Digital Product Passport (DPP)

A Digital Product Passport is a standardized, machine-readable dataset that accompanies a physical product throughout its lifecycle — from manufacturing to end-of-life recycling. Mandated by the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), the DPP aims to create complete transparency about a product’s materials, origin, environmental impact, repairability, and recycled content.

Key Facts

Detail	Information
Legal basis	Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 — Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR)
First product categories	Batteries (February 2027), then textiles, electronics, construction materials
Electronics DPP	Expected 2028–2030 (delegated acts pending)
Data carrier	QR code, RFID, NFC, or data matrix linked to a unique product ID
Data location	Decentralized — manufacturer-hosted with registry lookup via EU DPP registry
Access levels	Public (consumers), restricted (authorities, recyclers), confidential (manufacturer)

What Information Does a DPP Contain?

For Electronics / Hardware Products

Data Category	Examples
Product identity	Unique serial number, manufacturer, model, manufacturing date/location
Material composition	Bill of materials, substances of concern (SCIP database link), conflict minerals
Environmental footprint	Carbon footprint per unit, energy consumption during use, lifecycle assessment
Repairability	Repair score, spare parts availability, disassembly instructions, expected lifetime
Software components	SBOM reference — cross-link to CRA-mandated Software Bill of Materials
Recycled content	Percentage of recycled materials per component category
End-of-life	Recycling instructions, hazardous waste classification, take-back program
Supply chain	EU/non-EU manufacturing origin, due diligence declarations
Compliance	CE marking status, applicable directives, conformity certificates

DPP vs. SBOM

The DPP and SBOM are complementary but distinct:

Aspect	Digital Product Passport	SBOM (Software Bill of Materials)
Regulation	ESPR (Ecodesign)	CRA (Cybersecurity)
Scope	Entire product (physical + digital)	Software/firmware components only
Purpose	Sustainability, circularity, transparency	Cybersecurity, vulnerability management
Content	Materials, carbon footprint, repairability, recycled content	Package names, versions, licenses, vulnerabilities
Target audience	Consumers, recyclers, market surveillance	Security teams, DevOps, regulatory authorities
Overlap	References SBOM for software components	Part of the DPP’s digital component inventory

For hardware manufacturers: You will need both. The CRA requires an SBOM for cybersecurity; the ESPR requires a DPP for sustainability. The SBOM becomes a component within the broader DPP.

Technical Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  PHYSICAL PRODUCT                                │
│  ┌─────────────┐                                 │
│  │ QR Code/NFC │ → links to unique product URI   │
│  └──────┬──────┘                                 │
└─────────┼───────────────────────────────────────┘
          │ Scan / read
          ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  EU DPP REGISTRY (centralized lookup)            │
│  Maps product URI → manufacturer data endpoint   │
└─────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┘
          │ Redirect
          ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  MANUFACTURER DATA ENDPOINT                      │
│  • Public data: materials, repair, carbon        │
│  • Restricted data: detailed BOM (authorities)   │
│  • Confidential data: trade secrets              │
│  • SBOM cross-reference (CRA compliance)         │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Timeline for Electronics

Phase	Timeline	What Happens
Batteries	February 2027	First product category with DPP requirement
Textiles	2027–2028	Clothing and footwear DPP
Electronics	2028–2030 (expected)	Consumer electronics, IoT devices, embedded systems
Full rollout	By 2030	Most product categories covered by category-specific delegated acts

Relevance for EU Hardware Supply Chain

For manufacturers with a 100% EU supply chain, DPP compliance is simpler:

Origin transparency — EU-sourced components have traceable supply chains.
Environmental data — EU suppliers are subject to consistent environmental reporting (CSRD).
Conflict minerals — EU sourcing eliminates due diligence complexity for conflict minerals.
Recycled content — EU recycling infrastructure provides verifiable recycled material certification.

SBOM — The software-specific component of a DPP, covering firmware and software dependencies.
CE Marking — DPP compliance status is linked to the product’s conformity declaration.
CRA — The cybersecurity regulation that mandates the SBOM component referenced by the DPP.

Digital Product Passport