01Is the digital passport the same as a QR code?
No. The QR code (or the NFC tag, or the RFID chip) is only the physical carrier - the entry point. The passport is the structured record behind it: the verifiable data on materials, origin, footprint and lifecycle that you reach by reading that carrier.
A beautiful printed QR is not compliance. If the record behind it is not permanent, interoperable and verifiable, it does not meet the ESPR.
02Who is responsible for creating the passport?
The economic operator who places the product on the EU market - usually the manufacturer, but it can be the importer or distributor who takes on that role. That operator ensures the passport exists, that the data is correct, and that it stays accessible for the required period.
03How long does a digital passport have to last?
It has to stay accessible throughout the product's life and, in many cases, beyond it - to support repair, resale and recycling. That is why it depends on stable hosting, independent of any physical tag that may degrade.
04Does the DPP expose sensitive commercial data?
Not necessarily. The passport works in access layers: the consumer sees the essentials, the regulator sees compliance, and the brand controls what is public, private or restricted. Commercially sensitive information can be left accessible only to those who are authorised.
05Does the DPP apply to my product?
Probably, in time. The ESPR rolls out category by category, but the priority groups already named - textiles, electronics, furniture, iron/steel/aluminium - plus batteries under their own regulation, cover a large share of the market.
For the dates that apply to your category, see the ESPR timeline 2027–2030.
06What is GS1 Digital Link, and why does it matter?
GS1 Digital Link is an open standard that links a product identifier to a resolvable web address. It lets different systems - shops, regulators, recyclers - read the same passport from the same code. It is the interoperability backbone the ESPR leans on.
07How much effort is it, really?
The hardest part is not the technology - it is having organised, trustworthy data. Composition, suppliers and certificates often live scattered across spreadsheets and emails. Pulling them into a serialised, item-level record is the real work, and it is why starting early pays off.
VeroPass generates a unique passport for each item from your catalogue or ERP, links the physical carrier and keeps the record up to date across the product's whole life - ready for the ESPR. Request early access →
Next step
New to the DPP? Read What is the digital product passport · Request access