Today, harmonised EU standards for digital product passports (DPP) are published that will affect most companies selling products in the EU. These standards will be a clear common basis for how companies can practically meet the EU’s new rules. GS1 Sweden has actively participated in the standardisation work and GS1 standards now play a central role in identification and data capture.
Soon, most products sold in the EU will be required to have a digital product passport, according to the new Ecodesign Regulation (ESPR). The aim is to enable traceability, transparency and the circular economy by making sustainability data on the origin, materials and environmental impact of the physical product digitally available throughout the value chain. The information should be directly accessible via, for example, a QR code on the product. Companies responsible for products now need to manage significantly more product data than before, and with new EU standards in place, the conditions are now in place to meet this challenge.
– The six published standards are aligned with EU legislation and clearly show how companies can meet the requirements of ESPR and other DPP-related regulations. They provide a clearer path for organisations preparing their systems, processes and data for digital product passports, says Johan Dahlgren, Head of Standards at GS1 Sweden.
Together with upcoming delegated acts from the European Commission, these new standards provide a concrete basis for the implementation of digital product passports.
From uncertainty to practical implementation
The work on EU standardization has been ongoing since 2024 within CEN/Cenelec and has been led by representatives from several European countries. GS1 Sweden has participated through the Swedish Institute for Standards (SIS) and has, through Johan Dahlgren, chaired the working group for identification and data capture.
– “There is now a clear common basis for how digital product passports will work in practice. This reduces technical uncertainty and allows companies to start preparing in earnest,” says Johan Dahlgren.
Among the published standards, one addresses globally unique identification (EN 18219) and another addresses marking and data carriers (EN 18220). They describe a fundamental part of the digital infrastructure for product passports and allow companies to start moving from analysis to practical implementation.
GS1 standards support identification, capture and data sharing
For digital product passports to work at scale, common rules are needed for how products are identified, how information is linked to physical products and how data can be shared between actors in the value chain.
Global GS1 standards are already used by businesses in many industries to identify products, locations and actors, and to carry and share information through, for example, barcodes, QR codes and digital links. The inclusion of GS1 standards in the common infrastructure for digital product passports means that many businesses can build on existing ways of working, systems and data flows when preparing for the DPP.
GS1 is currently further developing and completing its standards portfolio to support the implementation of digital product passports in line with the EU framework. Companies wishing to base their DPP solutions on GS1 standards will gradually have access to guidance and documentation. The development work is done in open processes where stakeholders from all over the world can participate.
New EU standards are available from the Swedish Standards Institute
For more information about GS1 Sweden’s work with digital product passports