Digital Product Passport Glossary: Key Terms Explained

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Introduction to Digital Product Passport Terminology

The world of digital product passports (DPPs) comes with its own specialised vocabulary that can be daunting for businesses encountering these concepts for the first time. From technical standards and data architecture terms to regulatory concepts and sustainability metrics, understanding the language of digital product passports is essential for effective compliance planning and implementation.

This glossary provides clear, accessible definitions of the key terms you will encounter when working with digital product passports under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) and related frameworks. Whether you are a product manager evaluating DPP solutions, a compliance officer preparing for new regulations, or a developer building DPP infrastructure, this reference guide will help you navigate the terminology with confidence.

The terms are organised thematically to help you understand how different concepts relate to each other. For a broader overview of the ESPR regulation itself, see our complete guide to the ESPR.

Core Digital Product Passport Terms

Digital Product Passport (DPP): A structured set of product-related data that is electronically accessible through a data carrier. The DPP contains information about a product's origin, composition, environmental impact, reparability, and end-of-life handling. Under the ESPR, DPPs will be mandatory for product categories covered by delegated acts. For a full explanation, see our guide on what a digital product passport is.

Data Carrier: A machine-readable medium, such as a QR code, RFID tag, or NFC chip, that is affixed to a product, its packaging, or accompanying documentation. The data carrier provides a link to the digital product passport and must remain functional throughout the product's expected lifespan. The ESPR specifies that the data carrier should use standardised formats, with the GS1 Digital Link being the primary recommended standard.

Unique Product Identifier (UPI): A distinctive code assigned to each product unit or batch that enables unambiguous identification. Under the ESPR, the unique product identifier links the physical product to its digital product passport. The identifier must be globally unique and follow standardised formats, typically based on GS1 standards such as the GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) combined with a serial number.

Unique Operator Identifier: A code that identifies the economic operator responsible for placing the product on the market. This enables traceability of products back to their manufacturer, importer, or authorised representative. The unique operator identifier is a mandatory element of the digital product passport.

Unique Facility Identifier: A code identifying the manufacturing facility or facilities where the product was produced. This supports supply chain transparency and enables verification of production conditions, environmental performance, and regulatory compliance at the facility level.

Technical Standards and Protocols

GS1 Digital Link: A standard that enables the encoding of product identification and other information into web-enabled data carriers such as QR codes. The GS1 Digital Link is the primary standard recommended for ESPR digital product passport data carriers, as it enables a single QR code to serve multiple purposes, including linking to the DPP, point-of-sale scanning, and supply chain management.

GTIN (Global Trade Item Number): A globally unique identifier for trade items, administered by GS1. GTINs are used within the GS1 system to identify products at various levels of packaging and are a key component of the unique product identifier in many DPP implementations.

Serialisation: The process of assigning a unique serial number to each individual product unit, enabling item-level identification and tracking. Serialisation is essential for DPPs that operate at the individual product level rather than the model or batch level.

Interoperability: The ability of different DPP systems and platforms to exchange and use data seamlessly. The ESPR emphasises interoperability to ensure that DPP data can be accessed by all authorised stakeholders regardless of which platform or technology was used to create the passport.

Decentralised Data Architecture: An approach to DPP data storage where information is held across multiple systems rather than in a single centralised database. The ESPR envisions a decentralised architecture where economic operators maintain their own DPP data, with a central registry providing lookup and discovery services.

Regulatory and Compliance Terms

Delegated Act: A legislative measure adopted by the European Commission under powers delegated by the ESPR. Delegated acts define specific ecodesign and information requirements for individual product categories, including which data must be included in the digital product passport. Each delegated act undergoes stakeholder consultation and scrutiny by the European Parliament and Council.

Economic Operator: Any natural or legal person involved in making a product available on the EU market. This includes manufacturers, authorised representatives, importers, distributors, fulfilment service providers, and online marketplace operators. Different economic operators have different obligations under the ESPR.

Conformity Assessment: The process of evaluating whether a product meets the requirements set out in applicable delegated acts. Conformity assessment may involve self-assessment by the manufacturer, third-party testing by notified bodies, or a combination of both, depending on the product category.

Declaration of Conformity: A formal document issued by the manufacturer or authorised representative declaring that a product complies with all applicable ESPR requirements. The declaration must reference specific delegated acts and be available to market surveillance authorities.

Market Surveillance: The activities carried out by national authorities to verify that products on the market comply with applicable requirements. Under the ESPR, market surveillance authorities have expanded powers to access DPP data, request documentation, and order corrective measures.

Notified Body: An organisation designated by an EU member state to carry out conformity assessment activities. For certain product categories, the ESPR may require third-party assessment by a notified body rather than manufacturer self-assessment.

Sustainability and Environmental Terms

Ecodesign Requirements: Performance and information requirements established through delegated acts that products must meet to be placed on the EU market. Performance requirements set minimum thresholds (e.g., minimum durability), while information requirements mandate the disclosure of specific product data.

Substances of Concern: Chemical substances present in a product that may pose risks to human health or the environment. The ESPR requires disclosure of substances of concern in the digital product passport to support informed consumer choices and safe end-of-life handling.

Carbon Footprint: The total greenhouse gas emissions associated with a product across its lifecycle, typically expressed in kilograms of CO2 equivalent. The ESPR may require carbon footprint tracking and disclosure through the digital product passport for certain product categories.

Recycled Content: The proportion of a product's material that is derived from recycled sources rather than virgin materials. ESPR delegated acts may set minimum recycled content requirements and mandate disclosure of recycled content percentages in the DPP.

Reparability Score: A rating indicating how easily a product can be repaired, considering factors such as spare parts availability, disassembly ease, and access to repair information. The ESPR may require reparability scores to be calculated using standardised methodologies and disclosed through labels and the DPP.

End-of-Life: The stage in a product's lifecycle when it is no longer used for its intended purpose. ESPR requirements address end-of-life handling by mandating information about disassembly, recycling, and safe disposal in the digital product passport.

Data and Access Terms

Access Rights: The permissions governing who can view specific data within a digital product passport. The ESPR establishes a tiered access model where different stakeholders (consumers, recyclers, market surveillance authorities) have access to different data sets within the same DPP.

Public Data: Information within the DPP that is accessible to any person or system without authentication. This typically includes basic product information, sustainability attributes, and consumer-relevant data.

Restricted Data: Information within the DPP that is accessible only to authorised stakeholders, such as market surveillance authorities, notified bodies, or waste management operators. This may include detailed technical specifications, trade-sensitive data, or information about substances of concern.

ESPR Registry: The EU registry, open since 20 July 2026 at registry.product-passport.ec.europa.eu, that indexes digital product passports without storing their data, enabling cross-border access and enforcement. The registry is designed to work with the decentralised data architecture, providing discovery and lookup services rather than storing all DPP data centrally.

Content Negotiation: A technical mechanism that allows a single DPP URL to serve different formats of data depending on who or what is requesting it. For example, a human scanning a QR code might receive an HTML page, while a machine making an API request might receive structured JSON-LD data. This approach is integral to the DPP's ability to serve diverse stakeholders through a single data carrier.

Supply Chain and Lifecycle Terms

Bill of Materials (BOM): A comprehensive list of all materials, components, and sub-assemblies used in the manufacture of a product. The BOM may feed into the DPP to provide transparency about material composition, sourcing, and recyclability.

Supply Chain Due Diligence: The process of investigating and verifying the environmental and social practices within a product's supply chain. The ESPR supports due diligence by requiring transparency about sourcing and production practices through the DPP.

Reverse Logistics: The processes involved in moving products from the end user back through the supply chain for returns, repair, refurbishment, or recycling. DPP data supports reverse logistics by providing information about product composition and disassembly procedures.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): A policy approach under which producers bear responsibility for the end-of-life management of their products, including collection, recycling, and disposal. DPP data can support EPR obligations by providing recyclers with detailed material composition information.

Circular Economy: An economic model that aims to eliminate waste and maximise the value of resources by keeping products, components, and materials in use for as long as possible. The digital product passport is a key enabler of the circular economy, providing the information needed for reuse, repair, refurbishment, and recycling.

Implementation and Platform Terms

DPP Platform: A software service that enables businesses to create, manage, and host digital product passports. Platforms like MyProductPassport provide tools for data entry, QR code generation, public passport pages, and compliance management.

API (Application Programming Interface): A set of protocols and tools that enables different software systems to communicate and exchange data. DPP platforms typically provide APIs for integrating passport creation and management into existing business systems such as ERP, PLM, and e-commerce platforms.

Batch Passport: A digital product passport that applies to a batch or production run of identical products, rather than to individual units. Batch passports may be appropriate for lower-value products where item-level serialisation is not practical or required.

Model-Level Passport: A digital product passport that applies to all products of the same model or type. This approach is the simplest to implement but provides less granular traceability than batch or item-level passports.

Item-Level Passport: A digital product passport assigned to each individual product unit, providing the highest level of traceability. Item-level passports are typically required for higher-value products or those where individual tracking is important for safety, maintenance, or end-of-life management.

This glossary will be updated as the ESPR and its delegated acts continue to develop. For the latest terminology and requirements, monitor the European Commission's ESPR resources and our regularly updated blog articles.