Digital Product Passports: What Manufacturers Need to Know as EU Requirements Take Shape

Manufacturers supplying products to the European Union are preparing for Digital Product Passports (DPPs), which will make information about materials, environmental performance and product lifecycles more accessible across supply chains. While detailed requirements are still being developed for many product categories, companies are beginning to invest in traceability and product-data systems ahead of implementation.

Introduced under the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), Digital Product Passports are intended to support more transparent supply chains, sustainable product design, repair, reuse and recycling.

What Is a Digital Product Passport?

A Digital Product Passport is a structured digital record containing information about a product throughout its lifecycle.

Depending on the product category and its applicable requirements, the passport may include:

• Product and manufacturer identification

• Material composition and technical specifications

• Carbon footprint and environmental performance

• Repairability and maintenance information

• Recycling and end-of-life instructions

• Information about substances of concern

The aim is to make relevant product information accessible to manufacturers, suppliers, customers, recyclers and other authorised parties.

For industrial manufacturers, this could change how product information is collected, maintained and shared from raw-material sourcing through to end-of-life processing.

Iron and Steel Among the First Priority Industries

Iron and steel have been identified as priority product groups under the EU’s ESPR working plan.

The European Commission’s indicative timetable points to the adoption of product-specific rules for iron and steel in the fourth quarter of 2026. However, the precise data requirements and compliance deadlines will depend on the final rules.

Potential information requirements include material composition, technical specifications, environmental performance, circularity and product identification.

Because steel is used throughout automotive manufacturing, construction, machinery and industrial equipment, the introduction of product passports could have implications across multiple manufacturing supply chains.

Manufacturers will need to understand what information is already available, how it is stored and whether it can be exchanged consistently with suppliers and customers.

Sandvik Develops Digital Passports for Battery Traceability

Industrial engineering group Sandvik has already begun developing its own digital product passport capabilities.

The company started work on a battery passport within its mining business in 2023, initially creating a minimum viable product before expanding the underlying system architecture.

The initiative has since evolved into a broader solution intended to support multiple Sandvik divisions.

By recording information about battery composition, material origins, condition and handling requirements, the system aims to improve traceability and support more accurate carbon-footprint reporting.

It could also help identify opportunities for battery reuse, second-life applications and recycling.

Sandvik sees the initiative as a way to improve material transparency across its operations while preparing for emerging product-data requirements.

Product Passports Require Coordination Across Departments

Implementing Digital Product Passports will involve more than collecting sustainability information.

Manufacturers will need to coordinate across several business functions to ensure product data remains accurate and accessible.

Compliance teams will need to understand the applicable reporting requirements and determine which information can be shared.

IT teams will be responsible for assessing how existing systems can store, structure and exchange product data.

Production and engineering teams will need to ensure that information is captured accurately during manufacturing, while procurement departments may need to work more closely with suppliers to obtain reliable upstream material data.

The challenge is creating a consistent flow of product information across departments, systems and supply-chain partners.

Sandvik Joins Digital Metal Value Chain Initiative

Sandvik Coromant is also participating in the Digital Metal Value Chain collaboration coordinated by Swedish industrial research institute Swerim.

The initiative brings together organisations across the steel value chain to explore how product information can be structured, shared and applied in industrial environments.

The collaboration focuses on areas including material composition, environmental performance and chain-of-custody information.

Through practical pilot projects, participants are testing how existing manufacturing data can be organised and exchanged while identifying gaps that may need to be addressed before broader implementation.

Manufacturers Can Begin Preparing Before Rules Are Finalised

Although detailed requirements for many product categories remain under development, manufacturers can begin assessing their existing product-data capabilities.

This includes reviewing material traceability, supplier documentation, product identification and the compatibility of existing digital systems.

Companies may also need to establish clearer responsibilities for maintaining product information throughout its lifecycle.

For manufacturers supplying European customers, the introduction of Digital Product Passports is expected to increase the importance of reliable, structured information across the supply chain.

Beyond regulatory compliance, better product data could support more efficient maintenance, remanufacturing, material recovery and recycling.