The Digital Product Passport (DPP) is a powerful tool in the EU's push for sustainable, circular products, and it's now enshrined in law under two key pieces of legislation:
The DPP will redefine how product data is shared, verified, and used across Europe. A DPP connects a physical product with structured, machine-readable information. Depending on the applicable rules, that information may cover product identity, technical performance, legal compliance, environmental performance, repair, and end-of-life handling.
This article covers:
At its core, a DPP is a structured digital record designed to store and share essential information about a product and its supply chain. It provides a unique identifier and offers a transparent window into a product’s origin, material composition, environmental performance, repairability, compliance status, and end-of-life guidance.
Under the ESPR, DPPs are required for a growing list of product groups, with construction products specifically covered by both horizontal ESPR rules and sector-specific CPR rules.
The DPP serves multiple goals:
By offering a detailed digital record of a product’s life cycle, the DPP will become a powerful tool for compliance, supply-chain management, risk mitigation, and data-driven sustainability by facilitating ecodesign improvements, repair, reuse, and traceability for more circular product life cycles.
The DPP Registry is the EU’s central index for Digital Product Passports. It connects each product’s unique identifier with its passport, while the detailed product data remains in decentralized storage. This allows the correct DPP to be located without the EU storing every product’s complete data. Economic operators remain responsible for the detailed product data.
DPP access is role-based. Consumers, supply-chain partners, customs authorities, and market-surveillance authorities may see different information under the applicable product rules. This protects confidential business data while giving each user access to the information needed for their role.
Detailed DPP data uses decentralized storage. The economic operator may host the primary data directly or use a DPP service provider. The ESPR also requires a backup copy through an independent DPP service provider so that the passport remains available for the required period.
On July 20, 2026, the European Commission launched the Digital Product Passport Registry and a separate testing environment. Economic operators can access through a secure user interface or an API.
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1778 launched on July 16, 2026 and with effective date on August 6, sets rules for access management, user verification, data registration, storage, and the Registry’s technical architecture.
This does not mean that DPPs are mandatory yet. A product needs a DPP when the relevant ESPR delegated act or sector law requires it.
The revised Construction Products Regulation (CPR) introduces a separate DPP system for construction products. It will require:
Together, ESPR and CPR ensure that construction product DPPs meet general EU sustainability standards while addressing sector-specific needs.
While the ESPR does not replace Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) with DPPs, it is expected that EPD datasets will be incorporated into the Digital Passport framework, particularly those aligned with EN 15804+A2 standards. In practical terms for construction manufacturers, EPDs can likely provide the standardized environmental data required for DPPs. The final data fields will depend on the CPR delegated act and the applicable technical specification.
The information stored in a DPP may cover the following dimensions, as defined in the regulation:
ESPR allows the Commission to define product-specific data requirements through delegated acts. For construction products, the CPR introduces specific technical rules. The DPP of a construction product needs to include:
The DPP will link this information to unique identifiers for the product, the economic operator, and the manufacturing facility. These identifiers must follow technical specifications adopted by the Commission or listed in harmonized standards published in the Official Journal of the EU, ensuring interoperability across platforms and systems. Manufacturers are obliged to provide a DPP within 18 months after establishment of DPP system and in accordance with the harmonized technical specifications and European assessment documents.
The DPP must be accessible and machine-readable via a scannable data carrier (e.g., QR code, watermark), ideally placed directly on the product. This ensures the data remains accessible throughout the product's life, including at the repair, resale, or recycling stage.
The DPP requirements will apply to all product categories identified by the European Commission through delegated acts. Once applicable, it will cover all relevant products placed on the EU market, including those produced within or imported from outside the EU.
Stakeholders and responsibilities:
There are no automatic exemptions for SMEs, although both the ESPR and CPR leave room for future support measures. Product groups may only be exempted from the DPP if technical specifications are not yet available or if other EU laws already provide a suitable digital system for product information sharing. The CPR does not specify exemptions from publishing DPPs as there is an established workplan for harmonized standards development. For construction products outside the specified categories in the CPR, the provisions of the ESPR would apply.
Both the ESPR and CPR mandate the development of harmonized technical requirements for DPPs. These will be adopted either through harmonized standards (published in the Official Journal of the EU) or common specifications via implementing acts by the Commission.
Key requirements include:
Six product-agnostic European standards have already been cited in the EU Official Journal, which means that their correct application provides presumption of conformity with the corresponding requirements of the ESPR:
Two further drafts remain under formal vote until July 16, 2026:
Start with product families that drive EU revenue, appear frequently in tenders, or receive repeated distributor and customer data requests. This keeps the first phase tied to sales exposure and avoids a company-wide data project before the final product requirements are known.
According to the 2025 – 2030 ESPR Working Plan, the first product-specific delegated acts were expected to roll out in late 2025, but they have not yet been released. Preparatory work is underway for iron and steel. In 2026, the Joint Research Centre published proposed DPP content for both to support future rules. Other priority products include textiles, furniture, aluminum, and energy-related products.
The Digital Product Passport represents a paradigm shift in how product data is collected, verified, and shared across the EU economy. For construction manufacturers and sustainability professionals, DPPs offer both a compliance challenge and a competitive opportunity. Those who prepare early will be best positioned to access the competitive EU marketplace.
To stay ahead, follow developments from the European Commission, CEN/TC 350, and sustainability platforms like One Click LCA, which already support structured digital reporting for carbon and life cycle data.
The UK is also advancing product and material transparency in construction through Materials Passports, an industry-led initiative from the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) rather than government. Like the EU's DPP, these can include embodied carbon, sourcing, health profile, and reuse potential. For environmental impacts, they rely on verified data such as the information provided by EN 15804+A2-compliant EPDs.
The UK government is also pursuing its own reform, driven by building safety rather than sustainability, and commits to staying aligned with the EU's DPP plans "where it is in line with our objectives for safe products." Meanwhile, the UKGBC Circular Economy Programme continues to align with ESPR and the revised CPR. Regardless of Brexit, UK manufacturers trading into the EU still need to meet CPR and ESPR-linked DPP requirements to keep market access.
One Click LCA supports product LCA and Environmental Product Declaration workflows, including EN 15804-aligned data for construction products. These results will likely supply environmental fields in a DPP.
What is a Digital Product Passport (DPP)?
A DPP is a machine-readable digital record required under EU law that shares product origin, materials, environmental data, compliance, and end-of-life guidance. One Click LCA supports creating EPDs to obtain compliant sustainability data.
Is the Digital Product Passport mandatory in the EU?
Yes, it will be for covered products. The DPP enables transparency, traceability, and circularity under ESPR and CPR, supporting EU climate goals and market surveillance. One Click LCA helps structure life cycle and carbon data used in DPPs.
Which regulations require Digital Product Passports?
Digital Product Passports are mandated by the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 and the Construction Products Regulation (EU) 2024/3110. One Click LCA aligns data with both frameworks.
Who is responsible for creating a DPP?
The responsible economic operator is determined by the applicable law and the way the product enters the EU market. Depending on the supply chain, responsibility may fall to a manufacturer, authorized representative, importer, distributor, dealer, or fulfillment service provider. One Click LCA supports all with LCA and EPD data preparation.
What information must be included in a DPP?
A DPP includes product IDs, technical performance, environmental impacts, compliance data, manuals, and end-of-life guidance. One Click LCA supports obtaining EN 15804+A2-aligned life cycle and carbon data.
When will Digital Product Passports launch?
The date depends on the product. Under the revised CPR, covered manufacturers will have 18 months from the entry into force of the delegated act for their product. First delegated acts are expected in 2026, with phased enforcement from 2027. One Click LCA helps construction manufacturers prepare ahead of enforcement.
Where is DPP information stored?
The central Registry stores unique identifiers and other required registration information. Detailed product data remains in decentralized storage managed by the economic operator or a DPP service provider.
Is the Digital Product Passport Registry active?
Yes. The European Commission launched the Registry on July 20, 2026, with a separate testing environment, user guidance, and a help desk. Economic operators can access the live Registry or test workflows without affecting live data.
How are Digital Product Passports accessed?
DPPs use interoperable, machine-readable data accessed through a carrier such as a QR code. Full data is stored by the responsible economic operator or a service provider, while the EU Registry holds identifiers and metadata. Role-based access rules determine who can view each data point.
How do DPPs relate to environmental product declarations (EPDs)?
An Environmental Product Declaration can provide standardized environmental data for a DPP. One Click LCA enables scalable EPD creation for DPP readiness.
Are SMEs exempt from Digital Product Passport requirements?
The ESPR does not provide a blanket SME exemption from future product requirements. Product-specific delegated acts will define scope, possible exemptions, and applicable support. One Click LCA helps automating life cycle and environmental data workflows for SMEs and large manufacturers.
How can manufacturers prepare for Digital Product Passports?
Start by aligning EPDs with EN 15804+A2, improving data traceability, and digitizing product data systems. One Click LCA provides tools to prepare DPP-ready life cycle datasets at scale.