Digital Product Passports | Discover how GS1 standards help you

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The new EU legislation

Europe is at the beginning of its transformation to a more circular economy and aims to become the world's most sustainable region. Digital product passports are included in a new EU legislative framework - the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), as part of the EU Green Deal, with the aim of fulfilling Europe's commitment to the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The proposal covers virtually all physical products on the European market in all product areas with the exception of food, animal feed and medical products, where other legislation with similar requirements applies. The law was voted through in April 2024 and journalized in July of the same year, after which the rules will be rolled out gradually until 2030.

Digital Product Passports for Car Batteries

Digital product passports have already been introduced for automotive and industrial batteries. Watch the short video for a concrete example of how it works in practice.

Electric vehicles are the future of a sustainable world. But batteries have a high environmental impact when not properly managed throughout their life cycles. Therefore, the EU has decided to introduce legislation on the Digital Product Passport for electric vehicle batteries and industrial batteries. For the battery passport to succeed, - stakeholders across the supply chain must contribute their data. This data will then be stored, - creating a digital twin of the battery. A unique identifier assigned to the battery enables data to be collected at installation, throughout its life cycle and beyond. When the car nears its end of life, - it doesn't mean the end of life for the battery. It will either be reused or broken down and recycled in the production of a new battery. Thus minimizing the need for new raw materials and, - over time, - decreasing carbon footprint. In order for the data collected to be usable by industry, - regulators and consumers, - a common language is required. Serialized GS1 identifiers and 2D data carriers enable companies to uniquely identify and trace physical objects and link information to them. Stakeholders across the supply chain can access relevant data, - enabling upstream and downstream traceability. GS1 is a natural fit as one of the partners for the global battery alliance and the regulators. Helping to realise the vision of a battery passport for electric vehicle batteries. Creating a digital twin of a battery - with GS1 global standards - will bring us closer to the EU's goal of being a climate-neutral region by 2050.

Benefits of Digital Product Passports

Contributing to sustainability

Consumers receive product data via their smartphone to support their sustainable choices.

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Increased traceability

Unique identities and standardized data make it visible that all parties in the value chain meet sustainability requirements.

More transparency

Open sustainability data provides greater international visibility for businesses and consumers through the supply chain.

Consumer and product safety

Reliable and verified data protects products, consumers and patients and ensures that everyone gets the same information.

Efficient logistics flow

Buyers and producing companies avoid unnecessary manual administration and handling of data.

Law enforcement

Standardized information ensures that companies comply with laws, regulations and industry requirements.

Digital Product Passports and GS1

GS1 standards enable digital product passports to work in practice. Especially standards for identification, labeling and sharing. Including 2D barcodes and GS1 Digital Link are particularly relevant for digital product passports.

This means that GS1 standards provide online access and product information from the same barcode can be scanned by consumers with mobile phones, at the point of sale and by all parties in the supply chain.

2D barcodes (QR and Datamatrix)

GS1 Digital Link

GS1 Standards

GS1 Denmark has a driving role in enabling solutions for digital product passports. We are active in the global standardization work at GS1 to further future-proof the GS1 standards as the foundation of circular value chains.

Animation af en robotarm, der sætter et batteri ind i en grøn elbil ved siden af en anden elbil med et batteriikon på motorhjelmen.

Battery Passport

The organization drives the development of product passports for industrial batteries.

CIRPASS

The mission of the group is to develop prototype product passports on behalf of the European Commission.

Questions and answers

Below you'll find some of the questions and answers we've already received. You may find the answer you're looking for here.

Should the Digital Product Passport be on the product or the packaging?

The product identifier (for example, encoded in a GS1 QR Code powered by GS1 Digital Link) must be placed on the product itself or included in documentation accompanying the product.

In most cases, the same code will also appear on the packaging. This makes it easier for consumers to access product information before making a purchase and allows the code to be scanned in-store without opening the packaging.

Which products will be covered by the legislation?

The legislation will apply to all products placed on the EU market, with the exception of food, animal feed, and medicinal products.

How can stakeholders access the Digital Product Passport later if the packaging is no longer available?

According to the ESPR, the product identifier must be placed directly on the product using a technology that ensures it remains readable throughout the product's lifetime.

Does the legislation only apply within the EU, or also to products manufactured outside the EU?

The legislation applies to all products placed on the EU market, regardless of where they are manufactured.

Do unique identifiers apply to product categories or individual items?

It depends on the product category.

Products that need to be tracked and managed throughout their lifecycle will often require a unique identifier for each individual item. For consumable products, however, identification at the product or batch level is typically sufficient.

When will Digital Product Passports be introduced for other products, such as paints, chemicals, and cleaning products?

The EU has not yet published a timeline for when the different product categories will be covered under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR).

For some product groups, such as construction products (which may include paints), other legislation is already in place requiring the disclosure of certain sustainability-related information.

Will Digital Product Passports include standards for defining product attributes, and how will consistent communication of these attributes be ensured without limiting automation?

Yes. As part of the ongoing work to develop the detailed, product-specific rules under the Digital Product Passport (DPP) framework, existing standards will be assessed, and where necessary, new terminology and taxonomies will be defined and standardized for the attributes that must be included in the product passports.

This approach is intended to ensure consistent, interoperable data exchange while supporting automation across the value chain.

When will the standardization of Digital Product Passports be completed?

Standardization takes time, as it involves many stakeholders and aims to create harmonized solutions that are not limited to individual industries.

The final standardization work is being carried out by the CEN/CENELEC JTC 24 working group on behalf of the European Commission and is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

At the same time, GS1 is working through its Global Standards Management Process (GSMP) to ensure that GS1 standards meet the needs of our members in the transition to a circular economy, with a particular focus on Digital Product Passports. This work follows the progress of CEN and CENELEC and is also expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

What are Digital Product Passports?

Understanding Digital Product Passports
in two minutes

Digital Product Passports in practice

The new EU legislation

Digital Product Passports for Car Batteries