The Digital Product Passport: Building on an Existing European Product Data Ecosystem
The European Union is introducing the Digital Product Passport (DPP) as one of the key instruments supporting the transition towards a more sustainable and circular economy. Established under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), the Digital Product Passport will make reliable product information digitally accessible throughout the entire product lifecycle.
Rather than creating another product database, the DPP establishes a common framework through which manufacturers, distributors, installers, repair organisations, recyclers, regulators and consumers can access trusted product information whenever it is needed. Depending on the product category, a Digital Product Passport may contain information such as:
- Product identification
- Technical specifications
- Materials and substances
- Environmental performance
- Carbon footprint
- Repair and maintenance information
- Spare parts availability
- Recycling instructions
- Regulatory compliance information
The exact information requirements will differ between product groups and will be defined through delegated legislation issued by the European Commission.
When will Digital Product Passports become mandatory?
The ESPR serves as a framework regulation. Individual product groups will gradually become subject to Digital Product Passport requirements over the coming years. The current roadmap is expected to follow this general timeline:
| Expected implementation | Product groups |
| 2027 | Industrial and electric vehicle batteries (Battery Regulation) |
| 2027–2028 | Textiles and apparel |
| 2028 | Iron and steel products |
| 2028–2029 | Furniture |
| 2028–2030 | Construction products, electrical equipment, electronics and other ESPR priority products |
| After 2030 | Progressive expansion to additional product categories |
As new delegated acts (containing product specific requirements for DPP’s) are adopted, more product groups will become subject to DPP obligations.
The Digital Product Passport builds on existing standards
The Digital Product Passport defines what information should be provided to the consumers and users to enable them to make informed buying decisions based on the environmental impact characteristic of products. It does not define how product information should be structured. Instead, it builds upon internationally recognized standards and existing industry infrastructures that are already widely used throughout Europe.
ETIM – the language of product data for technical industries
ETIM provides the common semantic model used by manufacturers, wholesalers and software providers to describe construction and installation products consistently. Through internationally standardized Multilingual product classes, features, values and units, ETIM enables product information to be exchanged accurately between organisations and across national borders. For many sectors—including electrical installation, HVAC, plumbing and building materials—ETIM forms the semantic foundation upon which Digital Product Passport information can be built. By using a common language, manufacturers only need to describe their products once, allowing the information to be reused consistently throughout the supply chain.
With the recently published ETIM xChange standard, this common language is complemented by a standardised machine-to-machine exchange format for complete product data records. ETIM xChange enables classification and technical data, environmental and sustainability data, commercial and trading-item information, documentation, media and other product-related information to be digitally exchanged in a consistent, structured and machine-readable way. Together, ETIM Classification and ETIM xChange provide both the semantics and the exchange mechanism needed to make comprehensive product information available throughout the digital product ecosystem.
GS1 – identifying products worldwide
While ETIM describes the characteristics of a product, GS1 provides the globally recognized identification standards that uniquely identify products throughout international supply chains.
Examples include:
- GTIN (Global Trade Item Number)
- GS1 Digital Link
- QR codes
- Barcodes
These identification standards allow a physical product to be linked directly to its corresponding Digital Product Passport and enable users to retrieve the correct information quickly and reliably.
The roles of ETIM and GS1 are therefore highly complementary:
- ETIM describes the product.
- GS1 identifies the product.
The essential role of National data platforms
Across Europe, a mature network of trusted product information organisations already exists. National data platforms collect, validate and distribute millions of product records on behalf of manufacturers every year. See our community directory for an extensive overview.
Today these organisations already:
- collect product information from manufacturers;
- validate data quality and completeness;
- harmonise product information;
- distribute product data throughout the supply chain;
- synchronise product updates;
- operate secure and highly available product information platforms.
These activities closely resemble the operational requirements of the Digital Product Passport.
Rather than creating entirely new infrastructures, Europe can build upon these proven platforms and trusted relationships.
From data syndicators to Digital Product Passport Service Providers
The introduction of the Digital Product Passport creates a natural opportunity for European data syndicators to evolve into Digital Product Passport Service Providers (DPPSPs).
In addition to their existing services, they could:
- host Digital Product Passport information;
- provide secure access through standardised APIs;
- maintain passport information throughout the product lifecycle;
- support version management and updates;
- connect manufacturers with distributors, installers, customers and regulators;
- integrate with European discovery and registry services.
Because these organisations already serve as trusted intermediaries between manufacturers and the market, they are uniquely positioned to become the operational backbone of the Digital Product Passport ecosystem.
An ecosystem of complementary roles
The successful implementation of the Digital Product Passport depends on cooperation between organisations with clearly defined and complementary responsibilities.
| Organisation | Primary role |
| European Commission | Defines the legal framework and product-specific DPP requirements |
| Manufacturers | Create and maintain Digital Product Passport information |
| ETIM International | Provides the standardised semantic model for technical product information |
| GS1 | Provides globally unique product identification and discovery mechanisms |
| Data Syndicators | Operate Digital Product Passport services by validating, hosting and distributing product passport information |
| Economic Operators | Make passport information available throughout the supply chain and to end users (Manufacturers or Distributors importing from outside the EU). |
Each organisation fulfils a distinct role, and together they create a scalable, interoperable and future-proof Digital Product Passport ecosystem.
Building on what already works
The Digital Product Passport should not be viewed as an entirely new information system. Europe already possesses a mature ecosystem for creating, standardising, identifying and exchanging technical product information. Manufacturers already produce product data. ETIM already provides the common language for describing technical products. GS1 already enables products to be uniquely identified worldwide. Data syndicators already manage trusted product information exchanges across national markets. The Digital Product Passport represents the next logical step in this evolution: a regulatory framework that connects these existing building blocks into a coherent European ecosystem.
By building upon established standards and trusted product information infrastructures, Europe can accelerate the implementation of Digital Product Passports while avoiding unnecessary duplication of systems and investments. In this ecosystem, ETIM provides the semantic foundation, GS1 connects the physical and digital worlds, and European data syndicators are ideally positioned to become the trusted Digital Product Passport Service Providers that make the entire system work in practice.