Article: Digital Product Passport: What It Means for PIM and DAM
Digital Product Passport: What It Means for PIM and DAM
Digital Product Passport: What the DPP Means for Product Content Management, PIM and DAM
The digital product passport (DPP) is changing the way manufacturers and retailers manage product information. What has so far been maintained mainly for marketing and sales will in future also have to meet sustainability and compliance requirements, across the entire lifecycle of a product. This makes the DPP a core task of product content management.
In this article, we answer the most important questions: what is the digital product passport, which industries are affected, what data is required and what does this mean in practice for PIM and DAM systems? We also show the steps companies can take to prepare today.
Key points at a glance
- The digital product passport is a digital data set on a product that is accessed via a QR code or another data carrier.
- The legal basis is primarily the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), supplemented by other regulations, for example for batteries, construction products, toys and detergents.
- The DPP is being introduced step by step for individual product groups, including textiles, furniture, mattresses, tyres, steel, aluminium and electrical equipment.
- Among other things, the passport contains information on materials, recycled content, substances of concern, reparability and environmental impact.
- PIM and DAM are becoming the backbone of the DPP because they provide structured product data and regulated documents throughout the entire lifecycle.
What is the digital product passport?
The digital product passport is a structured digital data set that brings together information on a product across its entire lifecycle. It is linked to a unique product identifier and accessed via a data carrier such as a QR code on the product, its packaging or the accompanying documentation.
Depending on the product group, the passport refers to a model, a batch or an individual item. Consumers, retailers, repairers, recyclers and authorities each receive the information relevant to them through differentiated access rights. The aim is to create transparency and make repair, reuse and recycling easier.
What is the legal basis for the DPP?
The most important basis is Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 establishing a framework for the setting of ecodesign requirements for sustainable products, ESPR for short. As a framework regulation, it sets out the basic rules for the DPP, while the specific obligations only arise through delegated acts for individual product groups.
In addition, other EU regulations introduce their own product passports, including the Batteries Regulation, the Construction Products Regulation, the Toy Safety Regulation and the Detergents Regulation. All of these passports are recorded in a common EU registry and follow the same technical ground rules.
Which industries and products are affected by the DPP?
The DPP does not apply across the board to all products. It is being introduced step by step for individual product groups, and the list of affected industries is growing steadily.
| Industry | Legal basis | Typical passport content |
|---|---|---|
| Batteries and e-mobility | Batteries Regulation | Composition, critical raw materials, carbon footprint, recycled content, durability |
| Textiles and apparel | ESPR | Fibres, origin, durability, care and repair, substances of concern |
| Furniture and mattresses | ESPR | Materials, spare parts, repair, disassembly |
| Iron, steel and aluminium | ESPR | Composition, recycled content, carbon footprint |
| Tyres | ESPR | Materials, durability, performance and environmental characteristics |
| Electrical and electronic equipment | ESPR | Reparability, spare parts, recyclability |
| Construction products | Construction Products Regulation | Declaration of performance and conformity, environmental indicators |
| Toys | Toy Safety Regulation | Proof of conformity, warnings, substances contained |
| Detergents and cleaning products | Detergents Regulation | Ingredients, labelling, safety information |
The exact data required is specified in each case by the product-specific legal act. Companies should therefore check at an early stage which of their products fall under which rules.
What data does a digital product passport contain?
Typical content includes material composition, recycled content, substances of concern, durability, reparability and spare parts, information on use, maintenance and disposal, environmental indicators such as the carbon footprint, and conformity documents. It also includes information on the manufacturer and the unique product identifier.
Complete supply chain maps do not have to be published. However, to calculate much of the information, such as recycled content or the carbon footprint, companies need data from their suppliers and sub-suppliers.
Who is responsible for the DPP, manufacturers or retailers?
The company that places the product on the EU market, usually the manufacturer or importer, is responsible for creating, ensuring the accuracy of and registering the product passport. This also applies if it commissions a service provider to provide or register the passport.
Retailers are also affected. They must make the product passport accessible to their customers, including in their online shop, and need the relevant data and links from their suppliers to do so.
What is the DPP registry?
The DPP registry is a central register run by the European Commission in which product passports are registered. Among other things, it stores the unique identifiers and customs commodity codes, so that customs and market surveillance authorities can also access the information.
Only verified economic operators may register, for example by means of a qualified electronic seal. With every registration, the registry automatically checks whether the data complies with the EU’s data models and the required level of granularity.
Why is the DPP a product content management task?
At its core, a product passport is another form of product communication, only with regulatory force. It requires structured, reliable product data and documents that are maintained throughout the entire product lifecycle, and this is exactly the task that PIM and DAM fulfil.
In many companies, however, DPP-relevant information is currently scattered across PLM, ERP, the compliance department’s Excel lists and the sustainability team’s tools. Bringing it together on a central product content platform lays the foundation for compliance and avoids contradictions that would be visible to everyone in the product passport.
What role does the PIM play in the digital product passport?
The PIM becomes the backbone of the product passport and therefore a compliance system. In addition to sales-related information, it has to manage sustainability and legal data, including evidence, versions and a complete history.
To do this, the data model has to be extended with new attributes and aligned with the EU’s common data models and with industry standards such as GS1, ETIM or ECLASS. Depending on the industry, the DPP also requires information at batch or individual item level, which often comes from ERP or production systems and has to be connected. Product and packaging should be modelled separately but linked, as packaging is subject to its own regulations.
What role does the DAM play in the digital product passport?
The DAM becomes the home for regulated content. Operating, repair and disassembly instructions, safety information and declarations of conformity are an integral part of many product passports.
These documents must be versioned, multilingual, linked to the correct product identifiers and permanently accessible throughout the lifecycle, often long after the product is no longer on sale. Persistent links, clear approval processes and close integration with the PIM are therefore essential.
How can companies prepare for the DPP?
Companies can start preparing today, even though the legal acts for many product groups are still pending. An eight-step approach has proven effective:
- Clarify whether you are affected: Compare your product portfolio with the relevant legal acts and follow developments continuously.
- Define responsibility: Appoint a core team from compliance, product management, sustainability, purchasing and IT, and define data owners.
- Determine data requirements: Compare requirements with existing data and identify gaps.
- Establish the PIM as the backbone: Extend the data model and capture product data during development.
- Integrate suppliers: Standardise data requirements, check data automatically and anchor delivery obligations in contracts.
- Define identification: Specify unique product identifiers and data carriers, for example based on GTIN and GS1 Digital Link.
- Prepare provision and registration: Decide between your own solution and a DPP service provider, and plan for verification in the EU registry.
- Start with a pilot: Implement a manageable product group and expand your data model, processes and systems step by step.
What should companies look for when selecting PIM and DAM?
Anyone selecting or developing a PIM or DAM system today should take the requirements of the DPP into account from the outset. Key criteria include a flexibly extendable data model, the ability to manage or connect data at model, batch and individual item level, and versioning and approval workflows that ensure complete traceability.
For the DAM, the main focus is on providing documents over the long term, in multiple languages and with persistent links. Both systems should also offer open interfaces to DPP services, supplier portals and industry standards.
Conclusion: the DPP starts in product content management
The digital product passport is covering more and more industries and turning product data into a compliance issue. Companies that structure their product information in PIM and DAM today, clarify responsibilities and involve their suppliers lay the foundation for compliance and for transparent, trustworthy product communication.
In the free Digital Product Passport Guide from Yellow Selection, you will find out which industries are affected, what the DPP means for your PIM and DAM, and how to assess your own DPP readiness with 20 questions.
FAQ: frequently asked questions about the digital product passport
Does the digital product passport apply to all products?
No. The DPP is being introduced step by step for individual product groups, each defined in its own legal act. Exceptions include food, feed, medicinal products and vehicles.
What is the difference between the DPP and the ESPR?
The ESPR is the EU Ecodesign Regulation, which creates the legal framework for sustainable products. The digital product passport is one of its key instruments for providing product information digitally and transparently.
Does a product passport have to be publicly accessible?
Not entirely. The DPP works with differentiated access rights, so that consumers, companies, recyclers and authorities each see only the information intended for them.
Do I need a new system for the DPP?
Not necessarily. Many requirements can be met with a powerful PIM and DAM, provided that the data model, versioning and interfaces support the DPP requirements. A DPP service provider can also be brought in for provision and registration.
What role does the QR code play?
The QR code is the data carrier through which the product passport is accessed. It contains a link to the data, while the actual information is maintained in the systems behind it. With GS1 Digital Link, a single code can be used both for checkout scanning and for the DPP.
When should companies start preparing?
As early as possible. Experience shows that setting up data models, supplier processes and systems takes longer than the transition periods that apply once a legal act has been published.
Author | The Yellow Selection Editorial Team
