Chapter 1 — full chapter
1.4.1. What a DPP covers
At its core, a DPP is a structured digital record linked to a physical product through a data carrier such as a QR code. It stores and shares information. It does not, by itself, make garment more durable, less polluting or easier to recycle. Those outcomes depend on design, materials, and business model choices that the passport can document and inform but cannot replace.
A passport is also only as reliable as the data entered into it, so it complements tools such as life-cycle assessment, third-party certification and extended producer responsibility schemes rather than substituting them.
In regulatory terms the DPP is established under the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), which entered into force in July 2024 and applies to virtually any physical product placed on the EU market, regardless of where the company is based. Textiles and apparel are named as a priority group, but the detailed, product-specific requirements are set separately through delegated acts. For textiles that act is expected around 2027, followed by a transition period of at least 18 months, so mandatory compliance is not yet established. Requirements are also expected to phase in, with earlier stages focused on data such as fiber composition, country of manufacture, chemical compliance and certifications, and indicators like carbon and water footprints introduced later.
Smaller enterprises are expected to receive extended transition periods for some obligations, though not open-ended exemptions. Because these acts are not yet final, adopters should treat the exact data fields and dates as still subject to change.