Guide
The digital product passport — what it is, who it affects and when
Plainly and with sources: what a product passport is, which regulations introduce it, which products come first and what you can do now with the documents you already have.
What a digital product passport is
A digital product passport (DPP) is a set of data about a product, available electronically through a data carrier on the product — usually a QR code. It covers, among other things, compliance and safety information, composition, use, repair and recycling.
The legal framework comes from the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), and the detailed requirements for each product group from delegated acts. In practice the first mandatory passport is the battery passport under the separate Batteries Regulation.
When it applies and to whom
The key dates. Dates for further product groups will be set by delegated acts — we do not list them before they are adopted.
(UE) 2024/1781 — ESPR in force — the framework for product passports and the EU registry. EUR-Lex
(UE) 2023/988 — GPSR — manufacturer details, identification and safety information for every consumer product. EUR-Lex
(UE) 2023/1542 — Battery passport for LMT, EV and industrial batteries above 2 kWh, and a QR code on the battery. EUR-Lex
Further product groups — according to the Commission’s working plan including textiles, furniture, tyres, steel and aluminium — delegated acts in preparation.
What a passport contains
- A unique product identifier (model, batch or unit) and a data carrier — e.g. a QR code.
- Compliance information: declarations, certificates, safety documentation.
- Composition and substances, including substances of concern where relevant.
- Instructions for use, repair and disassembly, and recycling information.
- Operator details: manufacturer, importer, responsible economic operator.
The exact scope depends on the act for each product group.
Technical standards for the passport
At the request of the European Commission, CEN and CENELEC have prepared the EN 18216–18223:2026 series of standards. They cover the technical side of the passport: identifiers, data carriers, storage, API and data format. Once their references are published in the Official Journal of the EU, applying them will give a presumption of conformity with the technical requirements of ESPR. This is how Itemoo implements each one:
EN 18219:2026
Unique identifiers
Every passport has a GS1 Digital Link identifier (GTIN, batch, serial number) that does not change after publication, and an operator identifier such as a GLN. Without them the passport cannot be published.
EN 18220:2026
Data carriers
A QR code per ISO/IEC 18004:2024 with a quiet zone and human-readable text below the code. It opens the passport in an ordinary browser, with no app.
EN 18221:2026
Storage and archive
Append-only passport versions, a view of the passport as of any chosen date and API access for a backup provider. The archive after the contract ends will be switched on once retention periods are settled.
EN 18222:2026
Passport API
Read the passport, its versions and individual data elements through the /dpp-api/v1 API with the methods defined in the standard.
EN 18223:2026
Data format
Passport header, data in JSON and JSON-LD, documents as related resources with file type and version.
EN 18216:2026
Exchange protocols
HTTPS with TLS 1.2 or 1.3 and HTTP/2, with HTML, JSON or JSON-LD from one address. The passport page is designed to the EN 301 549:2021 accessibility requirements.
The standards on access rights and security (prEN 18239) and on authentication and data integrity (prEN 18246) are still being prepared. Itemoo does not yet claim full conformity with the whole package — we describe what works today.
How to prepare — five steps
Check whether and when it applies to you
Start with your industry and sales markets — the industry pages below list the obligations with their legal basis.
Gather the documents you already have
Manuals, safety data sheets, declarations, certificates. They are the source of the passport data.
Choose the identification level
Model, batch or single unit — this decides how many codes you print and what a scan shows.
Decide on the carrier and printing
A QR code with GS1 Digital Link (GTIN, batch, serial number) per ISO/IEC 18004:2024; printed on the label, the packaging or directly on the product, with clear space around the code.
Decide who keeps the data up to date
The passport lives as long as the product. Name a person who uploads new document versions and announces recalls.
Glossary
- DPP
- Digital Product Passport.
- ESPR
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 on ecodesign for sustainable products.
- Data carrier
- The element on the product that leads to the passport, e.g. a QR code.
- GS1 Digital Link
- A standard for the address in a QR code that carries the GTIN, batch and serial number and also works at the till.
- GTIN
- Global Trade Item Number issued by GS1.
- Responsible economic operator
- An economic operator established in the EU and responsible for a product’s compliance: an EU manufacturer, or for a product from outside the Union its importer or authorised representative (GPSR Article 16).
Obligations in your industry
- Always-current safety data sheets — behind the code on the pack
- Instructions, UDI and safety notices behind one code
- A battery passport ready before 18 February 2027
- GPSR without binders: details, warnings and recalls next to the product
This is a summary of obligations, not legal advice. The manufacturer remains responsible for product compliance and document content.
Frequently asked questions
Is the digital product passport mandatory already?
For LMT, EV and industrial batteries above 2 kWh — from 18 February 2027. For further product groups the obligation will come through ESPR delegated acts. Today GPSR already requires manufacturer details and safety information for every consumer product.
Do I need a GTIN for a passport?
Yes. Itemoo bases every passport on GS1 Digital Link — an identifier scheme accepted by EN 18219:2026 that also scans at the till. You need a GTIN for the product (issued by your national GS1 organisation) and a company identifier such as a GLN. The code and product page without a passport work without a GTIN.
Does Itemoo meet the EN 18216–18223:2026 standards?
We build the passport to these standards: the API per EN 18222:2026, the data format per EN 18223:2026, GS1 Digital Link identifiers (EN 18219:2026) and the QR code per EN 18220:2026. We do not yet claim full conformity with the whole package: prEN 18239 and prEN 18246 are still being prepared, and the archive after the contract ends will be switched on once retention periods are settled.
Who registers the passport in the EU registry?
Under ESPR, registry obligations sit with the manufacturer or the operator placing the product on the market. Itemoo makes the data available in machine-readable formats but does not register passports on your behalf.
Bring one product. Leave with a working code.
For the demo we take your product’s documents, import them live, and show you the finished product page together with a code you can scan immediately. Thirty minutes, no slide deck.
No card, no commitment, no fifteen-email sales funnel.