What is a Digital Product Passport? A practical guide for manufacturers
September 24, 2026 · 5 min read
The European Union is introducing product rules designed to improve sustainability, circularity and supply-chain transparency. A central element is the Digital Product Passport (DPP).
The simplest definition A DPP is a product's digital identity. A data carrier such as a QR code points to a persistent online record containing information about that product, model, batch or individual item.
Which products? DPP requirements are introduced product group by product group. Batteries already have a defined passport framework, while textiles, steel, aluminium, furniture, construction products and other priority groups are being addressed through product-specific rules.
What information can it contain? Typical categories include product identifiers, materials and recycled content, manufacturer and production information, supply-chain data, substances of concern, environmental information, conformity documents, repair, disassembly and end-of-life guidance.
Who can see the data? Not every field must be public. Consumer-facing information can be public while commercially sensitive supplier, facility or authority information can be restricted to authorized actors.
Who prepares it? The legal responsibility sits with the economic operator placing the product on the EU market, but much of the underlying data originates with manufacturers and suppliers.
In short: a DPP is a persistent, machine-readable digital identity connected to a physical product through a data carrier.
Where to start Create one reliable source for product specifications, material data, supplier declarations and supporting documents. Then test the workflow on one product and one production batch.
Prepare your passport in minutes
Enter product data once, collect missing supplier data by link, then publish a QR passport and export buyer-ready files.