In a world where sustainability and transparency are increasingly important, a new era is on the horizon: the Digital Product Passport. This is designed to provide transparency on the origin, manufacturing and entire life cycle of products across the EU. With the aim of promoting environmentally friendly products, the European Commission plans to introduce the DPP from 2026, starting with batteries.
The exact information to be included in the DPP is still under discussion. Ideas range from information on origin to details on disposal. Technically, the idea is to use NFC chips or QR codes to store databases containing all relevant product information. This should not only benefit manufacturers and authorities, but also offer consumers more transparency.
Many companies are sceptical, fearing the time and money involved. But Thomas L. Rödding is convinced:
If companies get it right, they can gain real competitive advantage from these burdensome obligations with little effort. This is because the DPP allows brands to communicate with people for the long term.
t3n has taken a closer look at what the Digital Product Passport can do for marketing and customer loyalty, and how companies can take advantage of it: