.avif)
.png)
This article reflects the current status and is updated as new regulatory and technical developments are released. Last updated: September 2026.
The publication of the European Digital Product Passport standards marks an important milestone in the implementation of the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation.
CEN and CENELEC have now completed and published the first series of eight technical standards for the Digital Product Passport. Six have already been referenced in the Official Journal of the European Union, while formal European Commission recognition of the remaining two is still pending.At the same time, work has begun on the first global ISO/IEC standards dedicated to Digital Product Passports. This extends the discussion beyond European compliance and raises a relevant question for businesses operating across international supply chains: how can today’s DPP architecture remain compatible with different markets and systems?
Digital Product Passports will be introduced across a growing number of product categories, each with its own regulatory requirements.
Textiles, furniture, tyres, batteries, construction products and other product groups will be subject to legislation defining the information that must be made available through the DPP.
Without a shared technical framework, sectors and DPP solutions could implement these requirements differently, making it more difficult to identify products, exchange information and keep data accessible over time.
The CEN-CENELEC standards provide a common technical foundation for implementing DPPs across sectors, while the information required for individual product categories continues to be defined through EU legislation.
Delegated acts and CEN-CENELEC standards perform different functions within the Digital Product Passport framework.
Under the ESPR, delegated acts will define the information that must be included in the DPP for a specific product group. A textile passport, for example, will not necessarily contain the same information as a passport for a battery or a piece of furniture.
Technical standards address how the DPP infrastructure should operate: how products and economic operators are identified, how the physical product is connected to digital information, how data is exchanged between different systems, and how its availability, security and integrity are maintained over time.
The content of each passport may therefore vary according to the product category, while the underlying technical structure remains consistent and interoperable.
The first six European DPP standards were published on 27 May 2026. The final two followed on 16 September 2026, completing the initial series developed by the CEN-CLC/JTC 24 technical committee under the European Commission’s standardisation request M/604.
The eight CEN-CENELEC standards are:
Together, they cover the horizontal technical elements required for Digital Product Passports to operate consistently across products, organisations and systems.
Publication by CEN and CENELEC must be distinguished from citation in the Official Journal of the European Union.
In July 2026, the European Commission referenced the first six standards through Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1736. Correct application of the referenced standards provides a presumption of conformity with the corresponding ESPR requirements.
EN 18239 and EN 18246 have been published by CEN and CENELEC, but their formal citation by the European Commission is still pending. According to the Commission’s official Digital Product Passport timeline, the corresponding implementing decision is expected in September 2026.
This article will be updated when the decision is published in the Official Journal.
The CEN-CENELEC framework does not necessarily require businesses to replace the identification and data-exchange systems they already use.
The European standards were developed with existing international standards and infrastructure in mind. One example is GS1, whose standards are widely used to identify products, organisations and locations and to exchange information across value chains.
Businesses should assess whether their identifiers, data carriers and data-management systems can integrate with the DPP architecture and exchange information with other systems without creating isolated data structures.
Alongside the European framework, work has formally started on the first global standards dedicated to Digital Product Passports.
The new ISO/IEC JTC 5 “Digital Product Passport” committee is developing a framework to support interoperability across sectors, systems and international supply chains. It currently includes 32 participating members and 16 observing members.
Its work programme includes two projects:
The second project was approved on 14 September 2026. Both are still at an early stage of development. No ISO/IEC Digital Product Passport standard has yet been published, and these projects have no effect on current compliance obligations.
The ISO/IEC work will not replace the European standards or the requirements established under the ESPR. Its purpose is to develop shared international references that could become particularly relevant for organisations operating across global markets and supply chains.
Compliance with the European framework and readiness for global interoperability are currently two distinct considerations.
The EN standards define the technical architecture supporting the European DPP framework. The ISO/IEC projects aim to establish terminology and principles that can be applied across different markets and systems, but they are still in development.
It is therefore too early for any DPP solution to claim compliance with the emerging ISO/IEC DPP standards.
Businesses can, however, make technical choices that preserve their ability to adapt to future international standards. These include:
These principles already support European compliance and operational resilience. They may also make it easier to adapt as the international framework develops.
The publication of the CEN-CENELEC standards does not directly introduce new requirements concerning the product information businesses must include in their passports. These requirements will be established through the legislation and delegated acts applying to each product category.
The standards do, however, provide greater clarity on how the system must function and which capabilities a DPP solution should support.
When selecting their infrastructure and provider, businesses should therefore consider:
The complete set of European standards is now available and work on the global framework has begun. Businesses can therefore base their DPP preparation on an increasingly defined technical direction, even before product-specific requirements are adopted.
Talk to the Renoon team to discuss how to build a Digital Product Passport implementation aligned with European standards and ready to evolve with the international framework.
.png)
.avif)
.avif)
