Digital Product Passport (DPP): A key to the circular economy
The DPP is part of the “Ecodesign Sustainable Product Regulation (ESPR)” for Europe. With its circular economy initiatives, the European Union is driving the transition to a sustainable and resource-efficient economy. A central component of these efforts is the digital product passport (DPP). It is used to give products such as batteries, electronics, textiles or building materials a digital identity and to make specific information about the respective products easily accessible.
Minimum requirements for various product groups are gradually being defined and published through legal acts. Trade associations such as VDMA (mechanical engineering), ZVEI (electrical and digital industry), HDB (construction industry), GTS (textiles) and many others are actively involved in determining the contents of the DPP data sets. The first delegated legal act will come into force for batteries as early as 2027.
What is the DPP-code?
The DPP is assigned to each product in the form of a unique, DPP-compliant barcode (optionally also RFID technology). This code can be easily read with scanners or smartphones and leads directly to a DPP page of the manufacturer. All relevant product information is stored on this page.
Advantages and possible uses
The information provided is important for all market participants – from production and use to disposal and recycling. The DPP creates a transparent basis that makes the entire life cycle of a product understandable. This not only helps to meet legal requirements, but also supports companies and consumers on their way to making sustainable decisions.
Research and development for the DPP
As an innovative building block for the circular economy, the DPP is the subject of intensive research and further development. EDCi e.V. makes a valuable contribution to this and develops specialist articles and documents that drive the implementation of the DPP:
- Investigation-DPP-ID-Codes-whitePaper, rev.231010
- Digital-Passport-ScanSpots, rev.230929
- Digital-Passport-ID-methods, rev.230328
- Digital-Passport-ID-methods-part-II, rev.240607
- DPP-Identifiers-Comparison, rev.240130
- ESPR-DPPIdentifier-requirements, rev.240129
- VDA-DPP: Contribution Identifier concept for the Automotive Industry, rev.240221
- DPP technical article for the yearbook „ident 2024“ (DE), rev.240109
Adaptation of existing ISO-compliant codes for Internet compatibility
Manufacturers who already use unique product codes in accordance with standards such as ISO/IEC 15459 can adapt them to the requirements of the Internet. By converting them into Internet-compatible structures, existing data elements remain usable both at the manufacturer and along the supply chain. At the same time, updates to codes and capture processes are kept to a minimum.
Solutions for Internet compatibility
Depending on your needs, there are various approaches available to convert existing product codes into an Internet-compatible structure:
AutoID URL
for updating the Internet compatibility of unique product codes with ASC-DI syntax
GS1 Digital Link
for updating the Internet compatibility of unique product codes with GS1-AI syntax
Other solutions that aim to create product uniqueness via the WEB domain are:
IEC 61406 Identification Link
- Part 1 with web domain for uniqueness plus text, or
- Part 2 with web domain for uniqueness plus ASC-DI elements for optional attributes.
Decentralized digital identifiers (DID)
Use of “self-issuing URLs” with a verifiable data register for secure and decentralized management of product information.
