Prepare / Practical guide
Digital Product Passport data requirements
DPP data requirements are product-specific. Build a field-level mapping from the applicable rule to your source systems, evidence and access policy; do not treat a generic list of sustainability fields as a universal mandatory dataset.
Potential information categories
| Category | Possible information | Potential source—not a legal mandate |
|---|---|---|
| Identification | Product identity, model/batch/item and operator references | Product master data / manufacturing |
| Materials | Composition, substances and component records | PLM / bill of materials / suppliers |
| Environmental | Applicable footprint or environmental performance data | Measured calculations and supporting evidence |
| Durability | Performance, useful-life and test information | Engineering / quality systems |
| Repair | Instructions, spare parts and disassembly information | Service documentation |
| End of life | Recycling and treatment information | Engineering / materials specialists |
| Conformity | Declarations and applicable technical documentation | Compliance document control |
| Supply chain | Required facility or operator information | Supplier master data and approved evidence |
The binding field list must come from the relevant product instrument. For batteries, use Annex XIII and the category-specific guidance together. For ESPR, see Article 9 and Annex III.
A field dictionary teams can operate
| Field attribute | What to record |
|---|---|
| Meaning and rule | Business definition, legal citation and applicability condition. |
| Type and unit | Allowed values, language, unit, precision and format. |
| Identity level | Model, batch, item or lifecycle event. |
| Source and evidence | System, record key, method, document and source date. |
| Owner | Collector, approver and person responsible for correction. |
| Access | Read, create and update rights by actor. |
| Update / retention | Trigger, freshness expectation and availability policy. |
| Validation | Required checks and exception handling. |
Store “unknown,” “not applicable” and “not yet collected” as different states. An empty field should not silently become a zero or an assertion that a substance is absent.
Supplier data: request evidence, not just answers
For each supplier request, specify the component or material, field definition, unit, evidence type and reporting period. Ask how data was measured, calculated or sourced. Assign a reviewer for conflicting values and a process for changes. Use a staged request: critical scope fields first, then applicable content and supporting documents.
A supplier questionnaire should also ask who owns the record, when it changes and how corrections will be delivered. Avoid indiscriminate requests for commercially sensitive information. Determine the permitted purpose and access policy before collection.
Quality gates before publication
- Check identity joins: the evidence must describe the same product or batch.
- Check units and boundaries: values cannot be compared without context.
- Check freshness: decide whether a supplier update affects existing passports.
- Check completeness against applicable fields, including conditional rules.
- Check provenance: retain evidence for claims and a review history.
- Check visibility: approved collection does not imply approval for public access.
A practical dashboard shows missing fields by product and owner, disputed values and stale evidence. A single percentage can hide an absent critical field.
Illustrative gap triage
Suppose a product’s composition is known but its supplier evidence is outdated. Record the composition as unverified, assign a supplier owner and request current evidence. Do not publish the old value as verified merely to complete the passport. If a field is required for market access, escalate its absence to the scope owner; if it is an anticipated field, keep it in the preparation backlog.
Use the architecture guide to design the publication boundary and the readiness checklist to track ownership.
Sources for this guide
- ESPR — Regulation (EU) 2024/1781
- Batteries Regulation — current consolidated text
- Commission: battery-passport guidance update, 21 August 2026
Reviewed 4 October 2026. Check the current legal text and applicable product measures before acting.