How to Start Preparing Your Product Data for the EU Digital Product Passport

The EU's Digital Product Passport (DPP) will soon become mandatory for products such as textiles, electronics, and batteries.
Even though 2027 feels far away, data gathering can take months — sometimes years.
Here's how you can start preparing today.

Step 1: Understand what information you'll need

Each product will require structured, digital data.
Typical data points include:

• •Product identifiers — name, SKU, model number
• •Materials and composition
• •Supplier details
• •Environmental impact and recyclability
• •Certifications (OEKO-TEX, REACH, GOTS, etc.)
• •End-of-life information (repair, recycling, disposal)

This data must be machine-readable and standardized, linked to your product via a QR code or digital label.

Step 2: Centralize your product information

Your product data might currently live in spreadsheets, emails, or supplier folders.
To comply, you'll need a single source of truth.

Start by:

• •Storing all product data in one location
• •Using consistent file names and formats
• •Defining who owns and updates each dataset

Step 3: Engage your suppliers early

Suppliers provide much of the required data — from material composition to certifications.
Ask them:

• •Can they share data digitally (CSV, XML, etc.)?
• •Are they aware of the DPP rules?
• •What certifications do they already hold?

Building these habits now prevents a scramble later.

Step 4: Track your compliance progress

Create a simple dashboard or checklist:

• •Mark products as "Ready," "In Progress," or "Missing Data."
• •Focus on the biggest data gaps first.
• •Share visibility with your team and partners.

Step 5: Automate with software

Eventually, you'll need tools that can:

• •Store supplier data securely
• •Validate it against DPP requirements
• •Generate compliant passports automatically

That's where Tracebase comes in.