Digital Product Passports, Explained: What They Contain and Which Products Are First
EU battery passports become mandatory on February 18, 2027. Here is what a digital product passport actually contains, and which products are next.
A digital product passport (DPP) is, in the European Commission’s own description, “a digital identity card for products, components, and materials, which will store relevant information to support products’ sustainability.” The requirement stems from the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), Regulation (EU) 2024/1781, adopted March 30, 2022, and in force since July 18, 2024. Batteries are the furthest-advanced product category: under the separate EU Batteries Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, electric vehicle batteries, industrial batteries above 2 kWh, and light-means-of-transport batteries cannot be placed on the EU market without a battery passport from February 18, 2027.
What information a DPP contains
Per the European Commission, DPP information can include a product’s technical performance, its materials and their origins, repair activity history, recycling capability, and lifecycle environmental impacts. For batteries specifically, the passport — retrievable via a QR code attached to the product — covers identity and provenance data, material composition, performance specifications, and environmental impact figures, plus data updated periodically by the battery’s own management system, including voltage, current, temperature, charge-cycle count, and fault records. The Commission has stated that the exact information required in a DPP for any given product category “will be identified by the Commission, in close consultation with all relevant stakeholders, and will depend on the specific product in question” — meaning the passport’s contents are not identical across product types, but tailored to what matters for each one’s repairability, recyclability, or environmental footprint.
Which product categories are covered, and when
Batteries carry the only currently binding DPP deadline: February 18, 2027, covering electric vehicle batteries, industrial batteries over 2 kWh, portable batteries up to 5 kg, and light-means-of-transport batteries under 25 kg. Beyond batteries, the ESPR and Energy Labelling Working Plan, adopted in April 2025, sets out further product prioritization still being finalized; industry trackers report a proposed phased rollout beginning with iron and steel products in 2026, followed by aluminium, textiles, and tyres in 2027, furniture in 2028, and mattresses and electronics in 2029, though these dates reflect the working plan’s current sequencing rather than a fully finalized legal deadline for each category the way the battery passport deadline is fixed in law. Separately, construction products fall under Regulation (EU) 2024/3110, enacted in November 2024, and critical raw materials products — including motor vehicles, e-bikes, MRI devices, wind generators, and household appliances containing permanent magnets — face a May 24, 2027 deadline for magnet labeling and passport requirements under the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act framework.
What a DPP is meant to solve
The stated purpose behind requiring this data is enabling repair, resale, and recycling decisions that currently depend on information that is often unavailable or scattered across manufacturers, retailers, and repair networks. A repairer checking whether a battery can be safely refurbished, a recycler sorting materials for reprocessing, or a buyer comparing a product’s expected lifespan would, under a functioning DPP system, access standardized data through the same QR code or digital identifier rather than relying on manufacturer-specific documentation that may not exist or may not be shared outside the original supply chain.
What remains unresolved
Outside the battery passport deadline, the Commission has not yet finalized binding DPP deadlines for other product categories; the phased timeline reported by industry compliance trackers reflects the direction set by the April 2025 working plan rather than adopted, legally binding dates. How DPP data will be technically hosted, verified, and kept synchronized as products change hands or are repaired over their lifespan — as opposed to what data must be included — is also still being worked out through the Commission’s ongoing stakeholder consultation process referenced in its own description of the regulation.
Sources: Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation
Featured image: photo by iMin Technology on Pexels (free Pexels license).
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I specialize in sustainability education, curriculum co-creation, and early-stage project strategy. At WINSS, I craft articles on sustainability, transformative AI, and related topics. When I’m not writing, you’ll find me chasing the perfect sushi roll, exploring cities around the globe, or unwinding with my dog Puffy — the world’s most loyal sidekick.
