Digital product passports explained for online stores

What a digital product passport is

A DPP is a structured, machine-readable record of information about a specific product model, batch or item. Under the ESPR it is accessed through a data carrier, typically a QR code, on the product, its packaging or its documentation, and it is linked to a unique product identifier.

The aim is to make information about sustainability and circularity available along the value chain: what the product is made of, whether it contains substances of concern, how to repair it, how to dispose of it, and which documents prove its compliance.

Which law requires it

• ESPR (Regulation (EU) 2024/1781) entered into force on 18 July 2024. It is a framework. The actual requirements, including whether a passport is needed and what goes in it, come in separate delegated acts per product group.
• The Batteries Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2023/1542) sets its own battery passport, which applies from 18 February 2027 for certain batteries. See battery passport.

Until a delegated act covers your product group, there is no legal obligation to have a DPP for it under the ESPR.

Which products and when

In April 2025 the Commission adopted the ESPR and Energy Labelling working plan for 2025–2030. It names priority product groups: textiles and apparel, furniture, mattresses, tyres, and steel and aluminium, along with horizontal measures such as repairability. Delegated acts for these groups are expected over the coming years, with textiles tentatively planned for adoption in 2027. Requirements usually apply some time after a delegated act is adopted, so passports for most consumer goods are more likely from around 2028 onwards. See the ESPR timeline.

What data a passport holds

The exact data list is set per product group. The ESPR (Annex III) lists the kind of information a passport can include, for example:

• unique product identifier and, where relevant, GTIN and commodity code;
• manufacturer and other economic operators, with contact details;
• material composition and recycled content;
• substances of concern;
• information on repair, spare parts, use and disposal;
• compliance documentation, such as the declaration of conformity and technical documentation references;
• performance information required by the delegated act.

Different users can have different access rights. Consumers see the public part; authorities and recyclers may see more.

What it means for online stores

The manufacturer (or the economic operator placing the product on the market) creates the passport. Under the ESPR, dealers and online marketplaces must make the passport, or a link to it, easily accessible to customers, including in distance sales. For a Shopify store that sells its own brand, you will usually be the one creating it. For a reseller, the job is to show the brand's passport on the product page.

How to prepare without guessing

1. Give every product a stable identifier now: GTIN per variant and a batch reference where possible.
2. Collect material composition, care and repair information from suppliers in a structured form.
3. Keep compliance documents per product in one place.
4. Choose a passport format you can update when the delegated act for your product group is published, rather than building to a guess.