- Mastering data. Securing future viability.
Digital product passport: understanding regulation, utilising data, securing competitive advantages
- Key to transparency, sustainability and regulatory requirements
What is the Digital Product Passport?
Digital product passport - SF makes it practicable
The following applies to companies: without a structured Digital Product Passport, there is no long-term market access in the EU. SF supports you not only in implementing the DPP in a compliant manner, but also in using it as a strategic lever for efficiency, sustainability and digital business models.
The Digital Product Passport (DPP) - also known as the Digital Product Passport - is issued by the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulations (ESPR) gradually introduced on a mandatory basis. The first mandatory use cases such as the digital battery passport will start in 2027, followed by other product groups such as machinery, industrial products, electronics and components.
The Digital Product Passport helps to implement these requirements while simultaneously tapping into new potential for sustainability, the circular economy and data-based services.
- Digital product passport - from obligation to added value
Sustainability
Sustainability data, CO2 footprint and recyclability become transparent, verifiable and auditable.
Process efficiency
New business models
The basis for digital, predictive services and data-based after-sales models.
Future security
- Data & competitive advantages
Why is the Digital Product Passport strategically relevant now?
Strategic importance of the DPP
The DPP supports key EU objectives such as the circular economy, CO2 reduction, supply chain transparency and sustainable product development. For companies, this means building a robust database across the entire product life cycle, integrating it into ERP, PLM, MES and SCM systems and ensuring data quality and interoperability. At the same time, the DPP creates the basis for fulfilling other EU regulations such as the CSRD (Corporate Sustainabilty Reporting Directive) or CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism) - and is thus transformed from a pure compliance issue into a transformation project for data, processes and IT architecture.
Relevance for industry and business
The Digital Product Passport is being gradually introduced for many product groups. It will start with battery and electronic products and then be extended to machines and components.
These first mandatory and binding use cases will begin in 2027, whereby an early introduction of the Digital Product Passport is necessary for industrial companies.
The DPP demonstrator
Discover the demonstrator of the digital product passport.
View here
Life cycle data for products
The DPP is a machine-readable, digital data record that provides product information over the entire life cycle.
- Material & sustainability
- Material composition and ingredients
- CO₂ footprint and energy consumption
- Supply chain & origin
- Origin of raw materials and components
- Supplier and production locations
- Production & quality data
- Serial numbers and product identification
- Production batches and manufacturing parameters
- Use, service & maintenance
- Maintenance and service history
- Repairability and spare parts information
- End-of-life & circular economy
- Dismantling and recycling information
- Reusability of components
Transparency and sustainability
The DPP replaces paper-based certificates and supports sustainable product strategies.
- Access to current product data
- Recycling and repair information
- Evidence of sustainability and compliance
- Digital product pass Concept workshops
Aims of the workshops
Results at a glance
Practical and interdisciplinary
- Do you have any questions about the Digital Product Passport?
Enquiry & advice
SF supports you in implementing the digital product passport strategically, efficiently and future-proof.
- Questions / Answers
General questions about the Digital Product Passport
What is the Digital Product Passport (DPP)?
The Digital Product Passport (DPP) is a structured, machine-readable data set that provides relevant product information throughout the entire life cycle - from development and production to use, maintenance and recycling.
The DPP is gradually being made mandatory for numerous product groups as part of the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) and creates transparency regarding materials, carbon footprint, supply chains and sustainability aspects.
When will the Digital Product Passport become mandatory?
The introduction will be gradual. The first mandatory applications will start in 2027, beginning with the battery passport. Other product groups such as electronics, industrial products and machines will follow in the coming years. Companies should therefore consider data structures, system integration and DPP architectures at an early stage.
What data must be included in the digital product passport?
- Material composition and ingredients
- CO₂ footprint and energy consumption
- Origin and supply chain information
- Production and quality data
- Repair and maintenance information
- Recycling and disposal information
Is the DPP just a compliance issue?
No. Properly implemented, the Digital Product Passport offers far more than regulatory conformity.
It enables, for example:
- Greater transparency in supply chains
- Better traceability of sustainability data
- More efficient service and maintenance processes
- New data-based business models
Companies that use the DPP strategically create long-term competitive advantages.
Which technical systems are relevant for a DPP?
The necessary data is usually already available in existing systems, for example:
- ERP systems
- PLM systems
- MES and production systems
- Quality management systems
- Supply chain or sustainability platforms
A key challenge is to bring this data together in a structured way and make it available in a standardised product passport.
How can a digital product passport be technically implemented?
Modern DPP architectures are often based on standardised data models such as the Asset Administration Shell (AAS). This enables an interoperable, digital description of products and forms a basis for the standardised exchange of product data.
Modular service architectures allow product passports to be automatically generated and managed from production and company systems and extended along the supply chain.
What experience does SF have in the area of digital product passports?
SF already has practical implementation experience in the DPP environment.
These include, among others:
- the realisation of a battery pass concept in a research project together with the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg
- the Development of a fully comprehensive DPP demonstrator for an industrial company
- the development of a AAS-based product pass architecture with automated creation of product passes from production
These projects enable us not only to assess regulatory requirements in theory, but also to implement them technically.
How can companies get started with the DPP?
Many companies are currently facing similar questions:
- Am I affected by the Digital Product Pass?
- What data is already available?
- Which systems need to be integrated?
- What does a scalable DPP architecture look like?
A structured introduction usually begins with an analysis of the product portfolio, data sources and system landscape. We offer our DPP concept workshop to answer these questions.
How does SF support the introduction of the Digital Product Passport?
SF supports companies throughout the entire implementation process:
- Categorisation of regulatory requirements
- Analysing data, processes and systems
- Development of a scalable DPP architecture
- Implementation of pilot projects
- Integration into existing ERP, PLM and production systems
Our focus is on practical solutions that can be integrated into existing IT landscapes and are scalable in the long term.
Why is it worth starting the DPP now?
The digital product passport will become a central component of industrial value creation in Europe in the coming years. Companies that establish a reliable database and suitable architecture at an early stage will benefit:
- regulatory safety
- higher data quality
- more transparent supply chains
- new digital service and business models
How much effort and what costs are involved in the introduction?
The effort required depends heavily on the Maturity level of existing data and IT systems from.
Many companies already have most of the necessary information - albeit distributed across different systems such as ERP, PLM, MES or quality management.
Typical project phases are
- Analysing the regulatory requirements and the affected products
- Evaluation of existing data and systems
- Development of a DPP data architecture
- Pilot implementation for selected products
- Scaling to other product groups
In practice, many companies start with a Pilot project, to validate effort, architecture and processes at an early stage.
Who do you need to involve in the company for the DPP?
The digital product passport is a interdisciplinary topic. Typically, several departments are involved:
- Product development / engineering
- IT and enterprise architecture
- Production / Manufacturing
- Purchasing and supply chain management
- Sustainability / ESG
- Quality management
- Service and after-sales
A successful DPP introduction therefore requires both technical expertise and organisational coordination.
How can I view the data of a Digital Product Pass?
The data is usually provided via a digital user interface or a web application. Depending on the implementation, product passports can, for example:
- be displayed via a web interface
- can be integrated into other systems via APIs
- can be called up via a code on the product
In many cases, access takes place via a QR code or data matrix code, which is affixed to the product or packaging.
Is there simply a code on each product that you can scan?
Often yes - access to the product passport is typically via a QR code or data matrix code, which is linked to the digital product identity.
When scanning, the user is taken to a digital environment in which the relevant product information is displayed.
The code itself usually contains No complete product data, but a reference to the digital product passport.
Do you need a special app for this?
In many cases No special app required. Modern solutions work directly via a website that is opened after the code is scanned. Depending on the application, however, it may also be possible:
- Company portals
- Service platforms
- mobile applications
be integrated into access to the product passport.
Do different users see different information?
Yes, a Central component modern DPP architectures is a Role-based authorisation system.
This can, for example:
- End customers only see general product and sustainability information
- Service partners Receive maintenance and spare parts information
- View manufacturer's detailed production data
- Authorities gain access to regulatory information
This concept ensures that transparency and data protection are guaranteed at the same time.
How is the data protected?
The protection of product and company data is an important part of any DPP architecture.
Typical measures are
- Role-based access controls
- Secure authentication and authorisation
- Encrypted data transmission
- Separate data areas for public and internal information
In addition, only data that is required for regulatory or business purposes is published.