Concepts
Digital Product Passports
What Digital Product Passports are, the EU regulatory context, and how EUlabel fits in.
The European Union is introducing mandatory digital records for physical products. The primary regulation driving this is the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), which entered into force in July 2024.
What is a DPP?
A Digital Product Passport is a structured, machine-readable dataset about a product's entire lifecycle -- materials, supply chain data, environmental impact, repair instructions, and recyclability. It is accessible via a QR code or other data carrier on the product.
Three concepts that get confused
| Property | QR Code Label | E-Label | Digital Product Passport |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data format | Unstructured webpage | Semi-structured page | Machine-readable (JSON-LD) |
| Legal status | Voluntary | Permitted in some sectors | Mandatory under ESPR |
| Audience | Consumers | Consumers | Consumers + regulators + recyclers + retailers |
| Scope | Single product page | Ingredient/nutrition | Full lifecycle dataset |
| Identifier | Any URL | Any URL | Standardized (GTIN via GS1) |
Regulatory timeline
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Wine e-labels become mandatory |
| 2024 | ESPR framework enters into force |
| 2025 | Delegated acts and technical standards defined |
| 2026 | EU DPP registry goes live |
| 2027 | Batteries and textiles DPPs mandatory |
| 2030 | Full ESPR coverage across all sectors |
Where EUlabel fits
EUlabel is infrastructure that sits between enterprise product data systems (ERPs, PIMs, CMSs) and the digital experiences required by regulation.
Enterprise systems (SAP, Salsify, DatoCMS)
|
Integration layer
|
EUlabel platform
/ \
Resolver Passport API
| |
QR scan Developer access
| |
Passport page Structured dataCore capabilities:
- Product identity management with globally unique GS1 Digital Link identifiers
- Passport data hosting for ingredients, materials, sustainability, compliance
- GS1-conformant resolver routing QR scans to the correct destination
- Compliance automation formatting data for specific regulations
- APIs and SDKs for programmatic access
- Scan analytics tracking product engagement