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What if you could scan a QR code on a new battery to learn where the materials got sourced, how to repair it, and where to recycle the product once it's worn out? The good news is - you will be able to do this soon because of Digital Product Passports (DPPs). 

DPPs are a way for manufacturers to provide information for the safe and sustainable use of products to customers. The proposed Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) aims to produce more sustainable products in the European Union to transition to a more circular economy. The ESPR prohibits placing on the market products that do not comply with the performance and information requirements listed in this regulation and provides the basic data requirements for DPPs. 

Beginning with batteries, textiles and building products and eventually extending to all products, DPPs will enable the various economic operators to access information for safe use, proper repair, and appropriate disposal and empower them to make informed decisions regarding their purchases. Specific data requirements will vary by product category but DPPs will link to an online service containing information such as:

• User manual and safety instructions

• Substances of very high concern and their concentration

• Material Sourcing

• Carbon footprint

• Percentages of recycled materials

• Instructions for installation and maintenance

• Instructions for return, repair, or disposal

• Compliance documentation

• Much more

As a result of disclosing such information, there will be a massive increase in transparency across the supply chain - which comes with benefits and challenges. The most significant challenge is maintaining confidential business information. The ESPR says to have a functional DPP, there must be an optimised approach that balances access to the gathered information while also protecting intellectual property. So, a product passport should be designed and implemented to provide differentiated access to the information in the passport, depending on which stakeholder is accessing it. ESPR leaves the assignment of access rights to future delegated acts that will implement the DPP in each sector.

DPPs will provide many benefits to society. These include serving as a digital supply chain compliance tool for sustainability claims, being a means for recording sustainability data, increasing supply chain transparency and traceability, and helping users identify suitable waste streams. Companies that get ahead of the DPP curve in disclosing this data will gain a competitive edge in their environmental and sustainability strategies against competitors and become sustainability leaders in their fields.

Whilst the obligation to provide DPP data lie with manufacturers, importers and distributors are also obligated to only place products on the market that are accompanied by a DPP. Although the responsibility and liability lie with the manufacturer, other economic operators like the users and waste operators will benefit from the implementation of digital product passports.

DPPs are a great opportunity to modernise and digitalise product information, support industry transformation towards carbon neutrality, and increase circularity. There is a strong belief that a DPP can be an important instrument to help consumers make better-informed choices and create incentives for producers to make their products more sustainable.

To be prepared, we recommend the following steps:

• be informed about the requirements as they relate to your specific products

• Evaluate your supply chain so you can prepare them for upcoming requirements

• Establish the necessary relationships to gather data later

• Take the initiative now to either update agreements with suppliers to include sustainability or to find new suppliers that match your sustainability goals

To find out how our team can help you address your digital product passport questions, contact our team today. To stay up-to-date about upcoming regulatory changes or to learn more about our data management and sustainability services, visit our website.

Get to know our team

Zainab Ahmad, Regulatory Consultant

Zainab is a Regulatory Consultant at Yordas as part of the Product Stewardship business unit. She works as part of the global monitoring team, specializes in supply chain transparency and materials risk assessments, and also leads our SCIP services.