How to get started with digital product passports

The background The EU’s ambitious sustainability plans include making sure that every product sold within the EU has a digital product passport (DPP) attached. Scan a QR-code or RFID tag on a product and you’ll get all its’ relevant sustainability-related information. By 2030, every product in Europe is supposed to have a DPP attached with textiles and clothes coming first in 2027.

The point is to help consumers make informed purchasing decisions on sustainability grounds but also to extend the lifetime of products and promote a circular economy. For brands, it’s a headache but also an opportunity if it’s tackled in the right way. So, how do you even get started? We’ve split the work up into three areas; gathering data, managing data and communicating that data. Here's what you need to do.

Gather DPP data

Your starting point is understanding what information needs to be included on a digital product passport and what information you have today. When you have those two sorted out, you’ll be able to see if there are gaps there and what needs to be filled in. While the EU hasn’t decided what exact information will be required on every DPP (theyaim to release this information by early 2026), it’s largely agreed that every product is going to need the following:

• Product identification number -something that tells us exactly what the product is. Everyone should have this.
• Product description - the general information on the product. What is it, how big is it, what does it weigh, what does it do, what features, colour etc. Everyone should have this info too.
• Composition (what raw materials were used in the product) - The raw materials involved will be required as well as where they come from
• Environmental impact (CO2 emissions) - What cost does this product have on the environment – based on its entire lifecycle. This is one of those data points that may be missing but there are ways of getting this info without it costing a fortune. See below.
• Transportation - how did the raw materials move to the factory and how did the products get transported to warehouses and distribution centres.
• Supply chain (where did the raw materials come from and where was the product made)
• Care and repair info - how to make the product last longer and provide options for repair
• Secondhand opportunities - Can I sell the product on to another. Is there a platform available to sell it?
• Certifications - Any kind of quality control documents, certificates or other reports relevant to the product should go in here also.
• Brand information

The EU in fact published a working report in June 2024 showing what they believed could exist on a digital product passport and came up with 16 categories.

Environmental impact All brands will already have some of this information listed above. But not all. For example, environmental impact can mean doing a life cycle assessment (LCA) to understand the CO2emissions of a product throughout its lifetime. It’s a time-consuming task and requires reliable information from the entire supply chain which means others have to be just as interested as you in getting this info. Some companies have done this but lots haven’t.

Traditionally, carrying out one life cycle assessment for one product could take up to 12 months but there are now other ways of measuring. For example, it’s possible to measure a company’s overall emissions and then divide by the products sold in that company. This is the most general way to measure and once this is done, it’s then possible to start breaking it down into further detail and becoming progressively more granular so that you get a more accurate figure on every product.

There are several companies offering AI-tools to help you do this quickly and easily such as Aimabel. There are also consultants an companies that can help you out depending on your needs, whether you’re a small and medium sized enterprise or a large player. Get in touch if you need help here. We know good people in this area. CTA – talk to us about DPP Manage the DPP data So, you’ve gathered all that information. Now, you need to store it and manage it in a way that is accessible to the right people. Some information probably won’t be required for consumers. For example, recyclers will need some information that consumers won’t need and vice versa. You also need to make this information traceable throughout the supply chain. And what happens if you decide to discontinue the product? You still need a digital trace as it will live on for years to come. Your responsibility no longer ends when you’ve sold it. Can you find a secure way of storing this information that is independent of your own business and that can live on, no matter what happens to your company and the products you sell? This is where the myriad of data management systems come into play. If you’ve got all your product information on an Excel file, you probably need to take the leap and manage your data in a database that becomes the central point for all your product data. This is the kind of challenge facing SME’s (small and medium-sized enterprises). Check out our article dedicated to them. But even if DPP may feel like a big expense for SME’s, it doesn’t have to be. At Kolla, we’re working on an affordable solution together with some PIM (product information management) suppliers so that SME’s can manage this. If you’re a large organisation you’re probably already using a PIM system to hold most of your product data, but also a PLM (product-lifecycle management) system to manage the product lifecycle information or maybe even an ERP system that usually holds a lot of finance and costing information but also supply chain information. So, larger organisations will rather need to track down where their sustainability data is stored and, if they don’t have that data, where to store it when they do get all the info. At Kolla, we believe that PIM systems are likely to be at the heart of any future DPP solution. If you’re going to add in new data to your system somewhere, it’s probably going to be here. Below are a list of some of Europe’s most interesting PIM suppliers in case you’re not using one today. They all come with different pros and cons so it’s about finding one that suits your needs. Bluestone Plytix Struct Akeneo InRiver Stibo systems Norce Litium Pimcore

Businesswith has written a nice piece on the top Pim systems on the Swedish market. There are several other consultancy firms you can turn to if you are not sure what PIM system to use. If you’re a larger company, then it’s advisable to talk to one of these consultancy firms that can do the data modelling and implementation of a PIM system for you.

Cypoint Inspire Consid Columbus Global Vaimo Norriq Avensia Perficient Ntara Macopedia Kruso

Communicate the data With all data gathered and stored, the final step is to get that information out to your customers or end-users. And you need to make it available in their native-tongue, wherever in Europe they are.

The most likely scenario is to use a QR-code on the product that takes you to a digital page of some sort for that particular product. At Kolla, we don’t think that one digital page – or landing page – is enough because if you do this, then you are losing the significant marketing opportunity that exists with digital product passports. Because here’s the thing. Every time someone scans one of your QR-codes, they are telling you (and you’ll be able to measure their activity) that they are interested in your brand. The digital product passport now becomes a new communications touchpoint. It means that you need to make sure you provide an inspiring brand experience when someone scans that code. Yes, you need to provide all the data required by the EU, but you also need to think beyond that. What other information could you communicate here? How can you make that information attractive? How can you strengthen the brand with this new communications touchpoint? Can you in fact generate additional sales? There are in fact several very strong opportunities with DPP from a marketing perspective, such as linking to your webshop, a second hand platform, links to spare parts, but also brand information, mood videos, learning about the brand story etc. We believe that a microsite (mini home-page) is a better option for your digital product passports as you can provide additional information in a compelling way that gives added value to the viewer and strengthens yoru brand. Check out a few of the examples below or learn the differences between microsites and landing pages. Kolla’s platform can tap into the data in your PIM system or any other database. So, if you have some DPP information in a PLM system and more in a PIM and even more in, say, an ERP system, then Kolla can connect to all that data and let it land into a branded microsite exactly suited to your needs.

When do I have to act?

If you’re in the clothing or fashion industry, you’re now months away from needing your first digital product passport live. The date is set for the start of 2027 with 18 months flexibility to get everything in order. In other words, by mid-2028, you can expect penalties to start applying if you’re not ready.

If you’re in the furniture industry, you have another year’s respite (2028) but you need to get started. The goal is still that by 2030 everyone who sells a product within the EU will need a digital product passport on it. So, when do you need to act? The short answer is ‘now’. If you’re not due until 2028 or later, it’s still good to get on top of this before it’s too late. You don’t want to be scrambling to avoid a penalty. Also, if you act now, you can take advantage of the several marketing opportunities that it brings.

The EU is likely to be lenient in the beginning but penalties are expected for companies that don’t provide data or even incorrect data. In a similar way to the EU’s GDPR laws, fines will be implemented for non-compliance. Who do I turn to for help? There are no players covering the entire chain of DPP requirements but there are good players in each part.

1. Gathering information – LCA companies, suppliers, AI tools that help you count emissions. Call us if you need a recommendation.
2. Managing information – PIM systems or, more likely, IT and digitalisation consultants like Cypoint Inspire or Vaimo
3. Communicating information. Talk to us at Kolla and we can show you some options.

And if you are not sure who to call for points 1 and 2, then just give us a call anyway and we’ll point you in the right direction.