What Are Digital Product Passports (DPP)?

A Tool for Transparency, Traceability & Compliance

Digital Product Passports (DPPs) are online records that share detailed information about a product including: 

  • Origin
  • Materials
  • Lifecycle environmental impact
  • Disposal recommendations
  • Compliance documentation
  • Substances of concern
  • Use instructions

DPPs are key to promoting circularity in products and enhancing their traceability throughout their value chain. They also help prevent greenwashing, make companies more accountable for product claims and help shoppers make sustainable choices.

EU Study: Digital product passport for the textile sector

China: Research Report on Digital Product Passport Technology (2025)

When are DPPs required for consumer products?

Digital Product Passports are an important part of the EU Eco-Design for Products Regulation (ESPR). They apply to all products sold in the EU. However, some product categories will require compliance earlier than others. 

Textiles are a priority group in the EU's first ESPR working plan, which runs 2025 to 2030. Apparel is in the first wave. The Commission is expected to adopt the textile Eco-design and Digital Product Passport rules around 2027. Those rules cannot take effect until at least 18 months after adoption, so mandatory textile passports are realistically expected from 2028. Dates can still move. Check the current schedule on the European Commission ESPR working plan before relying on a specific year.

 

Where to start with Digital Product Passports

The Value of Digital Product Passports

Helping businesses prove responsibility and empowering consumers make better choices.
Businesses

Traceability and Transparency

DPPs are a requirement—and a valuable tool.

Digital Product Passports centralize data, revealing a product's full lifecycle. This helps identify risks early, improve traceability and support due diligence across complex supply chains and growing sustainability regulations.

Beyond compliance, DPPs give deeper insight into key areas of responsible production—helping you make more informed decisions, reduce risks and build consumer trust.

  • Product details improve portfolio visibility, making it easier to track and verify information
  • Supply chain transparency increases accountability for ethical sourcing and labor practices
  • Material composition data highlights product durability, recycled content and recyclability claims
  • Material tracking supports more sustainable sourcing and resource efficiency
  • Substances of concern data simplifies regulatory compliance and ensures safer, recyclable products
  • Environmental impact insights enable targeted impact reduction
Consumers

Conscious Consumption Made Simpler

Consumer Empowerment

Transparency is essential for a more sustainable future. 

Without it, consumers can’t see the true impact of their purchases. Many are unaware of the harm everyday products may cause to their health and the environment—and those who are aware often lack access to reliable information.

Digital Product Passports aim to: 

  • Increase consumer access to information about product safety
  • Empower consumers to make sustainable choices by showing product impact

Beyond transparency, DPPs also give consumers the tools to properly use and care for products, improving longevity and reducing waste.

  • Clear instructions for installation and use help prevent damage from misuse
  • User manuals and product warnings improve safety and awareness
  • Maintenance and repair guidance makes it easier to extend a product’s lifespan
  • End-of-life recommendations offer responsible disposal or recycling options

What You Need for Digital Product Passports

Data and Design for Impact

Businesses that closely track materials and suppliers are better positioned for DPPs. If you know where your products come from and what they're made of—and have the evidence to prove it—collecting the required data will be faster and less stressful.

Note: A product’s DPP will disclose whether (or not) it meets the EU’s sustainability requirements under the ESPR, including:

  • Durability, reliability, reusability, repairability, upgradability
  • Potential for maintenance and refurbishment, recovery of materials and remanufacturing
  • Presence of substances of concern
  • Use and efficiency of energy, water and resources
  • Recycled content and recyclability
  • Environmental impacts, including carbon and environmental footprints and expected waste generation

Start gathering data now.

Proactive Testing will help you identify and improve weak spots before the data becomes public—supporting both compliance and claim verification.

Meeting ESPR goals could look like:

Simplify DPP compliance with a common data structure.

Automated data exchange between suppliers, manufacturers, brands and retailers

The Global Textile Scheme (GTS) provides a common data structure for Digital Product Passports in the textile industry. Developed in line with emerging EU requirements, it helps supply chain partners exchange consistent, machine-readable product information—based on existing systems and workflows.

See how GTS works

Global Sustainability Expertise

DPP requirements are specific to product categories and can be difficult to sort through. You’re not alone.

With more than 80 years of expertise in testing, certification and sustainability, Hohenstein understands what’s needed to make Digital Product Passports (DPPs) an asset—not a hurdle. We help ensure your DPPs build consumer trust and support your goals.

Contact

Ben Mead

Managing Director
Hohenstein Americas