What the law says
The EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) entered into force in July 2024. It allows the European Commission to require Digital Product Passports for product groups through separate delegated acts. Batteries have their own passport rules under the EU Battery Regulation, and textiles, steel and other categories are among the early priorities.
How a passport works
- Each product (or model or batch) gets a unique identifier.
- A data carrier — usually a QR code, sometimes NFC or RFID — links to the passport.
- Different people see different information: consumers, repairers, recyclers and authorities.
- Data must stay available for the product's expected lifetime.
Passport vs provenance record
A passport is mostly about what a product is: materials, origin, how to repair and recycle it. A provenance record is about what it has done: who owned it, where it went, what happened to it. Built on the same identity, one tag can serve both — compliance on day one, provenance for the rest of its life.
How to prepare
- Serialise high-value products so each item has its own identity.
- Adopt GS1 Digital Link-compatible URLs for QR codes.
- Add secure NFC where authentication matters.
- Choose a platform that separates public, owner and regulator views.
SmartLinks identities are designed with GS1 Digital Link and DPP requirements in mind. See the journey for luxury brands and makers or choose the right NFC chip.