DPP Standards for the Digital Product Passport

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At the international specialist conference DPP4EU 2026, the recently published European technical standards for the digital product passport were presented to a wide professional audience. The goal is a connected data ecosystem for transparent and efficient product life cycles.

The battery passport was launched in 2023 with the EU Battery Regulation, and in the coming years, other product categories such as textiles, electronic devices, furniture, and building materials will follow: Digital product passports are intended to provide consumers, companies, and authorities with reliable product information throughout the entire lifecycle, from manufacturing to use to recycling.

For this to succeed, the underlying technical standards must form a coherent overall system. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Knothe, Head of the Business Process and Factory Management Department at Fraunhofer IPK, chairs the CEN CLC JTC 24, the Joint Technical Committee of the two European standardization organizations CEN and CENELEC. The Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology IPK played a significant role in developing the interoperable basic structure in advance, ensuring that the individual technical standards are technology-neutral and interoperable.

About the DPP

A digital product passport (DPP) is the technical provision of product-specific data containing information about the components of a product, such as parts, materials, and chemical substances. Additionally, the digital product passport can also include important lifecycle and sustainability-related information, such as reparability, spare parts, or proper disposal.

"The fundamental technical DPP standards are in place. They create transparency for consumers, industry, and authorities. But a standard alone doesn't change anything. Now it's about bringing it to life: with concrete implementations, open tools, and sector-specific reference solutions that truly make it easier for companies to get started. This is exactly what we are working on at Fraunhofer IPK," says Thomas Knothe.

Open Source as a Lever for Rapid Implementation

To lower the barrier for companies, Knothe and his team at Fraunhofer IPK, together with partners such as GEFEG mbH and the Technical University of Berlin, developed open-source testing systems that allow organizations to validate their DPP implementations. In addition, sector-specific reference systems were created, including for the battery sector, which serve as a common guideline for associations and companies. According to Knothe, experiences with the application of these reference systems show that system setup is about five times faster and easier compared to traditional approaches.

International Standardization for Global Interoperability

A DPP only unfolds its full potential if it works across borders. As Chair of the CEN/CENELEC JTC 24 Digital Product Passport Framework and System, Thomas Knothe is also involved in building global standardization under the umbrella of ISO and IEC. The closing panel of the first conference day on global harmonization emphasized this role: Only those who actively shape the international standardization landscape can ensure that European DPP solutions remain compatible worldwide. In addition to the Fraunhofer IPK expert, representatives from UN/CEFACT, DIN, DKE, and BASF discussed the principles of the interoperability required for this.

DPP as a Hub for Global Product Data Ecosystems

The Fraunhofer IPK does not view the digital product passport as an endpoint but rather as a starting point: in the medium term, it is expected to evolve into a hub for global product data ecosystems. The deliberately open approach to testing and reference systems is a conscious strategic decision. After all, open, interoperable standards ultimately benefit both companies and consumers.

"Thus, the DPP becomes an efficiency tool and a business enabler for industry and trade," says Thomas Knothe. He and his team are currently developing an AI-based DPP solution for the renovation of electrical installations in buildings, enabling craft businesses to choose an efficient, safe, and sustainable renovation approach even before the work begins. With approximately 14 million homes in Germany currently requiring energy renovations, the need is evident.

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