A digital product passport (DPP) will be a document required for all products and will follow it during its lifecycle, from manufacturing all the way to recycling. The digital product passport will include detailed data on its materials and will provide a breakdown of where these materials were sourced and where they were assembled.
The objective of the DPP is to simplify digital access to relevant product-specific information in the area of sustainability, circularity and legal compliance. A digital product passport will store a range of information detailing different aspects of the product, including traceability information when appropriate. The full information about any product will be then accessible electronically, using either a QR code or something similar.
A digital product passport will provide information on a product’s basic information such as:
It will also include information on the origins of the materials used in the product as well as a list of the components that make it up.
The DPP will include a product’s ownership history detailing who it was bought by originally and who the subsequent owners have been.
Digital product passports’ focus on sustainability and reducing waste is one of the key reasons the EU wants to bring them for different products. This is to help bolster the existing commitments to creating a circular economy in which products, along with their components, are long-lasting and are recycled in order to maximise their lifespan as much as possible.
In detailing as much about the product’s material composition, repairability, and disposal guidelines, a DPP mitigates as much of the environmental impact that a product has. It does this by providing transparency about the product’s composition and therefore making it easier for consumers and businesses to make them last and to reuse them.
Digital product passports will affect different regulatory frameworks, including:
Digital product passports will also affect several different product types. The European Union has already stated that batteries will be legally required to include a DPP by 2027, and they have also prioritised some products for their significant environmental and economic impact, such as:
The introduction of digital product passports will affect several different market actors when it comes into effect. Given the length of a products manufacturing as well as lifespan, DPPs will impact the following:
Regulators will also be able to monitor the environment credentials of products through using digital product passports, meaning they ensure products meet key sustainability standards.
One of the advantages of a digital product passport is the role it’s expected to play in sustainability and the environment. A DPP will store all the sustainability data related to the product providing a clear record of the product’s individual impact on the planet. A product DPP will track:
A DPP will detail a full list of the product, environmental and sustainability certifications that the product has been awarded such as the EU ecolabel to identify whether it meets high environmental standards.
Details of the environmental impact of the product, such as its carbon footprint, are also provided. The carbon emissions generated during both the manufacturing and distribution of the product. This will ultimately add up to the carbon impact of a product throughout its lifetime, right up to disposal.
A DPP will outline the materials used in its manufacturing and include information on whether these materials are recyclable, biodegradable, or are produced from other recycled materials.
A product’s energy efficiency will also be included, with details about how much the energy the product has consumed during not only its use, but also its production and transportation.
A digital product passport will present data on a product’s longevity as well as that of its components. This is to provide an indication as to a product’s lifespan to promote longer lasting products.
A DPP will include information on a product’s repairability and whether spare parts are readily available. This could also include users and maintenance manuals and product’s maintenance in case of a breakdown including steps on how it can be repaired.
There will be guidelines on how best to dispose of a product at the end of its lifespan and whether any components will need to be disposed of separately or will need particular care.
Applus+ Certification provides a full range of testing and certification services that can help clients comply with the information included in the Digital Product Passport. These services include, but are not limited to:
Applus+ Certification is fully committed to sustainability in the arena of certification. With the establishment of the Digital Product Passport as a European norm, we want to be at the forefront of promoting the circular economy as well as improving the green credentials for products.
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