Prepare / Practical guide
DPP QR codes and data carriers
A QR code by itself is not a Digital Product Passport. It can encode a route or identifier that helps users access information; the passport also needs the correct data, rights, maintenance and operating arrangements.
Four things that must work together
| Part | Question to resolve | Typical failure |
|---|---|---|
| Physical product | Which object is this record about? | A label from another variant is applied. |
| Identifier | Is the reference unique and persistent? | The same reference is reused for different items. |
| Carrier | Can the intended reader capture it? | Print quality or placement prevents scanning. |
| Information service | Does access reach governed data? | The scan opens a campaign page that later disappears. |
For ESPR, the applicable product measure determines carrier and placement detail. Battery requirements should be checked separately. ESPR Article 10; Batteries Regulation Articles 13 and 77.
Design for the physical environment
Test actual materials, label sizes, lighting and wear. Include curved or reflective surfaces, damaged packaging and low-quality mobile connections where relevant. A carrier that works on a designer’s screen may fail on the production line. Document who approves artwork and how the label is checked against the product record.
Do not select QR, Data Matrix, NFC or another technology solely from a demonstration. Check the permitted carrier, relevant standards, user devices, manufacturing constraints and expected lifetime.
A useful scan test plan
- Scan several real production samples with intended reader devices.
- Confirm that each scan resolves to the exact model, batch or item.
- Check public and restricted views using different user roles.
- Test an updated record without changing the physical carrier.
- Test unavailable services and recovery behaviour.
- Test a carrier already distributed before a platform migration.
Record device, sample, environment, outcome and defect owner. Scanning success is only the first test; identity correctness and permitted information are equally important.
Avoid short-lived access infrastructure
A marketing-link shortener can introduce a dependency without providing continuity, provenance or interoperability. Use infrastructure with an explicit persistence commitment, change control and recovery path. Keep the carrier decision alongside the architecture design, rather than treating it as a packaging-only task.
Sources for this guide
- ESPR — Regulation (EU) 2024/1781
- Batteries Regulation — current consolidated text
- GS1 Digital Link standards library
Reviewed 4 October 2026. Check the current legal text and applicable product measures before acting.