Digital Product Passport based on GS1 standards
The Digital Product Passport compiles data from various sources
In the coming years, a Digital Product Passport (DPP) will be required for nearly all products placed on the EU market. It provides consumers with information on a product’s origin, composition, sustainability, and life cycle stages.
The information required for the Digital Product Passport is generated by various organisations and systems—such as manufacturers, suppliers, logistics operators, and retailers. For the product passport to work in practice, a common approach is needed to
- unambiguously identify products
- share information between different systems
- ensure that the information is understandable to all parties.
Product data interoperability is the foundation of the Digital Product Passport.
GS1 standards enable interoperability
GS1 standards provide a common structure and language for the Digital Product Passport, enabling different data and systems to work together.
Key standards from the product passport perspective include, for example:
- GS1 2D code – links the consumer to the product’s digital information
- GTIN code – uniquely identifies the product globally
- GLN code – uniquely identifies companies, entities, and locations
- EPCIS – provides a framework for sharing transaction data and enables traceability
When the same, existing standards are widely used across different actors, data does not remain confined to individual systems but flows and can be utilised seamlessly throughout the value chain and more broadly across various industries.
All products sold in stores already have a global product identifier—the GS1 GTIN code—which can be scanned at the checkout and is also usable when implementing the Digital Product Passport.
GS1 standards form the foundation upon which various digital solutions can be built to work together seamlessly. At the same time, an approach based on open standards reduces a company’s dependence on individual technology providers and supports long-term development.
Thanks to these standards, a company’s
- data is not locked into a single system
- solutions from different vendors can utilise the same data
- systems can be developed and replaced without losing data compatibility.