartt

Uses scalable product information operations to manage detailed product data across a complex supply chain. Their teams depend on PIM to maintain accuracy around materials, specifications, and care information as they expand sustainability efforts.

“The most important aspect of PIM implementation is the change management and understanding its implications on people, processes, and governance. Let the people and process design the technology; don’t let the technology dictate your approach.”

– Melissa Dyke

Product Data Information Data Steward, Carhartt

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