It’s pretty safe to say that our industry is going through some big changes these days.

Especially because of the EU textile strategy.

One of the new proposed requirements is the Digital Product Passport (DPP), which is a part of the proposal for the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR).

As of now, we don’t know much about the DPP. The possible requirements in the ESPR framework will depend on product groups.

You might already have some questions about the DPP that we would like to try to answer keeping in mind that nothing is certain:

What is the DPP?

It is a digital service meant to store information about a physical product online – like an online passport for your products.

The point is to make it easier to trace, repair, and recycle products because product information is easy to find.

What information must the DPP contain?

There are no specific data requirements yet.

Here are some of the proposed information requirements:

• The durability, reliability, reusability, and recyclability of a product

• Recycled content in the product

• The carbon and environmental footprint of a product

When will the DPP be implemented?

It is still unclear when it will become a requirement, but right now, it is expected that the Digital Product Passport will begin implementation around 2024.

Which products must have a DPP?

All regulated products that are covered by the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (which textiles are) will need to have a DPP if the proposal is adopted.

Who will have access to it?

An aim of the DPP is to make sure that everyone in a company’s value chain can access relevant product information.

How does it work?

There isn’t any specific information about how the DPP will work.

As we've said, nothing is certain yet - but it's always nice to know what may be a requirement in the future.