QA Category: DPP Strategist Expert Q&A

This is a practical Digital Product Passport question — the kind asked by those thinking in operational terms. And it deserves an equally practical answer: no, product compliance is not automatically lost if the system is properly designed. But “properly designed” is not a technical detail to leave to a software provider — it is an explicit regulatory requirement under the ESPR Regulation that anyone implementing a DPP must understand and verify. The QR Code Is Not the DPP — and That’s the Starting Point As we’ve already seen, the QR code — or any other data carrier — is…

This is the question asked by anyone operating with a global supply chain — which is most companies. The short answer is: your non-EU suppliers are not required to comply with the ESPR Regulation or Digital Product Passport requirements, but you are. And this completely changes the nature of the problem. Who Is Responsible for the DPP — and Where The ESPR Regulation applies to anyone placing a product on the European market, regardless of where it was manufactured. If you import a finished product from China, Bangladesh, or Mexico and sell it in Europe, you — as the importer…

This is one of the most practical Digital Product Passport questions I get — and I understand why: it feels like the answer should be a single number. One passport per model? Per batch? Per individual item? The reality is that there are three possible levels of DPP granularity, and the choice between them is not technical — it is strategic. And it is worth understanding the implications of each before Delegated Acts make that decision for you. The Three Levels: What They Really Mean The first level is the model level: a single Digital Product passport representing all identical…

This question hides a trap. Framed this way, it suggests that the answer is technical — and that the problem lies in the software. In reality, the problem is almost always in the data, not in the systems that manage it. But let’s take it step by step through the lens of Digital Product Passport implementation, ESPR compliance, and supply chain traceability. The Short Answer: Probably Not — but Not for the Reasons You Think A traditional ERP is designed to manage transactions: orders, invoices, inventory movements, bills of materials. It does this well, and it will continue to do…

This is the question every entrepreneur, manufacturer, and supply chain manager asks as soon as they realize the Digital Product Passport applies to them. And the answer is: no — but with an important clarification that is worth understanding, because it changes how companies should prepare for DPP compliance, sustainability transparency, and ESG reporting obligations. The Regulation Has Already Answered: Differentiated Access by Design The ESPR Regulation was not written by idealists unaware of how markets work. European lawmakers fully understand that requiring companies to indiscriminately disclose suppliers, formulas, and production processes would be not only impractical, but counterproductive —…

Almost everyone, at least once, has scanned with their smartphone the QR code on a bottle of olive oil or a pack of rice at the supermarket. A webpage opens: perhaps there is the company’s story, a few photos of the field, a sustainability claim, or a basic product traceability page. Then you close it and move on. That’s exactly what the Digital Product Passport (DPP) is not. Or rather — it may use the exact same black-and-white square, but what lies behind it is something completely different: a regulated digital product information system built around traceability, interoperability, ESG compliance,…

This is the question I hear most often in meetings with C-level executives. And I understand why: it sounds like a simple question with a simple answer. A list, a few dates, and you can plan accordingly. The problem is that this is also the wrong question. Or rather: it is the right question, but only if asked in the right way. The Regulatory Landscape: Who Is Already In, and Who Is Next Let’s start with the facts. The ESPR Regulation (EU 2024/1781) has not made the Digital Product Passport (DPP) immediately mandatory for all sectors. It works in layers:…

Let me start with a situation I know well. I walk into a company, present the Digital Product Passport, and the first reaction is almost always the same: “So, it’s basically a kind of QR code with more information?”. No, and knowing this separates those with the proper mindset for digital transformation from those who pursue it aimlessly. An Information System, Not a Label A digital label — even the most sophisticated one — is static. It reflects what a company has chosen to communicate, in the way it has chosen to communicate it, without mandatory content, without shared interoperability…