What is the Digital Product Passport and why is it important?

The Digital Product Passport (also called DPP or Digital Product Passport) collects and organizes key information about a product’s origin, production, materials and sustainability, making it easily accessible to consumers and businesses. This innovation is a key step towards a more transparent and accountable market, where every detail of the product can be tracked and verified.

Definition of the Digital Product Passport

What is the Digital Product Passport? The term “Digital Product Passport” (DPP) refers to a digital solution that can make information about the life cycle of a product accessible to consumers. Contains details such as the origin of materials, production steps, regulations complied with and instructions for use and maintenance. Thanks to the DPP, anyone can access this data via a simple device connected to the Internet, making complete and up-to-date information available.

To better understand how the Digital product Passport works, let’s imagine a pratical example related to fashion industry. Suppose you want to buy a bag made from sustainable materials. Thanks to the Digital Passport, you can scan a QR code on the product and immediately access complete details: the origin of materials, production conditions, environmental certifications and regulations complied with. This way, you can check whether the product meets ethical and environmental criteria, helping the consumer to make an informed and transparent choice.

The Digital Product Passport is based on advanced technologies such as RFID, blockchain and QR code. These tools allow you to uniquely identify a product, record any updates or changes and make information available to anyone. The use of blockchain, in particular, ensures that any data is immutable, preventing fraudulent alterations.

The 3 technologies behind the Digital Product Passport

Advanced technologies such as RFID, QR codes and blockchain are used to provide consumers with a secure and transparent shopping experience.

1. RFID (Radio Frequency Identification): We think of RFID as an evolved “barcode” but that works without contact. Each product has a unique RFID chip that allows it to be identified and tracked. This allows each product to be monitored throughout the entire supply chain, from producer to end consumer.

2. QR codes: QR codes work as a direct link to a web page where you can find all product information. Just scan and you’ll have details like materials used, production site, certifications and more immediately at hand.

3. Blockchain: This technology works like a large digital ledger where every recorded information is secure, transparent and immutable. Every time a product undergoes an update (for example, it is transferred between different points in the supply chain), this is recorded permanently and cannot be modified. Thus, the consumer can be sure of the authenticity and quality of the information provided.

These three technologies combined provide a reliable and easily accessible traceability system for anyone looking for product information, improving brand confidence and providing a guarantee of transparency.

Why is the Digital Product Passport essential?

Because it is more than just a data collection. It is an essential tool for transparency and traceability of products. Companies can prove authenticity and origin of materials, Consumers can find out more about what they buy. This promotes trust and encourages more responsible and sustainable business practices.

read the article –> 4 case study of DPP

traceability and transparency

The easy access to detailed information on each stage of a product’s production and distribution enables consumers to verify the origin of materials, production processes and business practices.

This transparency helps to create a more sustainable production system, where companies are encouraged to improve their practices in order to meet environmental and social standards.

Authenticity and the fight against counterfeiting

Thanks to the Digital Passport, each product is uniquely identified and not manipulable. This is crucial to fight counterfeiting, especially in sectors such as fashion and luxury where product authenticity is essential. The Digital Product Passport enables companies to certify the originality of their products, increasing consumer confidence and protecting the value of authentic products.

Digital Product Passport: concrete use cases

This technology is used in a number of sectors. The most relevant are fashion, furniture and watchmaking, where traceability, quality and authenticity are essential to ensure added value for the consumer.

• fashion industry: Fashion brands can demonstrate the ethical origin of materials and certify the authenticity of garments. This promotes sustainability and increases consumer confidence, which can choose to support companies with a real commitment to the environment and society.

• furniture: In the furniture industry, it ensures that every component is tracked and that the materials used are of high quality. This provides added value to products and increases the safety in purchasing durable and sustainable furniture.

• L’orologeria: In a sector where authenticity and product value are central, the Digital Passport allows you to certify every historical detail of your watch, ensuring that each piece is authentic and traceable. This is particularly useful for collectors and buyers of luxury watches.

4 benefits for consumers

For Consumers DPP is a valuable tool to make more informed decisions. The possibility of accessing detailed information on each stage of a product’s life cycle allows for more responsible purchasing, preferring goods that respect high standards of quality and sustainability.

1. Ensure sustainable purchasing

The digital product passport allows you to assess the environmental impact of each product, from production to distribution. This transparency facilitates more informed choices, directing consumers towards sustainable products and reducing the ecological footprint of purchases.

2. Autonomy in maintenance and servicing

In addition to improving sustainability, it helps consumers in the after-sales management of products. Thanks to the digital passport, it is possible to monitor any maintenance and schedule service interventions, thus extending the life of the product and reducing the need for replacements.

3. accordance with European standards

The Digital Product Passport fits perfectly into European regulations that promote sustainability and traceability of products. The European Union has already launched several initiatives to promote the adoption of the Digital Passport as a standard in the European market, encouraging companies to make all information about their products visible and accessible.

4. EU Sustainability Directive

European directives aim to support  Introduction in all production chains, to foster a sustainable and circular economy. This regulatory effort aims to improve business practices and make the European market more transparent and accountable.

How can companies implement it?

The implementation of the Digital Product Passport is a strategic investment that requires careful planning, Creating an effective Passport means integrating this technology into business processes, Ensuring that each stage of production and distribution is traceable and recorded.

To successfully implement a Digital Product Passport (DPP), companies must invest in specific materials, partners and technologies. Here’s what is essential:

1. Materials and components: Each product requires unique labelling, such as RFID chips or printed QR codes, to enable identification and tracking. The components must be durable and legible over time, especially when applied to long-lasting products.

2. Technology partners: Companies need partners that specialize in blockchain, RFID and QR code technologies to ensure data integrity and security. A blockchain partner, for example, will be useful for immutable transaction records, while companies offering RFID will ensure traceability along the supply chain.

3. Data management software: A centralised system is essential to manage and update information on materials, provenance, production stages and transport. This software should be accessible to various internal departments (production, logistics, sales) and linked to tracking technologies such as RFID and QR code.4.

4. Collaboration with suppliers: To obtain accurate data, suppliers must be able to provide detailed information on materials and components. Some suppliers may need to adapt their systems to make the data compatible with the DPP.

5. Internal IT integration: To ensure the accuracy of the DPP, the various business departments need to synchronize their IT systems. This allows for a continuous flow of information from procurement to distribution, for effective and uninterrupted tracking.

6. Staff training: Staff must be trained on how to update data in the DPP and use associated technologies, such as scanning QR codes or managing blockchain data.

Implementing a Digital Product Passport therefore requires resources and a strategic plan, but it ensures an important competitive advantage, providing transparency to consumers and strengthening brand confidence.

Conclusion

By providing access to comprehensive and detailed information, companies improve the transparency and sustainability of their supply chains, while offering consumers the opportunity to make more informed choices.

The large-scale adoption of the Digital Passport will help to build a more responsible and sustainable market, ensuring a future in which authenticity, quality and respect for the environment will be the fundamental pillars.