Introduction

Imagine that every product on a store shelf has a built-in “digital identity card”: a set of verifiable data showing what the product is made of, what environmental footprint it has, how long it will last, and how it should be recycled. That is the core idea behind the Digital Product Passport (DPP).

This regulation, introduced under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), is one of the foundations of the European Green Deal. For manufacturers and importers, it means more than a new compliance obligation. It is also a major opportunity: companies that prepare early can gain a competitive advantage, easier access to the EU market, and greater credibility with increasingly demanding B2B and B2C buyers.

In this guide, we explain everything you need to know about DPP: the legal basis, implementation timeline, required data, its connection with LCA and ISO 14067, and the practical process of creating a product passport.

1. What is a Digital Product Passport?

A Digital Product Passport (DPP) is a structured, digitally accessible set of data assigned to a specific product or product group. It contains environmental, material, and technical information that must remain available to consumers, regulators, recyclers, and supply chain participants throughout the product life cycle, from production to disposal.

A DPP is not just an eco-label or a PDF document. It is a dynamic digital record linked to a unique identifier, most commonly a QR code, RFID tag, or decentralized identifier (DID), and connected to the central European Union registry. The data can be updated throughout the product life cycle, for example when the material composition or production processes change.

Key features that distinguish the DPP from previous information requirements:

1. Digital and machine-readable: data must be accessible through an API, not only readable by humans.
2. Dynamic: updated throughout the product life cycle.
3. Based on verified data: it requires an LCA methodology or a product carbon footprint compliant with ISO 14067.
4. Connected to the EU registry: each DPP is linked to the European EUDPP system.
5. Available to multiple stakeholders: different access levels for consumers, authorities, B2B partners, and recyclers.

2. Legal basis: the ESPR Regulation

The Digital Product Passport stems from Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 on ecodesign requirements for sustainable products, known as the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR). It entered into force in July 2024 and replaced the previous Ecodesign Directive 2009/125/EC.

The ESPR has a much broader scope than the former directive. It covers virtually all categories of physical products placed on the EU market, not only selected energy-related product groups. Its main pillars are:

1. Ecodesign requirements: durability, repairability, recyclability, and recycled material content.
2. A ban on destroying unsold goods: especially clothing and electronics.
3. The Digital Product Passport (DPP): mandatory for all covered product categories.
4. Requirements for substances of very high concern (SVHC): mandatory disclosure of chemical composition.

3. Implementation timeline by product category

DPP obligations will enter into force gradually, separately for each product category, after the relevant delegated act has been adopted. The table below shows the currently known implementation timeline:

4. What data must a DPP contain?

The exact data scope depends on the product category and the relevant delegated act. However, the ESPR defines common information pillars that will be mandatory for all product passports. The key categories are:

Who has access to which DPP data?

The ESPR provides for differentiated access levels to the data stored in the passport:

1. Consumers (public access): basic environmental information, care instructions, recycling, and repairability.
2. B2B partners in the supply chain: full material composition, data for Scope 3 calculations, and certificates.
3. Regulatory and customs authorities: full access, including SVHC data and REACH/CBAM compliance information.
4. Recyclers and end-of-life operators: disassembly information, composition data, and hazardous substances.

5. Why is LCA the core of the DPP?

Of all the data required in the Digital Product Passport, life cycle assessment (LCA) and the resulting environmental footprint are the most difficult to prepare and, at the same time, the most important. LCA data answers the central question: what is the product’s actual environmental impact?

LCA covers every stage of a product’s life cycle: raw material extraction, production, distribution, use, and disposal (cradle-to-grave). For DPP purposes, depending on the product category, either the full life cycle or a cradle-to-gate approach, up to the point when the product leaves the factory, may be required.

LCA environmental categories for DPP

A full LCA prepared for DPP may cover not only the carbon footprint (climate impact), but a broad set of environmental impact categories, depending on the selected methodology (PEF or ISO 14044):

1. Climate change (kg CO₂e), always required
2. Ozone layer depletion
3. Acidification of soil and water
4. Eutrophication of freshwater, marine, and terrestrial ecosystems
5. Photochemical smog
6. Water resource use
7. Use of mineral and fossil resources
8. Human toxicity, carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic
9. Freshwater ecotoxicity
10. Land use

6. Product identifier: GS1, GTIN, and QR code

Every Digital Product Passport must be linked to a unique and persistent product identifier accessible through a standard data carrier, most commonly a QR code (2D), RFID, or NFC.

GS1, the global organization for product identification standards, is a natural partner in the DPP ecosystem. The GTIN (Global Trade Item Number), known from EAN barcodes, is already widely used by manufacturers and retailers around the world. GS1 is developing extensions to the standard, including GS1 Digital Link, that allow a QR code to connect directly to DPP data.

7. How to generate a DPP in 4 steps with Envirly LCA

Traditional preparation of data for a Digital Product Passport, involving external LCA consultants and manual data collection, can take several weeks to several months and cost tens of thousands of PLN for a single product.

The Envirly LCA by Quantifier platform shortens and automates this process by guiding the user through four stages:

8. DPP vs EPD: what is the difference?

Two terms are often confused: DPP (Digital Product Passport) and EPD (Environmental Product Declaration). Here are the key differences:

If your product requires both an EPD, for example for construction tenders, and a DPP under the ESPR, the good news is that the data prepared for the EPD is largely the same data that will feed the Digital Product Passport. Envirly LCA allows both documents to be prepared from a single LCA model.

9. How the DPP connects with Scope 3 and CSRD reporting

Data collected for the DPP has direct applications in corporate ESG reporting, especially in the context of Scope 3 under the GHG Protocol and obligations arising from the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).

1. Scope 3, Category 1 (Purchased goods and services): the product carbon footprint (PCF) from the DPP provides a precise basis for calculating Scope 3 emissions at the buyer level, replacing inaccurate industry-average emission factors.
2. Scope 3, Category 11 (Use of sold products): LCA data from the DPP covers the use phase, which is necessary for Category 11 calculations.
3. CSRD, ESRS E1 (Climate change): the DPP provides data for product-level footprint disclosures required under ESRS E1.
4. CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism): LCA data complements CBAM reporting obligations for steel, cement, aluminium, and fertilisers.

10. FAQ: the most common questions about the Digital Product Passport