The Digital Product Passport (DPP) is rapidly moving from policy concept to industry priority. At first glance, it may seem like another consumer-facing label, like France’s Eco-Score system, or the EU’s rules on green claims. But the DPP is more than a badge on a product page or a swing tag. DPP is the underlying system of record that will define how supply chains operate, how compliance is proven, and how circular designs are made possible.
Most labeling initiatives, whether Eco-Score or energy-efficiency rankings, aim at offering consumers quick metrics or ratings at the point of purchase for ease of comparisons and informing choice that aligns with consumer values.
A Digital Product Passport goes far beyond what a shopper sees. Unlike static labels, it is like an iceberg: beneath lies a dynamic data infrastructure where verified supply chain information is connected, traced, and accessed across the value chain—forming the foundation for both compliance and circularity. The QR code is only the tip.
In this sense, the DPP shares the ambition of other schemes to guide consumer consumption, but its impact is deeper: it aims to open up how industries manage information across their global value chains to extend the longevity of the item.
For a DPP to function, verified primary data is essential. Supply chains cannot rely on estimates or generalized data to transform the item that sits right in front of them. Every input, every transformation, every shipment needs to be documented with evidence. This data, once captured, must then be connected and available to everyone who touches the product as it goes raw material to finished good.
This is the dirt-under-your-fingernails work of sustainability – the complex, sometimes messy effort required to make lofty ambitions real. Without this dual foundation of verified primary data and traceability, a digital product passport is nothing more than a digital brochure. With it, the DPP becomes a living system that supports compliance, risk management, and the shift toward circular business models.
The industry’s ambition for a circular economy cannot be realized without the DPP. To transform a garment into a second-, third or umpteenth life, makers need to know its precise material history. To confirm reusability, resellers must understand a product’s origin and composition.
The DPP enables this by housing all relevant data in one interoperable system, with access granted based on the role of each stakeholder. Consumers may see proof of origin or add their notes on the items lifecycle, regulators may view evidence of due diligence, and recyclers may obtain material specifications. It is not “radical transparency” for all, but you can anticipate role-based access that makes the system both usable and credible.
Understanding what’s required across a plethora of regulations can be daunting. This is where the TrusTrace Compliance Canvas™ comes in.
Think of it as a periodic table for supply chain traceability and compliance data. Just as the periodic table organizes the elements of the physical world, the Compliance Canvas maps the elements of regulatory compliance. It shows you what is needed for each piece of legislation relevant to fashion and textile supply chains operating in Europe and the US.
image (above): A simplified look at the TrusTrace Compliance Canvas™ structure
It gives sustainability leaders and compliance teams a clear framework for alignment and agreement on the type of data to prioritize and collect based on strategy and legislative requirements. In short, it’s the practical guide to building the infrastructure that an efficient Digital Product Passport system will demand.
Download the Compliance Canvas™ to see how your organization can prepare.
Digital Product Passports sit within labeling schemes, but their purpose runs deeper. Yes, it is correct that DPP will inform consumers, but more than that they are about preparing entire industries for a future where circularity is the main economic model.
To join this path, you need verified data and traceability. That’s the only way to make DPPs credible, scalable, and transformative. The year 2027, when the Delegated Acts on DPP become final, will come sooner than you think, and the prospect of circular consumer products and economy depends on building DPP infrastructure already today.