The Digital Product Passport Registry is Now Live in the European Union

On July 20, 2026, the European Commission officially launched the Digital Product Passport (DPP) Registry along with its testing environment. This announcement by the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs marks a crucial milestone for economic operators placing products on the EU market, as the system serves as a fundamental technological pillar for the circular economy and supply chain transparency.

Putting the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) into Practice

Established under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (EU) 2024/1781, the Digital Product Passport is a specific digital container of product information. Its explicit purpose is to strengthen supply chain transparency, support more informed consumer choices, and facilitate regulatory compliance across the entire European Single Market.

Although the physical storage of product data is handled in a decentralised manner, economic operators are now required to register each Digital Product Passport in the newly launched central Registry. This database provides the secure infrastructure essential for recording unique product identifiers and their closely associated metadata. The current launch follows the adoption of the Implementing Regulation that set the practical arrangements for the Registry, thereby bringing one of the most critical technological components of the DPP system into operation.

Affected Product Categories and Extended Legislative Scope

The registration system primarily supports products covered by the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation. According to the regulation, specific product groups include:

• textiles,

• steel and aluminium,

• tyres,

• furniture,

• ICT (information and communication technology) products,

• and various energy-related products.

Furthermore, the database is technologically capable of handling and supporting product groups for which other Union legislation requires Digital Product Passport registration. This extended scope includes certain types of large batteries, construction products, toys, detergents, and end-user surfactants.

Clear Implementation Rules and Modern Technological Access

The Implementing Regulation created clear frameworks for the operation of the new database. It details strict rules for access management and user verification, sets the requirements for the registration and storage of necessary data, and defines the complete technical architecture of the Registry.

The registration process is accessible to businesses through either a secure user interface or an application programming interface (API). The API connection enables economic operators—where appropriate—to integrate the registration process directly into their existing digital systems.

Businesses can also request proof of registration from the system in the form of a secure electronic document. This electronic document can be crucial for demonstrating regulatory compliance to third parties, particularly during business-to-business (B2B) transactions. The regulation further clarifies the respective responsibilities of the European Commission and EU member states, ensuring legal certainty, predictability, and systemic trust.

Optimized for Usability, Interoperability, and Data Security

Responding to prior feedback from EU member states and professional stakeholders, the database was designed with a strong focus on usability, interoperability, and trust. Businesses receive free access to a semantic repository. Through documented APIs, this repository provides machine-readable data models, definitions, and vocabularies for various product groups.

The central data dictionary supports interoperability, facilitates data management, and significantly reduces administrative burdens during the gradual rollout of the Digital Product Passport across different sectors. The system’s security is reinforced by a robust verification framework and an advanced logging system, guaranteeing both accountability and reliable access management. By establishing these foundations, the Commission is fostering a more transparent Single Market and advancing the circular economy.

Published Standards and the Approaching 2027 Deadline

To technically support the creation of Digital Product Passports and complement the Registry, a total of 8 harmonised standards were developed in close cooperation with the CEN-CENELEC standardisation organisation. These standards form the technical baseline for the DPP system’s interoperability. National standardisation bodies have already officially published 6 of these standards, covering the following technical areas:

1. Unique identifiers

2. Interoperability

3. Data carriers

4. APIs

5. Data exchange protocols

6. Data storage

The European Commission has already published references to the harmonised parts of these standards. Alongside the launch, the Commission continues to support implementation, ensuring the Registry is accessible and secure for all users. The current testing phase is specifically designed to ensure a smooth rollout ahead of the first critical implementation deadline of February 18, 2027—a date that applies to specific types of large batteries.

For economic operators, the new dedicated DPP website now provides access to the testing environment, technical documentation, implementation guidelines, and several webinars. A dedicated helpdesk is also available to assist businesses with the registration process.

Reference to the Official Announcement:

• The Digital Product Passport Registry is now live (European Commission, July 20, 2026)