Article 3 of 13 in Regulation & Compliance · PLMV-KB-013 · Rev. B · Reviewed 2026-11-04
Digital Product Passport (DPP): Requirements and Timeline
A Digital Product Passport (DPP) is a structured digital record of a product's sustainability, compliance and circularity data, defined in the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (EU) 2024/1781. Batteries come first, from 18 February 2027. Siemens, Dassault Systèmes and Centric document passport offerings, while PTC, SAP and Arena publish readiness guidance.
Key takeaways
- The DPP is defined in ESPR, and its content for each product group is set in product-specific delegated acts.
- The EU DPP registry became operational on 20 July 2026, and six harmonised technical standards were cited in July 2026.
- Batteries come first (18 February 2027), with iron and steel, textiles, tyres and aluminium following through ESPR delegated acts.
- PLM vendors document passport support to different degrees, from standalone passport products to guidance on data readiness.
How the DPP is defined in EU law
The legal basis is the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2024/1781, which entered into force on 18 July 2024. ESPR sets the general rules: each passport is linked to a unique product identifier, accessible through a data carrier, based on open and interoperable standards, and kept available for a period set per product group. Delegated acts define the content and granularity (model, batch or item) for each group. The EU battery passport under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 is the first mandatory example.
What has been put in place in 2026?
Three building blocks were delivered in July 2026:
- Harmonised standards: Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1736 of 14 July 2026 cited six CEN/CENELEC standards: EN 18216 (data exchange protocols), EN 18219 (unique identifiers), EN 18220 (data carriers), EN 18221 (storage, archiving and persistence), EN 18222 (APIs) and EN 18223 (interoperability).
- Registry: the registry required by Article 13 ESPR became operational on 20 July 2026, and the Commission describes the launch as including a testing environment. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1778 sets its operating rules and applies from 6 August 2026. It stores identifiers and passport locations, while content stays with the economic operator or a DPP service provider.
- Pending items: the Commission timeline foresees an Implementing Decision on the remaining two standards in November 2026. It also plans an implementing act on battery access rights for Q4 2026 and a delegated act on DPP service providers for Q2 2027.
No company had to register passports at launch. Registration starts when the delegated act for a product group applies.
Which products need a DPP and when?
| Product group | Legal basis | Status (4 November 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| EV, LMT and industrial batteries over 2 kWh | Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 | Mandatory from 18 February 2027 |
| Iron and steel | ESPR delegated act | Planned for Q4 2026 |
| Textiles, tyres, aluminium | ESPR delegated acts | Planned for Q3 to Q4 2027 |
| Furniture, mattresses | ESPR delegated acts | Planned for 2028 and 2029 |
ESPR allows economic operators at least 18 months between adoption of a delegated act and application, so most non-battery passports are unlikely to be mandatory before 2028. The Commission presents these dates as indicative, and no ESPR delegated act with passport requirements had been adopted at the time of writing.
Which PLM vendors document DPP support?
Passport data comes from several systems, so vendors document different things. The table lists what each vendor's own pages state, checked on 4 November 2026. Vendors appear in register order and without ranking. The vendor capability view compares the broader compliance and sustainability ratings.
| Vendor | Documented DPP capability | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Siemens Teamcenter | Siemens documents a separate passport service and battery passport with Catena-X exchange; Teamcenter-specific functions not documented there | Siemens |
| Dassault 3DEXPERIENCE | Platform described as centralising passport data, with lifecycle assessment capabilities | Dassault Systèmes |
| PTC Windchill | Dedicated passport function not documented; PTC publishes readiness guidance | PTC |
| Centric PLM | Centric DPP, a standalone passport product announced 24 September 2026, connects natively to Centric PLM | Centric |
| SAP PLM | ESPR and passport guidance on data held in SAP systems; dedicated passport application not documented | SAP |
| PTC Arena | PLM described as central source of passport data; dedicated function not documented | Arena |
A row marked as not documented means the cited page does not state the function. A vendor may still offer it, so scripted demos against the data elements below should confirm scope.
How should PLM and PIM teams prepare?
Typical passport data covers identifiers, material composition, substances of concern, carbon footprint, repair instructions and declarations of conformity. Sources include PLM, ERP, compliance software and LCA tools, so the digital thread between engineering, compliance and commercial data determines the manual effort. Settle the likely passport granularity, a unique identifier scheme (see GS1 Digital Link and the DPP) and an authoritative source for each data element. PIM systems usually publish the consumer-facing layer, and resources such as PIM Selection cover how to assess PIM for regulatory content.
Frequently asked questions
Which PLM systems help with the Digital Product Passport?
Vendors document different things. Siemens offers a separate passport service and a battery passport, Dassault Systèmes describes its 3DEXPERIENCE platform as a data hub for passports, and Centric launched Centric DPP in September 2026. PTC, SAP and Arena publish guidance on passport data. Check delegated acts for your product group before relying on any function.
When does the Digital Product Passport become mandatory?
The first mandatory passport is the EU battery passport, from 18 February 2027 for EV batteries, light means of transport batteries and industrial batteries above 2 kWh. Other product groups follow once their ESPR delegated acts are adopted and apply, with at least 18 months between adoption and application. The Commission plans iron and steel first, then textiles, tyres and aluminium.
What is the EU DPP registry?
The registry is a Commission-run index required by Article 13 ESPR. It became operational on 20 July 2026, with operating rules in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1778. It records unique product identifiers and where each passport can be found, so authorities can check passports. The passport data itself stays with the economic operator or its DPP service provider.
Sources
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 Ecodesign for Sustainable Products (EUR-Lex)
- Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1778 on the DPP registry (EUR-Lex)
- Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1736 on harmonised standards for the DPP (EUR-Lex)
- European Commission: Digital Product Passport
Revision history
| Rev. | Date | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| B | Added a table of PLM vendors with documented passport support, refreshed the Commission timeline and shortened the data element section. | |
| A | Initial release. |
Written by Nathalie Paniuta. Reviewed 4 November 2026 by the PLM Vendors editorial team. Regulatory dates and vendor details change; check the sources for the latest position. Corrections with a source: info@plmvendors.com.
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