Get ready for the
Digital Product Passport.
The EU is about to require brands to prove what's in their products, not just claim it. The Digital Product Passport turns supply chain data into a legal requirement. Here's what it is, when it applies, and how to prepare before it does.
What is the Digital Product Passport?
The Digital Product Passport (DPP) is a digital record, tied to a physical product, that documents where it came from, what it's made of, and how it should be repaired, recycled, or disposed of. It's the centrepiece of the EU's Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), and it moves supply chain transparency from a marketing choice to a legal one.
A unique digital identity
Every product carries a unique identifier, linked to a data carrier such as a QR code, NFC tag, or barcode printed on or attached to the item.
Structured, standardised data
Materials, origin, supply chain actors, and compliance documentation are stored in a standardised format so systems across the EU can read the same record the same way.
Accessible to more than just regulators
Some data is public, viewable by anyone who scans the code. Some is restricted to regulators, recyclers, or repairers. What's public and what's restricted depends on the product category.
When it applies.
The DPP is rolling out in phases, one product category at a time, under delegated acts the European Commission is still finalising. Dates below reflect the EU's published direction as of today and may shift as each category's requirements are confirmed.
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July 2024
ESPR enters into force
The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation becomes EU law, establishing the legal framework for the Digital Product Passport across product categories.
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2025–2026
Priority categories confirmed
The Commission works through its ESPR working plan, confirming detailed requirements for the first priority categories, expected to include textiles, footwear, furniture, and electronics.
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From 2027
First DPPs become mandatory
Batteries lead the way under the separate EU Battery Regulation. The first ESPR product categories are expected to follow on a phased basis from this point.
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2028 onward
Rollout continues
Additional product categories are added in stages through the rest of the decade, extending DPP requirements across textiles, furniture, electronics, and more.
We track every delegated act as it's published and will update this timeline, and notify our waitlist, the moment dates are confirmed.
What's required.
Exact requirements vary by product category, but every Digital Product Passport is built from the same core categories of information.
Product identity
A unique product identifier and a data carrier, such as a QR code, NFC tag, or barcode, that links the physical item to its digital record.
Material composition
What the product is made of, down to individual materials and substances, including any that are restricted or hazardous.
Origin & supply chain actors
Where the product and its components were made, and who was involved in producing them, from raw material through manufacturing.
Durability & repairability
How long the product is expected to last, and whether and how it can be repaired.
Recyclability & end-of-life
How the product should be disassembled, recycled, or disposed of at the end of its life.
Environmental footprint
Carbon footprint and other environmental impact data, where required for the product category.
Compliance documentation
Conformity declarations and other regulatory documentation tied to the product.
How it changes things for you.
The DPP touches every part of a product's life, and the obligations differ depending on where you sit in the supply chain.
You're the economic operator responsible for the passport. You need to collect, structure, and maintain accurate data for every product, and keep it current as products change.
You'll need to make DPP data available to customers at the point of sale, online and in-store, and increasingly, buyers may require it before they'll stock a product at all.
Brands will be asking you for material, origin, and compliance data earlier and more often. The suppliers who can provide it quickly become easier to work with.
Why prepare now, not later.
The deadlines feel distant. The data collection doesn't have to be.
Supplier data takes months, not days
Getting structured material and origin data out of a multi-tier supply chain is slow the first time you do it. Starting early means you're not scrambling when a deadline lands.
Requirements arrive fast once confirmed
Once a product category's delegated act is finalised, the compliance window is often short. Brands with data already collected have the advantage.
Retailers will ask before the law does
Large retailers and marketplaces are already building DPP readiness into supplier requirements ahead of the legal deadline, to get ahead of their own obligations.
Good data compounds
The supply chain data you collect for DPP is the same data that powers ingredient verification, sustainability claims, and every other transparency requirement coming next.
Built for the small brand, not just the enterprise.
Most compliance tooling is priced and built for enterprises with dedicated compliance teams. retraceable. exists because the small brand needs this just as much, and shouldn't be priced out of it. We're building DPP tooling on the same principle behind everything we make: accessible and transparent.
How the process will work.
We're building DPP tooling on the same infrastructure behind retraceable. certification: automated data collection, structured verification, and a permanent public record.
Map your products
Tell us what you make and who supplies it. We help you identify what data you'll need to collect for each product category.
Collect supplier data
We automate outreach to your suppliers for material, origin, and compliance documentation, the same way we do for ingredient verification today.
We structure & validate
Submitted data is checked, structured, and validated against DPP data model requirements as they are finalised.
Generate & publish your passport
Once your product's category requirements go live, we generate the compliant record and the data carrier to put on your product.
Keep it current
We flag when product changes, new suppliers, or regulatory updates mean your passport needs to be refreshed.
Get notified when DPP tooling launches.
Join the waitlist and we'll email you as soon as retraceable. DPP tooling is available, plus updates as EU deadlines are confirmed.
Frequently asked questions.
Everything brands ask us about the Digital Product Passport.