Many companies are not approaching the Digital Product Passport (DPP) with a sense of optimism, but rather with a practical question: What do we need to do to ensure our products remain available on the EU market without restrictions in the future? The DPP is not a topic for the distant future. Starting now, it is gradually evolving into a regulatory requirement for which companies must prepare their data infrastructure and processes in a timely manner.
The challenge goes beyond additional reporting requirements. It also involves coordination between business units, IT, suppliers, and management. Those who view the DPP merely as yet another obligation see it primarily as a burden. Those who, on the other hand, use it as an opportunity to neatly structure product data and processes lay the foundation for compliance while simultaneously improving service, product maintenance, and further development.
Why the DPP Is Relevant Now
The Digital Product Passport is linked to the EU Ecodesign Regulation (ESPR). It establishes the framework for certain product groups to be accompanied by standardized digital information in the future. Starting in February 2027, the requirement will first become mandatory for batteries: That is when the new EU Battery Regulation takes effect, mandating the digital battery passport for electric vehicle, industrial, and LMT batteries. Other product groups will follow gradually.
For companies in affected industries, the question is no longer whether this issue will become relevant, but rather how well their own organization is prepared when the specific requirements for the respective product group take effect. Those who wait until then to begin breaking down data silos, clarifying responsibilities, and establishing technical foundations will quickly find themselves under time pressure.
In everyday practice, the DPP is often reduced to a QR code or a digital link on the product—the visible end result. However, this result is only the tip of the iceberg: Before it can be created, information from purchasing, development, production, technical writing, after-sales, and the supply chain must be consolidated, standardized, and maintained throughout the entire lifecycle.
What Information the Digital Product Passport Consolidates
At its core, the Digital Product Passport is a structured digital collection of product-related information spanning the entire lifecycle. Which content is required depends on the specific product group. Typically, this includes, among other things:
- Materials and components
- Origin and supply chain
- Repairability and replacement parts
- Use, maintenance, and safety
- Energy efficiency
- Carbon Footprint
- Lifespan
- Recycling and Disposal
Some of this information should be easily accessible to users, for example via QR codes. Other content remains protected and is available only to government agencies or authorized partners. What matters most, therefore, is not so much the visible interface as the quality and structure of the data in the background.
Why Many Companies Haven't Really Gotten Started Yet
The biggest challenge rarely lies in presenting the information, but rather in identifying reliable sources, making data available across systems, and ensuring its quality during ongoing operations. In many companies, relevant data is scattered across ERP systems, PLM environments, Excel files, supplier documents, service records, content management systems, and, in some cases, Word files.
Anyone looking to tackle the DPP should therefore not start with the QR code, but with their own data reality. In practice, the DPP is primarily a data and process issue. It is only as robust as the structures that support it.
Therefore, the process begins with questions such as:
What product-related data is already available today?
In which systems is it stored?
What information is still missing?
How does data from the supply chain enter the company?
Who is responsible for the content, both substantively and formally?
How must data be structured so that it can be processed in a standardized manner?
This preliminary work marks the start of the actual implementation. Without it, neither compliance nor scalability can realistically be achieved.
Where Regulatory Requirements Create Practical Value
Once product data is neatly structured, centrally available, and interoperable across systems, the result is more than just regulatory compliance. The same information can also be used for internal improvements, such as:
- faster service processes
- better spare parts information
- clearer version histories
- more efficient product maintenance
- more informed decisions in development and after-sales
- a more robust foundation for digital twins and data-driven optimization
This is particularly evident in service. When product information is available in a structured format, search times are reduced, fault patterns can be classified more quickly, and technical teams no longer have to piece together information from multiple systems. A transparency requirement thus becomes a concrete benefit for product and process quality.
How the DPP ties into Industry 4.0
The Digital Product Passport does not stand apart from existing digitization initiatives; rather, it addresses central issues of industrial transformation: data availability, interoperability, digital end-to-end integration, and a consistent lifecycle-based approach. This is why terms such as “digital twin,” “Asset Administration Shell,” “IDTA,” and “ECLASS” also appear in this context.
What matters is not so much the terminology as its practical substance. Companies that already work with structured data models, digital twins, or standardized information flows often already meet some of the prerequisites for the DPP. This reduces the effort required for implementation later on.
Why the DPP Isn’t Confined to a Single Department
Because the DPP deeply impacts existing processes, it can hardly be meaningfully assigned to a single function. If the topic falls solely under IT, detailed regulatory and content-related requirements are often overlooked. If it is located solely in the technical writing department, data flows and integration logic fall out of sight. If it remains within the compliance department, operational implementation is often considered too late.
From a management perspective, therefore, the issue is less about who ultimately provides the QR code. What matters is how a robust database on the product, supply chain, usage, and lifecycle is created—one that meets regulatory requirements and remains usable in day-to-day operations. This requires a cross-functional approach.
What Sets Reliable DPP Consulting Apart
In the DPP environment, simply implementing software is not enough for many companies. What’s needed is a partner who can interpret regulatory requirements, has a technical understanding of product information, and can set up robust data and content flows. This includes, above all, the following points:
- Translating regulatory requirements into actionable steps
- Bringing together IT, technical writing, and business units
- Structuring data and content flows for day-to-day operations
- Evaluating solutions independently, rather than simply selling a single platform
This is where EDAG comes in: as an independent partner bridging regulation, data logic, technical writing, process integration, and operational implementation. This connection is crucial because many providers cover only part of the picture.
How Companies Can Get Off to a Good Start
A sensible approach doesn’t start with a quest for perfection, but with a realistic assessment of the current state of affairs. In practice, four steps have proven effective for this:
- Establish transparency regarding the current state: What data is available, where is it located, and how reliable is it?
- Align regulatory and operational requirements: What content is needed, and which systems or processes are relevant to it?
- Structure data and content flows: Information must be standardized, maintainable, and reusable.
- Treat the DPP as an ongoing development initiative: not as a one-time project, but as a task for operations, quality assurance, and continuous improvement
One thing is particularly important here: Even if not every detailed requirement has been finalized for many industries yet, the groundwork must begin now. Those who wait until every mandatory item is fully defined will lose time when it comes to data structure, responsibilities, and system integration.
How the DPP Manifests Itself in Individual Industries
Depending on the industry, different requirements come to the forefront:
- Automotive and batteries: Here, the EU Battery Regulation takes effect as early as February 2027. By then, material, origin, and lifecycle data must already be available in a reliable format as a digital battery passport.
- Electronics and household appliances: This is particularly relevant in areas where repairability, spare parts availability, and transparent usage instructions are becoming increasingly important
- Textiles: Closely linked to transparency regarding material composition, origin, and recyclability
- Furniture, construction products, and mechanical engineering: characterized by questions regarding materials, service life, maintenance, traceability, and integration with existing digitization initiatives
Conclusion: The groundwork begins now
The Digital Product Passport is gradually becoming the standard for many industries. Those who delay preparation will face greater challenges later regarding data, processes, and responsibilities.
It makes more sense to take the DPP seriously early on as a regulatory requirement and, at the same time, use it as an opportunity to establish a robust data and product framework. In this way, a regulation gives rise to a structure that also supports operational processes.
Do you have questions about the Digital Product Passport, the database, or the next steps toward DPP readiness? Natalie Völker would be happy to assist you.
If you’d like to assess how well your company is prepared for the Digital Product Passport, it’s worth taking an early look at the Digital Product Passport Readiness Check. It shows which data, processes, and responsibilities are already set up effectively and where gaps still exist.
