The countdown has begun for one of the most significant changes that will affect European manufacturing in the coming years: the introduction of the Digital Product Passport (DPP), the tool wanted by the EU Commission to trace in a digital, transparent and interoperable way every phase of the product life cycle. A digital passport that will bring with it new rules, but also new opportunities for those who know how to anticipate these changes.
Digital Product Passport: all the data that matters, in one tool
A digital passport for every product: this is how we can define the DPP, which will accompany every good throughout its entire life cycle, from design to final disposal.
It is not just an advanced label: the Digital Product Passport is a digital, updatable system designed to collect, structure and make accessible all relevant information about a product.
In practical terms, it includes data on:
- origin and composition of materials;
- production processes and processes carried out;
- environmental impacts (such as carbon footprint or water consumption);
- certifications obtained and regulatory compliance;
- planned methods of reuse, recycling or disposal.
This information will be accessible through digital identifiers such as QR codes or RFID and accessible in machine-readable format to ensure maximum interoperability between different systems, supply chain actors and corporate digital tools.
A profound change, transforming product data into a dynamic, sharable and verifiable resource, ready to dialogue with ERP systems, supply chain platforms and ESG reporting tools.
Why is the DPP being introduced in Europe?
The Digital Product Passport is not a technological utopia, but a strategic piece within the European vision of a sustainable and digitalised economy.
It is in fact one of the key tools foreseen by the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), the European regulation that aims to reduce the environmental impact of products and promote circularity along all stages of the life cycle.
The DPP will be mandatory for product categories considered as priorities, with the aim of:
- making industrial supply chains more transparent;
- encourage reparability and reuse of products;
- improve separate collection and recycling processes;
- reduce the overall environmental impact;
- empower and inform the end consumer through immediate access to data.
The digital passport thus aims to build a shared language for the traceability and environmental responsibility of products placed on the European market. A language of data, interoperability and transparency, destined to become the standard of reference for the industry of the future.
Which sectors will it apply to?
EU Regulation 2023/1542 imposes the Digital Product Passport obligation starting with the battery sector. This is just the first part of a transformation that will touch many other supply chains. Among them:
- textiles and clothing;
- electronics and household appliances;
- furniture;
- packaging;
- construction and building materials.
Each sector will have specific requirements in terms of content and information standards, but all digital passports will have to respect common criteria: accessibility of data, continuous updatability over time, interoperability between different systems and actors.
In other words, the DPP will have to speak the same digital language throughout Europe, regardless of the type of product in order to guarantee transparency, efficiency and traceability along the entire industrial chain.
Behind the DPP: the technologies that make the traceability of the future possible
To transform the Digital Product Passport from a regulatory obligation to a strategic lever, more than a platform is needed. What is necessary is a robust, flexible and scalable digital infrastructure that can adapt to the requirements of different sectors and the constantly changing regulatory framework.
An effective DPP requires the ability to:
- collect and manage heterogeneous data from internal and external sources (corporate ERP, IoT sensors, technical and compliance databases);
- integrate international standards, such as GS1 EPCIS, to ensure uniform and reliable communication between systems;
- offer differentiated access depending on the user’s role (companies, customers, authorities, suppliers);
- manage data updates dynamically and securely, ensuring traceability and verifiability;
- protect information security through control systems and encryption.
Companies that want to be ready for the introduction of the DPP will therefore have to equip themselves with open, interoperable architectures, capable of dialoguing with the systems already in use and of evolving along with the regulatory environment.
Not only that: it will be essential to build a coherent information ecosystem, actively involving partners and suppliers, and integrating these new requirements into a sustainability-oriented corporate governance logic.
Do you want to understand how the Digital Product Passport will impact your supply chain?
The Digital Product Passport marks an epochal turning point in product data management. It is not just a compliance measure, but an accelerator of digital and sustainable business transformation.
Companies that choose to anticipate this change by equipping themselves with the right tools will be the first to reap the benefits in terms of:
- transparency along the supply chain;
- operational efficiency;
- value perceived by the market and consumers.
Meeting the Digital Product Passport challenge is not just about complying with a new standard, but seizing the opportunity to transform data into value. It is in this direction that iChain, the platform signed Wiseside, offers concrete support to companies that want to govern change instead of undergoing it.
Thanks to the adoption of international standards and the experience gained in complex, multi-actor contexts, iChain makes it possible to:
- collect data from heterogeneous sources;
- ensure interoperability between systems;
- ensure the security and updatability of information;
- integrate new requirements with existing digital infrastructures.
At a time when traceability becomes a competitive requirement, Wiseside helps companies build compliant, scalable and strategic data infrastructures. Because DPP is not just a constraint to comply with, but a real opportunity to rethink processes, communicate better and generate trust in the market.
Find out how Wiseside’s iChain can help you build a compliant, scalable and strategic digital traceability system.
Ask for a free demo and start generating value from your product data.
CEO of Wiseside Srl, thanks to his solid experience in the IT sector and consulting for multinational companies, she has been contributing for over 10 years to the development of innovative and collaborative Supply Chain models, always respecting the principles of sustainability.
