Digital Product Passport knowledge centre
The essentials in one place: what a passport is, which rules apply to which product group, and the terms you will meet.
Basics
What is a Digital Product Passport?
A Digital Product Passport (DPP) is a structured set of data about a product that can be opened through a data carrier, usually a QR code, on the product, its label or its packaging. It describes what the product is, who placed it on the market, what it is made of and how it should be used, repaired and handled at the end of its life.
The general framework in the EU is the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (EU) 2024/1781. It does not itself say what a passport for a T-shirt or a steel beam contains. That is decided product group by product group in separate acts. Some product groups have their own regulations, for example batteries and construction products.
For a business this means two things. The obligations and dates differ by product group, and much of the preparation is the same everywhere: clean product identifiers, known materials and suppliers, and evidence that can be found again.
Legal status
Rules by product group
Status as last reviewed. Dates described as indicative come from the European Commission’s working plan and are plans, not obligations.
| Product group | Legal basis | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Textiles & Fashion | Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (EU) 2024/1781; delegated act for textiles pending | No passport obligation applies yet. The Commission’s working plan names 2027 as the indicative date for the textile act. The content of a textile passport is not final. |
| Batteries | Batteries Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 | Binding. From 18 February 2027 a battery passport is required for electric-vehicle batteries, batteries for light means of transport and industrial batteries with a capacity above 2 kWh. |
| Electronics & Electrical Equipment | Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 as the framework | No act requiring a product passport for electronics has been adopted. Energy-related products continue to be regulated product by product. Timing for passports is open. |
| Furniture & Interior Products | Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (EU) 2024/1781; delegated act for furniture pending | No passport obligation applies yet. The Commission’s working plan names 2028 as the indicative date for furniture and 2029 for mattresses. |
| Construction & Building Materials | Construction Products Regulation (EU) 2024/3110 | In force. Digital product passports for construction products are introduced step by step, product family by product family, as the harmonised specifications are renewed. There is no single date for all products. |
| Steel, Aluminium & Metals | Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (EU) 2024/1781; delegated acts for iron and steel and for aluminium pending | No passport obligation applies yet. The Commission’s working plan names 2026 as the indicative date for iron and steel and 2027 for aluminium. |
| Tyres & Automotive Components | Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 for tyres; End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 for vehicles; Batteries Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 for traction batteries | Mixed. For tyres the working plan names 2027 as an indicative date. The End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation (EU) 2026/1738, in force since 13 August 2026 and applying from 1 September 2028, provides for a digital vehicle passport after a transition period of several years. Traction batteries need a passport from 18 February 2027. |
| Packaging & Packaged Products | Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (EU) 2025/40 | Applies since 12 August 2026, with labelling and data-carrier rules following later. The regulation does not introduce a product passport for packaging as such; it creates information and labelling duties. |
Last reviewed: 11 November 2026. This overview is general information, not legal advice. Check the current legal texts on EUR-Lex for your products.
Terms
Key terms
- Data carrier
- The physical link from product to passport, such as a QR code, on the product, label or packaging.
- Unique product identifier
- The identifier a passport is attached to, at model, batch or item level, for example a GTIN with a batch or serial number.
- Model, batch, item
- The three levels at which information can apply: all units of a model, one production batch, or a single unit.
- Delegated act
- A legal act of the Commission that sets the detailed requirements for one product group under the framework regulation.
- Economic operator
- The manufacturer, importer or distributor responsible for the product on the EU market.
- Legitimate interest
- Parties such as repairers or recyclers that may see more than the public but less than authorities.
- Substances of concern
- Substances that must be tracked in products because they affect health, the environment or recycling.
- Registry
- A central EU register of passport identifiers, provided for by the framework regulation.
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