Understand the passport
Explore DPP scope, the EU regulatory framework and the product information behind a documented garment.
01
Course overview
The Digital Product Passport turns a garment into a documented product: what it is made of, where it has been, how to repair or resell it, and what a recycler needs to know. This module explains what a DPP is, why the EU is making it a market-access condition under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation ((EU) 2024/1781), and what the timetable means in practice — with textile-specific rules still being developed through a delegated act expected around 2027 and obligations applying no earlier than 2028. It then works through the parts an SME must actually build: the data a textile passport has to carry and where it comes from, the traceability behind it, the technology choices (QR, RFID, NFC, GS1 Digital Link, interoperable formats), the data architecture, and the skills, cost and data-quality gaps that decide whether a passport is reliable or decorative. The final chapter moves beyond compliance, showing how lifecycle data supports repair, resale, rental, take-back and customer engagement, and how to build the business case rather than just the deadline plan.
FROM PRINCIPLES TO PRACTICE
From product data to circular value
Build the data foundation
Connect identifiers, supply-chain data, technology choices and governance in a passport architecture suited to an SME.
Go beyond compliance
Use lifecycle data to support repair, resale, rental, take-back and continued customer engagement.
02
Learning objectives
By the end of this module, learners are expected to be able to:
- Explain what a Digital Product Passport is, what it contains and how it works across the product lifecycle.
- Identify the EU rules that drive DPP adoption — the ESPR ((EU) 2024/1781), the textiles delegated act and the obligations they will create for products placed on the EU market.
- Understand and apply DPP data requirements, including GS1/GTIN identifiers and the CIRPASS data models, to improve traceability, transparency and supply-chain collaboration.
- Evaluate the role of technologies and standards — QR codes, RFID, NFC, GS1 Digital Link and interoperability frameworks — in a working passport system.
- Design a minimal passport and a data architecture that fits an SME's product range, suppliers and systems.
- Explain how DPPs create continuous customer engagement and support circular business models beyond regulatory compliance.
03
Learning outcomes
On completion, learners can demonstrate that they:
- Explain what a DPP is and is not, what it covers and what it leaves out, and how its scope is being defined for textiles.
- Map the obligations and dates that apply to a specific product category, and distinguish what is already law from what is still being drafted.
- Specify the data fields a textile DPP must carry, trace each field to a source in the supply chain, and identify where data quality or availability will fail.
- Choose between QR, RFID and NFC carriers, and justify the choice on durability, cost, read context and interoperability.
- Design a minimal passport and a data architecture for a real product, including governance, access rights and update responsibilities.
- Build the business case for DPP adoption in an SME — compliance cost against resale, repair, take-back, authentication and post-purchase value — and present it to a decision-maker.