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Digital Product Passports are being introduced progressively across product categories placed on the EU market. The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation establishes the common framework, while product-specific delegated acts will determine which products require a DPP, what information must be included and when the obligations begin to apply.
For textiles and apparel, the relevant requirements are still under development. However, the common infrastructure is already taking shape: the EU DPP Registry is operational, the first harmonised standards have been referenced by the European Commission and businesses can begin preparing their product data and internal processes.
This article was originally published in August 2024 and is updated as new regulatory and technical developments are released. Last updated: September 2026.
The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation entered into force in July 2024 and provides the legal framework for introducing ecodesign and product information requirements across a wide range of physical products.
The ESPR does not impose the same Digital Product Passport requirements on every product immediately. Specific delegated acts will define the applicable dataset, data granularity, access rights, data carrier and implementation timeline for each product group.
The 2025–2030 ESPR Working Plan identifies textiles, particularly apparel, among the priority product groups. Until the relevant delegated act is adopted, companies can prepare their systems and data without presenting today’s projects as evidence of compliance with requirements that have not yet been finalised.
A Passaporto digitale di prodotto is a structured digital record connected to a physical product through a data carrier, such as a QR code or another machine-readable identifier. It provides authorised users with access to product information defined by the legislation applicable to that product category.
The European system follows a decentralised architecture. Product information may be hosted by the economic operator or its service provider, while the EU DPP Registry stores at least the unique identifiers and the information required to register, verify and discover the passport. The Registry does not function as a central database containing every complete Digital Product Passport.
The exact information required will depend on the applicable product-specific legislation. Depending on the product category, a Digital Product Passport may include information relating to:
Prestazioni tecniche: dettagli sulla funzionalità, la durabilità e l'efficienza del prodotto, per garantire che soddisfi gli standard tecnici e funzioni come previsto durante tutto il suo ciclo di vita.
Prestazioni di sostenibilità ambientale: informazioni relative all'impatto ambientale del prodotto, tra cui l'impronta di carbonio, l'utilizzo delle risorse e gli sforzi per ridurre al minimo i danni ecologici durante la produzione, l'uso e lo smaltimento.
Aspetti circolari: dati su come il prodotto supporta i principi dell'economia circolare, come la sua riciclabilità, il potenziale di riutilizzo e l'uso di materiali riciclati o rinnovabili nel suo processo di produzione.
Conformità legale: documentazione che conferma che il prodotto soddisfa tutti gli standard e le normative legali pertinenti, garantendone l'aderenza ai quadri giuridici necessari all'interno dell'Unione Europea e potenzialmente di altre giurisdizioni.
Informazioni relative al prodotto: dettagli aggiuntivi che forniscono informazioni sull'origine del prodotto, sul processo di fabbricazione e su altri attributi rilevanti che contribuiscono al suo profilo di sostenibilità complessivo.
The European Commission describes the DPP as a tool for providing digital access to product-specific information concerning sustainability, circularity and legal compliance.
The Digital Product Passport (DPP) regulation aims to revolutionize the way product-related information is shared across the supply chain, ensuring transparency and traceability throughout a product's lifecycle. (European Commission, 2023)
Colmando il divario esistente tra la crescente domanda di trasparenza da parte di consumatori, investitori e altri stakeholder e l'attuale scarsità di dati affidabili sui percorsi di produzione, i DPP sono destinati a svolgere un ruolo fondamentale nel promuovere pratiche sostenibili nel settore. In futuro, i dati raccolti e visualizzati in base ai requisiti dei DPP non serviranno solo a informare gli stakeholder, ma anche a gettare le basi per standard e pratiche di sostenibilità che accelereranno la transizione verso un'economia circolare.
Per i marchi di moda, questo significa maggiore responsabilità, la possibilità di verificare le dichiarazioni di sostenibilità e una maggiore fiducia da parte dei consumatori. Inoltre, i DPP aiutano a identificare le inefficienze che guidano le strategie per migliorare le prestazioni e la rendicontazione in materia di sostenibilità. Ma per i marchi di moda c'è molto di più che etica, sostenibilità e guadagni di reputazione.
Il DPP offre inoltre importanti opportunità commerciali, consentendo ai marchi di stabilire contatti diretti con i proprietari dei prodotti, anche nelle fasi finali del ciclo di vita del prodotto, come la rivendita.
Grazie a questa nuova strada, i marchi della moda possono:
Questi vantaggi posizionano i DPP non solo come uno strumento di conformità, ma anche come una risorsa strategica in grado di stimolare la crescita e l'innovazione nel settore della moda (Deloitte, 2024).
Preparing for Digital Product Passports starts with understanding how product information is currently created, managed and exchanged across the organisation and its supply chain.
Companies can begin with the following steps:
Identify the product categories sold in the European Union and monitor the delegated acts that will determine the applicable requirements, timelines and exemptions. DPP obligations are introduced by product category, not according to company size.
Review the information currently held across PLM, ERP, PIM, e-commerce, compliance documents and supplier files. Establish which data is already available at product, model, batch or item level and where it is stored.
Compare available information with the product, supply-chain and compliance data likely to be required. Identify gaps, the evidence supporting each data point and the suppliers or internal teams responsible for providing it.
Assign clear responsibility for collecting, reviewing, approving and updating each category of information. Define when data must be available during product development and how changes will be managed after the Digital Product Passport is published.
Determine which information must come from the supply chain and introduce a repeatable process for requesting, receiving and maintaining it. Supplier involvement should form part of the operating process rather than being managed through isolated requests for each collection.
Assess whether Digital Product Passports will be created at model, batch or individual-item level. Companies should also determine how existing product identifiers can connect with the unique identifiers and registration processes required by the European framework.
Define how users will access the Digital Product Passport, for example through a QR code placed on a label, hangtag, packaging or directly on the product. The data carrier must remain connected to the correct product and follow the requirements applicable to its category.
Plan how product data will move from existing systems into the DPP and how updates will be managed. Integrations with PLM, ERP, PIM, e-commerce and CRM systems can reduce manual work and make the process scalable across collections.
Choose a solution that supports interoperability, data portability, European standards and connection with the EU DPP Registry. The system should also allow new data points and access rules to be incorporated once product-specific requirements are finalised.
A pilot can be used to validate data availability, responsibilities, supplier participation, QR-code management and system integrations. The purpose is to build a repeatable operating model that can later be extended across a wider product portfolio.
Digital Product Passports are not based on a single visual template. However, the European standards and the operational DPP Registry now provide a common technical foundation for identifiers, data carriers, access rights, interoperability, registration and data exchange.
When assessing a DPP solution, companies should verify whether it can:
The assessment should therefore cover the full operating process, from data collection and supplier involvement to passport publication, maintenance and integration with consumer-facing channels.
Renoon supports fashion companies across this process, combining regulatory guidance, product and supply-chain data management, system integrations and the rollout of Digital Product Passports across products and collections.
Talk to our team about preparing and implementing your Digital Product Passport project.
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