Environment
DIGITAL PRODUCT PASSPORTS: WHAT SHOULD WIDE-FORMAT PRINTERS EXPECT?
WITH DIGITAL PRODUCT
PASSPORTS SET TO MAKE THEIR INTRODUCTION IN 2027, ASSISTANT EDITOR BENJAMIN AUSTIN DELVES INTO WHAT WIDE-FORMAT PRINT PROVIDERS CAN EXPECT.
Digital Product Passports (DPPs) are set to become an increasingly important part of how products are made, sold and tracked in the EU, and though these changes may not apply to wide-format printers’ directors at first, the implications could see themselves leak into the industry. Put simply, a DPP is a digital record containing information about a product.
The European Commission describes it as a ‘digital container’ for information about products, components and materials. A physical product could carry a QR code or another type of data carrier. Scanning it could then provide access to information about the product, such as what it is made from, where its materials came from, how it can be repaired or reused, and what should happen to it at the end of its life. The important point is that the QR code itself is not the passport. It is simply a way of connecting the physical product to its digital information. The system forms part of the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), which is intended to make products more sustainable and make information about them easier to access. The first major mandatory application arrives
on February 18, 2027, when certain batteries, including electric vehicle batteries, light means of
20 | October/November 2026
transport batteries and some industrial batteries, will require a DPP. For the print industry, however, textiles are arguably the most important area to watch. The European Commission currently plans to adopt the delegated act covering textile products in Q4 2027.
This legislation will set out exactly what
information needs to be included and who will be responsible for providing it. This may be a year ahead, but it is still
important to understand it, what could happen, and what legislative changes to prepare for.
WHY DOES THIS MATTER TO PRINTERS? The basic idea behind DPPs is traceability. Today, a printer might know which substrate
or garment it has bought, but information about where that material came from, what it contains and what happens to it after use can be spread across different suppliers and documents. DPPs are intended to bring more of this
information together. This aligns closely with the sustainability changes already underway across the printing industry. FESPA’s work on sustainable textile and apparel decoration highlights areas including recycled and organic materials, more sustainable inks, waterless printing, waste reduction and greater efficiency.
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