Digital Product Passport
Definition
A Digital Product Passport is a structured, machine readable set of data about a specific product, batch or item, made accessible through a data carrier that is physically attached to the product, its packaging or its documentation. Its content, availability and access rules are set by product legislation rather than chosen by the seller.
Expanded Explanation
The Digital Product Passport is defined in Regulation (EU) 2024/1781, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, which establishes the framework but does not by itself impose passport requirements on any product. The specific data a passport must carry is set later, product group by product group, in delegated acts adopted under that framework.
A passport is not a web page and not a marketing microsite. It is a data object with a defined schema, a unique product identifier, defined access rights for different audiences, and a required period of availability. Different parties see different subsets of the same passport: consumers, repairers, recyclers, customs authorities and market surveillance authorities each have their own level of access.
The battery passport under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 is the first passport obligation with a fixed date, applying to certain batteries from 18 February 2027. It uses its own legal basis, not the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, which is why its requirements and timing differ from passports that will follow under delegated acts.
Why It Matters
A passport changes what a product record has to be. Data that was previously held in spreadsheets, supplier emails and product information systems has to become identified, versioned, durable and externally readable for years after the product is sold. That has consequences for identifier strategy, supplier data collection, retention and governance long before any single delegated act applies to a given product.
Common Misconceptions
The data carrier, often a QR code, is only the entry point. The passport is the underlying structured data, its identifier and its access rules. Replacing the carrier later must not change the identity of the product record.
Two further errors are common. The first is treating the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation as an immediate obligation for all products; it is a framework, and duties arrive through delegated acts. The second is assuming the passport is a one time publication, when in practice it must remain available and correct for a defined period after placing on the market.
Related Terms
Related Knowledge Base Articles
Related Articles
- How Does a Digital Product Passport Work?
- What Information Does a Digital Product Passport Contain?
- What is a Digital Product Passport?
- Who Needs a Digital Product Passport?
- Delegated Act
- ESPR
- What Are Delegated Acts?
- What is the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR)?
See Also
References
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 establishing a framework for the setting of ecodesign requirements for sustainable products, Official Journal of the European Union: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1781/oj
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 concerning batteries and waste batteries, Official Journal of the European Union: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1542/oj
- CEN-CENELEC Joint Technical Committee 24 (JTC 24), Digital Product Passport standardisation work programme: https://www.cencenelec.eu/areas-of-work/cen-cenelec-topics/digital-product-passport/
About This Article
tieback Knowledge is a continuously maintained reference library covering Digital Product Passports, product traceability, product compliance and related regulations. Articles are reviewed regularly as legislation, standards and implementation guidance evolve.