Digital Product Passport: transparency and circularity become the new standard
The rules for products in Europe are changing. Where a good story used to be enough, hard proof will soon be required. Customers, supply chain partners and lawmakers want to know exactly what is in your product, where it comes from and what happens to it after use. With the Digital Product Passport, this transparency will be recorded for each individual product. From 2027, this will apply to clothing, textiles and footwear. Other sectors will follow later.
What is the Digital Product Passport?
The Digital Product Passport is a product's digital identity. Via a QR code, anyone can access reliable product information. This includes where materials come from, how the product is made, how it can be used and what happens at the end of its life.
The core idea is simple: your product becomes fully traceable across its entire lifecycle.
The Digital Product Passport shows how a product can be repaired, reused and recycled. This makes circularity practical and measurable.
Why is the EU introducing this?
With the Green Deal, the European Union aims to become fully circular by 2050. Less waste. Less loss. More reuse. That is only possible with reliable product data.
The Digital Product Passport closes the gap between what customers want to know, what companies record and what policymakers need to create smart, effective rules. Not based on assumptions, but on real product-level data.
Why does it start with textiles and shoes?
Because this is one of the most polluting and least transparent sectors, extended supply chains, a wide range of materials, fast production, and large waste streams make textiles the ideal place to start.
From 2027, all textiles placed on the European market must have a Digital Product Passport. Other sectors will follow, including electronics, batteries, and construction materials.
Fast fashion without limits
The fashion industry shows clearly where things go wrong. Brands like SHEIN bring new collections to the market at an extreme speed, more, cheaper and faster than ever. Clothes are often made to disappear after just one wear.
This raises serious questions about waste and raw materials, as well as about ethics and product quality. Who makes these clothes? Under what conditions? And how long do they actually last?
This is precisely where the Digital Product Passport will make a difference. It shows where a product comes from, what is inside it and what it is really worth.
What does this mean for SMEs?
Many small business owners think this only applies to large brands. That is not true. The Digital Product Passport applies at the product level, not the company size. So even if you are a small brand, producer or supplier, this will affect you.
In practice, you will notice that customers start asking more questions about product origin and materials. Buyers will demand transparency across the supply chain. Circularity will become a standard part of purchasing and sales.
So this will not only come through regulation, but mainly through your customers.
How can you start today?
You do not have to wait until 2027. You can already start today. Begin by mapping your products. Record which materials you use and where your products are made. Think about reuse, repair and recycling.
Start small with one product or one product group. Make sure your basic data is correct. From there, you can build step by step. This is precisely the foundation you will need for a future Digital Product Passport.
What does it bring you as an SME?
The Digital Product Passport is not just another compliance task. It helps you design better products, improve your circularity and stand stronger in conversations with customers and buyers. You no longer support your sustainability story with promises; you back it up with real data.
Put simply, if your product data is in order, you become a more attractive business partner.
Transparency as the starting point
The Digital Product Passport shows that transparency is becoming more critical than ever, not as a promise, but as a clear data-based requirement.
At Eevery, we believe that transparency is the foundation of sustainable business. You can only improve when you first understand your product, your supply chain and your impact. We help you do exactly that, step by step.
This way, the Digital Product Passport will not feel like a burden in the future, but a logical next step of what you are already building today.
Want to know where your business stands today? Feel free to contact us. We are happy to take a look with you.
