When components speak digitally: The EU Digital Product Passport is coming
In the coming years, more and more products in the EU will have their own digital identity. The aim of the Digital Product Passport (DPP), which the European Commission is introducing as part of the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), is to make information on origin, materials and sustainability available for every product – and will also ensure long-term changes in the electronics industry.
The passport as a digital identity card
With the 2025-2030 working plan published in April 2025, the EU Commission specifies which product groups will be the first to come under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR): steel and aluminum, textiles, furniture, tires and mattresses. For electrical and electronic equipment, horizontal requirements in particular are in preparation, for example, on the repairability and recyclability of electrical and electronic equipment. The specific mandatory scope and deadlines will only be defined in the delegated acts, which will be introduced gradually from 2026 according to the working plan. Consultation is still ongoing regarding many technical details such as data models, interfaces and certification.
It should be possible in the future to trace products throughout their entire life cycle, from raw material to recycling. In the Digital Product Passport, information on technical performance, material origin, repairability, recyclability and environmental impact will therefore be provided electronically in the future. Manufacturers, market surveillance authorities and, where provided, also consumers should be able to access this data. The EU determines what information a DPP must contain based on the product and following consultation with the industry. The aim is to make products more durable, more energy-efficient, more repairable and more recyclable.
Components take center stage
Even if there is no explicit regulation for electronic components to date, they are increasingly becoming the focus of attention. That’s because many of the requirements specified in the working plan, such as material origin or recyclability, can only be met if information on all components is available. In the medium term, it will therefore be crucial for manufacturers of printed circuit boards, sensors or modules to provide structured material and origin data. The EU project CIRPASS-2, launched in May 2024, is developing pilot projects and data models for this purpose, including for electrical and electronic equipment.
At the same time, there is a need for action for companies outside Europe. The DPP will become a market access requirement as soon as their product group is covered by the ESPR. Exporters must then provide product-specific data records and make them accessible via machine-readable interfaces.
Common database: standardization as the key
Interoperable standards are crucial for product passports to function across sectors. The international network GS1, known for its global identification systems in the movement of goods, is working with the EU Commission and the CIRPASS 2 initiative on the data architecture for the DPP.
The central basis is the GS1 Digital Link, which links existing GS1 identifiers such as the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) with digital product information. That allows DPP data to be uniquely referenced and retrieved via various data carriers such as QR code, GS1 DataMatrix, RFID tag or NFC chip. The underlying Global Data Model (GDM) ensures that product attributes such as composition, origin or sustainability information remain consistently structured and machine-readable worldwide. The decisive factor for the electronics industry will be how existing industry standards can be integrated into this architecture.
Possible bridges to the DPP in electronics manufacturing
In electronics manufacturing, established standards such as IEC 62474 (material declaration) and IPC-1752B (material data exchange) could serve as bridges between component data and production systems, thus facilitating the connection to future DPP data models. EPCIS 2.0 from GS1 offers standardized interfaces for event data along the supply chain. At the same time, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) in the ultra-high frequency range (UHF), also known as RAIN RFID, is already being used in pilot projects. It enables physical components to be automatically linked with digital passports and is considered a promising technology, particularly for applications in electronics manufacturing.
Technical and organizational challenges
The success of the product passport depends on open, interoperable systems and clear safety standards, as emphasized by numerous companies that took part in the public consultation of the EU. Standardized certification of DPP providers throughout Europe is also important. Data access should be transparent and targeted so that sensitive information is only shared where it has regulatory and environmental relevance.
Another challenge is the long-term availability of data over decades. A DPP must remain accessible and updatable throughout the entire service life of a product, also after repairs or updates. In practice, that means that manufacturers not only have to record data but also create processes to maintain it. That places high demands on data maintenance and versioning, especially for long-lasting industrial and medical technology products.
For many companies, setting up the necessary structures initially means investments that could burden smaller companies in particular. The Commission wants to counteract that with extended transition periods and targeted support.
From theory to practice
Initial solutions show how DPP data can be integrated into existing product information systems, resulting in a new service ecosystem. “DPP-as-a-Service” platforms look after hosting, data integration and validation. As a result, future documentation obligations can be integrated into existing company systems without having to rebuild the IT architecture.
That turns the digital product passport into a strategic framework, not only for compliance but also for transparency and sustainability. Electronics manufacturers have the opportunity to prepare their products for future requirements at an early stage and position themselves as trustworthy, sustainable partners in increasingly ESG-driven supply chains. The Digital Product Passport is no longer a distant plan for the future, but the next step toward a data-driven circular economy.