Digital Product Passport: what is it?

The gradual deployment of the Digital Product Passport (DPP) in Europe is scheduled between 2026 and 2030. This is one of the key initiatives for companies seeking to strengthen their transparency, commitment to sustainability and traceability. This digital tool will collect, store and share product information, facilitating the transition to a circular economy.

In this article, we'll take a closer look at its usefulness and how it can complement PIM solutions such as Quable. 

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Digital Product Passport: definition

The Digital Product Passport (DPP) works like a virtual label (like a digital identity card) attached to each object.

This European Union regulatory initiative aims to provide transparent and comprehensive information, tracing a product's entire life cycle from design to recycling, and including information such as the materials used, its origin and its reparability index.

Context

The aim of the DPP is to make the environmental impact of our products more transparent.

The Digital Product Passport is part of a far-reaching European plan. The Ecodesign for Sustainable Product Regulation (ESPR ) aims to significantly improve the circularity, energy performance and other environmental aspects of products placed on the European market. 

Replacing Directive 2009/125/EC, it sets eco-design requirements for almost all types of physical goods to enhance their durability, repairability, energy efficiency and overall environmental impact.

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How does the Digital Product Passport work?

This digital tool centralizes product information within a barcode or QR Code. When scanned, users can access this data to make eco-responsible choices and facilitate the application of circular economy principles.

The DPP structure

The passport is structured around several types of data: 

• Product characteristics (name, model, weight, dimensions, color, main features)
• Product composition (materials, proportion of each material, presence of hazardous or regulated substances)
• Manufacturing process (location, methods used, energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions)
• Transport conditions (modes of transport used, packaging, distances covered)
• Conditions of use (instructions for use, maintenance, estimated service life)
• End-of-life (repair possibilities, ease of disassembly, recycling instructions)
• Environmental impact (carbon footprint, water consumption, waste production)
• Regulatory information (compliance with current standards and regulations, certifications obtained)

DPP technologies

The passport relies on a variety of technologies to collect and share product information efficiently. Central to this structure is the product information management (PIM), which unifies and enriches data before distributing it to various channels. This ensures efficient management of product information, while meeting regulatory and market requirements.

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What are the advantages of the Digital Product Passport?

The Digital Product Passport offers clear benefits for consumers, companies and the environment: 

DPP for consumers

The passport gives consumers easy access to detailed product information. They will be able to compare products according to their environmental impact, sustainability, origin and manufacturing methods. 

On a day-to-day basis, this information also facilitates recycling and more efficient waste management, thanks to sorting instructions and a clear list of materials used. 

DPP for businesses

Companies that demonstrate genuine CSR are often appreciated by consumers. By implementing the DPP, companies demonstrate their commitment to transparency and social responsibility.

The passport also facilitates compliance with European environmental and health regulations. By centralizing all product information, these companies can more easily manage risks and anticipate potential non-compliance.

Finally, the DPP helps companies to optimize the production process by identifying areas for improvement and promoting the use of recycled or sustainably sourced materials. The passport also facilitates logistics management by enabling precise tracking of products throughout the supply chain. 

DPP for the environment

First and foremost, the passport helps to reduce the ecological footprint of products, by promoting transparency and traceability. This makes it easy to identify the most polluting products and encourage companies to eliminate them from their manufacturing processes.

In addition, the DPP promotes the circular economy by facilitating the repair, reuse and recycling of products.

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How and why implement the Digital Product Passport?

Deploying DPP requires a global approach involving all stakeholders in the value chain: manufacturers, distributors, consumers and public authorities.

This includes : 

• The definition of a common standard: a universal language to describe products is essential to ensure data interoperability between the different systems of the parties involved.
• The development of digital infrastructures: scalable, secure platforms must be deployed to store and manage product data

Data protection as part of the deployment of the Digital Product Passport is a very important issue. Product data can be sensitive, which makes it necessary to implement robust security measures to protect this data from unauthorized access.

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The role of PIM in the Digital Product Passport

To comply with the PLR, the use of a PIM such as Quable is essential. It allows you to centralize, enrich and distribute complete and accurate product information, in line with legal requirements.

What's more, Quable PIM makes it possible to anticipate these regulatory changes now, by managing traceability data, durability, etc., for your products.

Data centralization and management

The DPP requires companies to manage a vast array of data on their products, including the origin of materials, manufacturing processes, repairability information and carbon footprint. 

Quable ensures efficient management of this data by centralizing it in a single repository. This guarantees rapid compliance and easy accessibility for all players in the value chain.

Product information distribution

PIM does more than just manage data: it also structures a product experience (PX) strategy, essential for disseminating information across all channels (e-commerce, marketplaces, social networks, etc.).

Thanks to this consistent distribution, consumers, manufacturers and regulators have the information they need to make informed decisions in line with the Digital Product Passport. 

Competitiveness and sustainability

Adopting a PIM like Quable doesn't just meet the regulatory requirements of the DPP. 

PIM also represents an opportunity for brands to turn compliance into a competitive lever, by optimizing the transparency of their products and reinforcing their commitment to sustainability.