Understand the material
Information on composition and origin helps you to assess a product better.
Digital Product Passport
What does a digital product passport bring you?
A product accompanies us when we buy it, while we use it and sometimes through to repair or passing it on. A digital product passport can make the relevant information accessible – via a code on the product.
The jacket in the film is an illustrative example. This page explains the principle and does not contain a product passport for a jacket that is actually on offer.
Information that helps in everyday life
Care for it properly
The right care instructions help to preserve a product's properties and to use it for a long time.
Make repair easier
Notes on repair options and matching spare parts can help to keep using a damaged product.
Pass on and recycle
Information about the product can also be helpful when passing it on, returning it and recycling it later.
Which information a statutory product passport must contain is determined by the respective EU requirements. The applications shown here illustrate possible content and its benefits.
Explained using a jacket – in 81 seconds
What is in a product? How do we care for it? What helps with a repair? Our film shows how a digital product passport can make information about a product's life accessible.
Film narration (in German)
Was steckt eigentlich in deiner Jacke?
Du siehst die Farbe, fühlst den Stoff. Doch woher kommen die Materialien? Wie pflegst du sie richtig? Und was kannst du tun, wenn etwas kaputtgeht?
Stell dir vor, du könntest die Informationen dazu direkt an deiner Jacke aufrufen.
Ein Code. Ein Scan. Und du erfährst mehr über dein Produkt.
Das ist die Idee hinter dem digitalen Produktpass, den die EU Schritt für Schritt einführt: Wichtige Informationen sollen ein Produkt durch sein Leben begleiten.
Schon beim Kauf helfen sie dir, genauer hinzusehen: Was kaufe ich eigentlich?
Im Alltag helfen dir Pflegehinweise, lange Freude daran zu haben.
Geht der Reißverschluss kaputt, können Informationen zur Reparatur und zu passenden Ersatzteilen weiterhelfen.
Gibst du die Jacke weiter, bleibt das Wissen am Produkt – auch für den nächsten Menschen.
Und irgendwann, wenn sie wirklich ausgedient hat, helfen Informationen über ihre Materialien bei der Rückgabe und beim Recycling.
Bewusster auswählen. Länger nutzen. Reparieren. Weitergeben. Materialien im Kreislauf halten.
Dafür steht die Idee des digitalen Produktpasses.
Und der Zugang beginnt direkt am Produkt.
PreQ. Physisch und digital im Verbund.
One code. One scan. The product information.
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1
Discover the access
A data carrier such as a QR code connects the product with its digital product passport. Where it is placed – for example on the product, on the packaging or in accompanying documents – depends on the applicable requirements.
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2
Scan with your smartphone
A QR code can usually be opened with a smartphone camera.
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3
Open the information
You reach the product information that is accessible to you. Further information with corresponding access rights may be provided for workshops, recycling companies or authorities.
Did you scan the code on the jacket in the film?
Then you are in the right place on this explanatory page. For a specific product, the access would lead to the associated product passport.
Which information belongs in a digital product passport?
The required content depends on the applicable rules for the respective product group. A battery passport therefore contains different details than a future product passport for clothing.
The following examples show which questions product information can answer. They are not a generally valid list of mandatory legal information.
| Situation | Customer's question | Possibly helpful information |
|---|---|---|
| Before purchase | What is the product made of? | Material composition and relevant product properties |
| In use | How do I care for and use it properly? | Care and usage instructions |
| In case of a defect | Can it be repaired? | Repair notes, spare parts and service information |
| When passing it on | What information does the next user need? | Product identification and usage instructions that remain available |
| At the end of use | Where should the product and its materials go? | Return, separation and recycling instructions |
Additional voluntary information may be added. A digital product passport makes information accessible; the actual repairability or recyclability depends on the product and the available processes.
For manufacturers and brands: Make the access recognisable.
The benefit begins with your customers discovering the access and understanding what they will find there.
A clear note next to the code gives a reason to scan. After the scan, a clear presentation helps to find the information you are looking for quickly.
Three tasks belong together:
Provide the information
Bring together, assign and keep up to date the product data required under the applicable requirements.
Implement the access on the product
Match the marking and the data carrier to the product, its use and the applicable requirements.
Make the use understandable
Show customers where they can find the access and which information is available to them.
PreQ connects physical marking with digital information. You describe your requirements. We offer you the suitable solution.
When does the digital product passport become mandatory?
The introduction takes place step by step by product group. There is no uniform start date for all products.
The EU working plan names priorities and planned dates for the adoption of new rules. These planning years are not general mandatory dates for the respective products. What matters are the published legal acts and their application deadlines.
| Date | Development | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 18 July 2024 | The Ecodesign Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 enters into force. | It creates the framework for product-group-specific requirements and digital product passports. |
| 16 April 2025 | The Commission publishes the 2025–2030 working plan. | It sets priorities and a provisional timetable for further rules. |
| 20 July 2026 | The EU DPP registry starts operating. | An infrastructure milestone; it does not create a general passport obligation for all products. |
| 18 February 2027 | The battery passport becomes mandatory for certain battery categories. | Affected are batteries for light means of transport, industrial batteries above 2 kWh and electric vehicle batteries. |
| Further product groups | Their own rules and application deadlines will follow. | The relevant provisions are decisive for the respective product. |
The priorities of the working plan include, among others, iron and steel, aluminium, clothing, tyres, furniture and mattresses.
Information as of: 17 October 2026.
Official EU information and legal bases
| Source | What you will find there |
|---|---|
| Digital Product Passport – European Commission | Overview of how it works, introduction and stakeholders |
| Ecodesign Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 | Legal framework; in particular Chapter III on the digital product passport |
| EU Working Plan 2025–2030 | Prioritised product groups and provisional planning |
| Batteries Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 | Legal basis of the battery passport, in particular Article 77 |
| Battery passport – European Commission | Explanations of the digital product passport for batteries |
| Clothing and the digital product passport – European Commission | Classification of the planned requirements for clothing |
The explanatory pages of the European Commission are mostly in English. The linked legal texts and the working plan are available in English.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an additional app?
For a QR code with web access, your smartphone camera is usually enough.
Does every product already have a digital product passport?
No. The obligation is being introduced step by step for certain product groups. In addition, manufacturers can already offer digital product information voluntarily.
Is all the information public?
No. Depending on the applicable requirements, different information can be accessible to customers, workshops, recycling companies and authorities.
Is every web page behind a QR code a digital product passport?
No. A statutory digital product passport must meet the applicable requirements. Besides the prescribed content, these include requirements for identification, data structure, availability and access rights.
Does the code stay the same when information is updated?
With an access set up accordingly, the information behind the code can be updated. Changes must meet the applicable requirements and remain assigned to the correct product.
Can I open the jacket's product passport here?
The jacket is an illustrative example. Its code leads to this explanatory page. This page shows possible applications, not binding information about a jacket that is actually on offer.
The digital product passport needs an access on the product.
PreQ connects the suitable marking with the digital access to the product information. You describe your requirements. We offer you the suitable solution.
Request marking and digital access