The digital product passport is a new-generation compliance and data management system that combines the physical identity of products with their digital data. Known in English as the Digital Product Passport, the DPP presents information such as the product’s materials, environmental performance, technical documents, repairability, and end-of-life options in a structured format.
A digital product passport is a digital identity record for a product, component, or material. This record can be accessed through a QR code, NFC tag, or another data carrier placed on the product itself, its packaging, or accompanying documents.
However, a QR code alone is not a DPP. The system to which the code directs users must match the correct product, contain the required information, manage access permissions, and keep the data up to date throughout the relevant life of the product.
A DPP may display different information to different users. Consumers may access maintenance and repair information, competent authorities may access compliance documents, and recycling companies may access material composition and disassembly instructions.
Manufacturers often store product information across different departments and in incompatible formats. Technical data sheets, test reports, certificates, bills of materials, and environmental declarations may not be available within a single data structure.
The DPP aims to manage this information within a common framework. This allows manufacturers to respond more quickly to customer and public authority requests, improve supply chain traceability, and reduce repetitive documentation work.
In addition, a properly structured system may support repair, reuse, recycling, and second-hand business models. Therefore, the DPP is not only a regulatory obligation but also a long-term product data strategy.
The main legal framework for the DPP has been established under the European Union’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, namely the ESPR. The ESPR entered into force on 18 July 2024 and allows product group-specific ecodesign rules to be developed for almost all physical products.
The ESPR does not establish a single DPP template for every product. Mandatory data fields, passport level, data carrier, access rights, and implementation date will be clarified through product group-specific delegated regulations.
In certain sectors, such as batteries and construction materials, DPP requirements may also be regulated through separate EU legislation. Therefore, companies should monitor both the general ESPR framework and the specific rules applicable to their product groups.
There is no single DPP date covering all products. The European Commission’s 2025–2030 ESPR Working Plan prioritizes product groups such as textiles and apparel, furniture, tyres, mattresses, iron and steel, and aluminium.
The plan includes indicative years for the adoption of regulations. It anticipates 2026 for iron and steel, 2027 for textiles, tyres, and aluminium, 2028 for furniture, and 2029 for mattresses.
These dates are not the dates on which the DPP obligation will directly begin. The final obligation will become certain when the relevant product regulation is published and the transition period is determined.
Yes, manufacturers in Türkiye may also be affected if the relevant product is placed on the EU market. The rules apply not only to products manufactured within the EU but also to products within scope that are placed on the EU market.
Therefore, exporters should identify the responsible economic operator, data ownership, and responsibility for updates at an early stage. It is important that the division of responsibilities between the manufacturer, importer, or authorized representative be clearly defined in commercial agreements.
Although it varies according to the product group, the passport may contain the following information:
Not all information needs to be publicly available. Different access levels may be created for competent authorities, professional users, customers, and supply chain actors.
A DPP is not a conventional certificate obtained through an application. The preparation process generally consists of the following steps:
While preparing the environmental data infrastructure, Life Cycle Assessment, Environmental Product Declaration, and circular economy consultancy studies may support DPP preparation.
The digital product passport is a system whose visible face is the QR code but whose actual value comes from the product data behind it. Instead of waiting for the final legislation, companies should review their product, material, supplier, environmental performance, and compliance data today.
The first concrete step is to conduct a product-specific DPP readiness and data gap analysis. This makes it possible to clearly distinguish between existing data, missing information, and future software requirements.
A DPP is a Digital Product Passport that brings together product identity, sustainability, compliance, and life cycle information in a digital environment.
It is not yet mandatory for all products. The obligation will begin gradually through product group-specific EU regulations.
A DPP is not obtained like a certificate. It is created by collecting and structuring product data, linking it to the physical product, and managing it continuously.
No. The QR code is only a data carrier. The system behind it must provide accurate, up-to-date, accessible, and legally compliant information.
If a product within scope is placed on the EU market, Turkish manufacturers and exporters may be affected by the relevant DPP requirements.
No. An EPD presents environmental impact data. A DPP may also include identity, compliance, maintenance, repair, traceability, and recycling information.
Primary responsibility lies with the economic operator placing the product on the EU market. This party may be the manufacturer, importer, or authorized representative.