POSITION | SUSTAINABILITY POLICY | TECHNOLOGY
Essential requirements for the Digital Product Passport (DPP) Practical. Uniform. SME-friendly.
26 November 2025 Initial situation Digital Product Passports (DPP) enable the digital recording and provision of product-related information along the entire value chain. This makes them a strategic tool for the desired transition to a circular, digital and resilient economy at both European and national level. At the same time, they open up new opportunities for companies to develop sustainable business models, strengthen their innovative power and competitiveness, and offer solutions for the availability and transfer of harmonised digital data. In order to fully exploit this potential, the requirements of the economy must be taken into account. Practical and business-compatible solutions are needed that are particularly feasible for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). From the industry's point of view, the following basic requirements must be taken into account for the successful implementation of digital product passports: 1. Interoperability and technology neutrality – DPPs must be set up in an iterative process to be horizontally interoperable, adaptable to specific sectors and technology-neutral so that they are internationally compatible. 2. Added value and industry integration – the information contained in DPPs must offer clear added value (e.g. optimisation of the circular economy, support for lead markets) and ensure compatibility with Industry 4.0 requirements. 3. User acceptance – DPPs must build trust among end users so that they promote differentiated and sustainable purchasing decisions in line with the Green Deal. Data that is no longer required should be able to be deleted from the DPP. 4. Regulatory consistency and standardisation – existing legal requirements must be taken into account to avoid incompatibilities, and all regulations requiring DPPs should refer to the technical structure of the ESPR's DPP system.
Annika Stuckenhoff | BDI Circular Economy Initiative | a.stuckenhoff@ice.bdi.eu | www.bdi.eu