The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation defines a digital product passport as a set of data specific to a product that includes the information specified in the applicable delegated act adopted pursuant to Article 4 and that is accessible via electronic means through a data carrier. Article 9 provides that, once a delegated act requires it, a product may only be placed on the market or put into service if a passport is available, and that its data must be accurate, complete and up to date. The delegated act for each product group specifies the data to include, the data carrier and where it is placed, whether the passport is at model, batch or item level, who may access and who may update which data, and how long it remains available, at least the product’s expected lifetime.
Article 10 sets the essential requirements: the passport is connected through a data carrier to a persistent unique product identifier, the carrier is physically present on the product, its packaging or accompanying documentation, and the data are based on open standards, interoperable, machine-readable and transferable without vendor lock-in. The Commission must set up a registry storing the unique identifiers by 19 July 2026 (Article 13). Article 9(3) states the purpose: letting actors along the value chain access the information relevant to them, helping authorities verify compliance and improving traceability.
Sector acts apply the same concept: the Batteries Regulation requires a battery passport from 18 February 2027, and the Toy Safety Regulation requires a digital product passport for every toy from 1 August 2030, replacing the separate declaration of conformity where it contains the same information. For a manufacturer the passport is becoming the place where compliance and sustainability data are published, not just stored in the technical file.