What is Digital Product Passports (DPP)

Imagine you are shopping online or in a shop for sofa, electronics, batteries etc and it came with a digital identity card.

This could tell everything about that product.

• · Where it comes from

• · What it is made of

• · Who made it

• · How can you recycle it when you are done using it?

In short, a digital product passport is an online document that contains important information about a product's entire life, from creation to disposal.

It’s like a product biography where you can easily see it at the time of purchasing.

How Does Digital Passport Work?

1. Creation:

When a company makes a product, they create a digital record about it. This record includes:

• · Materials used

• · How it was made

• · Where it was made

• · Who made it

• · How to repair it

• · How to recycle or dispose of it properly

2. Storage:This record is stored on a secure online platform, like a cloud-based or sometimes blockchain, for extra security.

3. Access: Anyone can scan a QR code to access the product information digitally and learn about the product.

Why Everyone Talks About It:

There are three big reasons.

1. Sustainability Matters More: Governments and people want companies to be more responsible. DPPs show if the product is eco-friendly, uses fair labour and is recyclable.

2. New Laws Are Coming:In Europe, laws will soon require many products to have a digital product passport.

3. Smart Technology Makes it Easy: Today scanning a QR code and instantly accessing data is for everyone. It is similar to that of the Covid days when restaurants started to give QR cards to see the menu through mobile instead of a menu book.

At first DPPs started with:

• · Clothing (especially fast fashion)

• · Electronics (Mobile, Laptop, PCs)

• · Funiture (like beds, sofas)

• · Batteries (especially electric car batteries)

How will they help the world?

Big Benefits:

• · Better Recycling: Knowing what material they are made from made it easy for companies to recycle.

• · Less Waste: Due to the information available about the parts, people can repair it; hence, there will be less wastage.

• · Honest Shopping: Buyers can see companies are ethical; for instance, they are not using child labour or bad materials.

• · Support for Circular Economy: A circular economy in which products are reused, repaired and recycled DPPs made it this possible so that people do not throw it away.

Example of How It Works:

• · You buy a jacket: There’s a QR code inside; you scan it and see that it is made from 80% recycled product, stitched in Italy, and can be recycled at specific shops.

• · You Buy Laptop: The DPP tells how to replace the battery yourself and where to send it when it gets older.

• · You Buy a Sofa: You find out it uses sustainably grown wood and recycled fabric.

Challenges of Digital Product Passports:

Of course, there are still some challenges.

• · Data Privacy: Companies must protect your personal data while providing product info.

• · Cost: Small businesses might find it expensive to create DPPs for every product.

• · Standardization: Everyone needs to agree on what information should be included, or else it becomes confusing.

• · Updates: Companies have to change the product information every time they repair, upgrade or recall products.

Future of Digital Product Passports:

Experts believe that by 2030,

• · Almost every product has a DPP.

• · Big e-commerce platforms like Amazon will show DPP next to the buy button.

• · Repair shops will use DPPs to make repairs faster.

• · Government will reward companies and give them tax companies that use DPPs.

Final Thoughts:

Digital product passports are not just a cool idea but a powerful one which may change our shopping habits. On top of that, they help to reduce waste and push the companies to be more honest.