As the European Union prepares to introduce the Digital Product Passport (DPP), manufacturers across industry face both a regulatory challenge and a potentially transformative opportunity.
Although many practical details are still being developed, the DPP’s potential extends beyond sustainability compliance. It could unlock value across several business areas by making product and lifecycle information more accessible.
Here, Kaja Flottorp, sustainability specialist at metal-cutting and manufacturing solutions provider Sandvik Coromant, explores what manufacturers currently know about the Digital Product Passport and how they can begin preparing.
What is a Digital Product Passport?
Introduced under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), the Digital Product Passport is expected to take the form of a structured digital record containing lifecycle data for an individual product.
Potential data categories include material composition, carbon footprint, repairability and end-of-life instructions. However, the exact information requirements, technical format and implementation arrangements will depend on the rules developed for individual product groups.
DPP requirements will be introduced progressively for products regulated under the ESPR. The specific information contained in each passport will therefore vary according to the relevant product category and its delegated act.
How is Sandvik preparing?
Some organisations have used their own versions of the Digital Product Passport for several years. One example can be found within the wider Sandvik Group.
Development of Sandvik’s battery passport began in 2023 within its mining business area, where an initial minimum viable product was created. Since then, the initiative has developed in stages, progressing from the definition of its underlying system architecture to the creation of a scalable solution intended to support all Sandvik divisions.
Beyond batteries, this work is laying the foundation for broader DPP deployment across the company. By enabling end-to-end material traceability, the solution supports the responsible sourcing of critical raw materials and improves the accuracy of carbon-footprint reporting.
It also creates opportunities for second-life applications and recycling by making information such as battery health, composition and handling requirements more accessible throughout the product lifecycle.
For Sandvik, the initiative is both a compliance measure and a way to support greater transparency and more circular business models.
Looking beyond individual companies, DPPs are expected to reshape how products are placed, sold and traded across the EU market. While many aspects of the framework are still being defined, its overall direction is becoming clearer.
As the EU develops the product-specific regulatory requirements, businesses can begin preparing by investing in traceability, data infrastructure and lifecycle transparency.
What progress has been made?
The European Commission’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products and Energy Labelling Working Plan for 2025–2030 identifies iron and steel as priority intermediate products.
This means that iron and steel are among the product groups selected for the development of more detailed ecodesign and information requirements. These rules will be developed through preparatory studies, impact assessments and consultation before being adopted through delegated acts.
Potential data categories for iron and steel could include product and producer identification, material composition, technical information, environmental and circularity data, and details of substances of concern. The final requirements will depend on the outcome of the regulatory development process.
What is becoming clear is the broader direction of travel. Iron and steel have been prioritised because of their environmental impact and their central role in industrial supply chains. Early requirements are expected to place considerable emphasis on energy efficiency, environmental performance and material transparency.
Given this evolving landscape, manufacturers should avoid anchoring their plans to dates that have not been confirmed in final product-specific legislation. Instead, they can begin by understanding what information is already available, how it is structured and where gaps remain.
Which business functions will be involved?
At its core, the DPP is presented as a sustainability initiative. It is expected to support more efficient remanufacturing, facilitate second-life applications and improve recycling outcomes.
However, it should not be treated solely as the responsibility of sustainability managers. In practice, it will sit at the intersection of several business functions.
Compliance teams will need to understand which types of information must be provided and determine what can or should be shared publicly. IT teams will need to assess whether existing systems can support the structuring, storage and exchange of product data.
Operations and product teams will play a critical role in ensuring that accurate and consistent information is captured at source. Procurement teams may also need to work more closely with suppliers to improve upstream visibility and traceability.
Taken together, the DPP represents a shift in how product data is managed, governed and used across an organisation. Businesses that begin aligning these functions before the detailed requirements are finalised will be better placed to respond when greater clarity emerges.
Turning product data into business value
To help manufacturers prepare for DPP requirements, Sandvik Coromant is participating in the Digital Metal Value Chain collaboration coordinated by the industrial research institute Swerim.
Together with partners across the steel value chain, the initiative is exploring how information such as material composition, environmental performance and chain of custody can be structured, shared and applied in practice.
As an early participant, Sandvik Coromant is focusing on testing practical use cases, identifying information gaps and turning existing product data into business value through pilot projects rather than waiting for every regulatory detail to be finalised.
The EU’s Digital Product Passport initiative has the potential to reshape how manufacturers design, document and deliver products. While industry awaits the detailed product-specific requirements, manufacturers can begin assessing what enhanced traceability means for their supply chains and how it can be incorporated into everyday operations.
By establishing the necessary data and traceability foundations now, manufacturers can move from reactive compliance towards proactive value creation.
Learn more about Sandvik Coromant’s approach to sustainable manufacturing.
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