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The Digital Product Passport (DPP) is no longer a future concept. It is a legal requirement that will reshape how fashion brands design products, manage data, and communicate with customers and regulators, and 2026 is the operational year for implementation.
For brands, manufacturers, and retailers, the key question is no longer if preparation is needed, but how. This guide is written for non-technical teams looking for clarity: which regulations are coming, what they require, and what to watch closely to stay compliant.
The following sections focus on the essentials in a clear, practical way with only what matters.
Why the Digital Product Passport matters now
Across Europe, regulators are moving from voluntary transparency to mandatory product-level information. The DPP is the tool enabling this shift.
In simple terms, a Digital Product Passport is a digital record linked to a physical product. It stores and shares information about materials, origin, durability, repair, and end-of-life: accessible to authorities, business partners, and consumers. It also vehicles digitalized information required for other regulations - it was born from ESPR but other norms already nominate it as a tool.
According to the European Commission, products placed on the EU market are responsible for over 80% of environmental impacts, largely determined at the design stage. This is why regulation is focusing on product data from the start.
Source: European Commission, Ecodesign Impact Accounting
The core regulation behind DPP: ESPR
Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR)
The main regulation introducing the Digital Product Passport is the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR).
What it is:
A new EU regulation that sets requirements for how products are designed, produced, and documented.
What it means for brands:
If you sell products in the EU, you will need to provide standardized, digital information about each product.
Key points to prepare for:
- Products must carry a Digital Product Passport (via QR code, NFC, or similar)
- Information must be accurate, structured, and machine-readable
- Data must be accessible throughout the product lifecycle
What to be careful about:
The ESPR does not define one single DPP format. Instead, it sets the framework. Specific requirements will be introduced gradually by product category: fashion and textiles are among the priority sectors.
Textile-specific rules are coming fast
EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles
This strategy supports ESPR and clearly states that textiles will require a Digital Product Passport.
What it introduces:
- Mandatory product-level data for textile products sold in the EU
- Strong focus on traceability and material composition
- Alignment across supply chain actors
What brands need to do now:
- Start mapping materials and suppliers
- Understand what data you already have and what is missing
- Prepare internal teams for product-level reporting, not just brand-level claims
What to be careful about:
Data must be consistent across systems. Marketing claims that are not aligned with DPP data may raise red flags during audits or checks.
Corporate reporting still matters: CSRD
Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)
While DPP focuses on products, CSRD focuses on companies. The two are closely connected.
What it is:
A regulation requiring large companies (and gradually SMEs) to disclose standardized non-financial information.
Why it matters for DPP:
- Product data feeds corporate reporting
- Inconsistencies between CSRD reports and DPP data can create compliance risks
What to be careful about:
Even if CSRD applies at the company level, weak product data can undermine your reporting credibility.
Consumer-facing information rules are tightening: Empowering Consumers Directive
While CSRD focuses on company-level reporting, the EU is also tightening the rules that govern how brands communicate product information to consumers.
Directive on Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (EU) 2024/825
What it is:
An update to EU consumer protection law that strengthens requirements around consumer-facing product information and restricts misleading commercial practices.
Why it is relevant for DPP:
This directive is more imminent and broader in scope than claim-specific measures. It covers a wider range of product communication topics, including durability and reparability information, guarantee transparency, and limits on vague or unreliable product claims and labels. This makes product-level data increasingly important as a source of consistent, verifiable information.
When will it apply:
Member States must transpose the directive by 27 March 2026, and it will apply from 27 September 2026. Because it applies horizontally across products and communication practices, brands should ensure that what they publish at the product level is consistent across channels and supported by structured data.
Claims under scrutiny: Green Claims Directive
On this topic, the proposed Green Claims Directive focuses specifically on how environmental claims are made and substantiated.
Green Claims Directive (proposal)
This upcoming regulation addresses how environmental claims are made.
What it requires:
- Claims must be verifiable, evidence-based, and specific
- Vague or generic claims will no longer be acceptable
Why it matters for product data:
- The DPP becomes a source of proof
- Claims should match product-level data exactly
DPP is increasingly being mentioned in more and more regulations as a digitalization tool for product data, as part of the EU Single Market strategy.
What information will brands need to provide?
While details will evolve, DPPs for fashion products are expected to include:
- Material composition
- Country of manufacturing
- Supplier and process information (at defined levels)
- Care, repair, and durability guidance
- End-of-life instructions
- Chemical compositions and environmental impact
The key shift is from PDFs and internal files to structured, digital data.
Common mistakes brands should avoid
- Waiting for final technical standards
Regulation timelines are moving faster than many expect. Preparation should start now. - Treating DPP as an IT-only project
DPP requires collaboration across design, sourcing, compliance, and communication teams. - Collecting data without validation
Incorrect or inconsistent data can create more risk than missing data. - Seeing compliance as a burden, not a system
Well-structured product data reduces friction across reporting, claims, and partner requests.
How Renoon supports brands navigating DPP
At Renoon, we help brands turn regulatory complexity into clarity.
Our platform enables you to:
- Structure and centralize product data
- Align product-level information with regulatory requirements
- Ensure consistency across digital touchpoints
- Prepare for Digital Product Passport implementation without technical overload
We don’t just focus on compliance, we focus on making data useful, usable, and credible for everyone involved.
What you can do next
If you are asking yourself:
- Which regulations apply to my products?
- What data do I need to collect first?
- How do I avoid future compliance risks?
You are already on the right path.
Book a demo with Renoon to explore how Digital Product Passports can be implemented in a clear, structured, and future-ready way.
Looking ahead
The Digital Product Passport represents a collective shift toward: clearer information, better products, and stronger trust between brands, regulators, and consumers.
While regulation can feel complex, it also creates a shared language and a level playing field. By preparing early and focusing on reliable product data, we can move forward with confidence.
The future of fashion is not about more promises: it’s about better information. And together, we can build it.
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