Industries First Affected

Shopping carts with boxes coming out of a smartphone – symbol of digital commerce and product passports.

When, What, How?

The Digital Product Passport (DPP) is rolled out in phases on the ESPR delegated-act schedule (Working Plan 2025–2030, adopted 16 April 2025). The first mandatory digital passport in the EU is in fact the battery passport — from 18 February 2027 under the separate Battery Regulation (EU) 2023/1542. Among the ESPR product groups, iron and steel comes first (2026 delegated act), followed by aluminium and textiles (2027) and furniture (2028). Producers, importers and traders of steel and textiles will feel it first, and they will set the standard for the categories that follow across the European market.

What does being first in line mean for your digital product passport?

If your product is in one of these groups, the passport is a project with a date. After the steel delegated act there is an 18-month grace period, then iron and steel producers must keep passports with composition, recycled content, carbon footprint and production route. Aluminium and textiles follow the same pattern a year later.

DigitalProductPassport by WIARA already has templates for reinforcing steel, aluminium and textiles, so those fields are a form to fill in rather than a schema to design. Open a demo passport, check whether your product needs one and see what it would cost; the free tier covers three passports in total.

First with DPP

List of Affected Industries

Iron and steel

The first ESPR delegated act is adopted in 2026. After an 18-month grace period, companies must maintain DPPs with data on composition, recycled content, carbon footprint and production route (~2027–2028). Linked to the Industrial Accelerator Act: from 1 January 2029 public procurement for steel requires at least 25% low-carbon steel.

Aluminium

ESPR delegated act – 2027. Like steel: requirements for recycled content, carbon footprint and material origin. The proposed Industrial Accelerator Act would require, from 1 January 2029, at least 25% low-carbon, EU-made aluminium in public contracts for buildings, infrastructure and vehicles. The sector matters to European industry through its automotive and construction supply chains. Aluminium is an energy-intensive industry, so being able to prove origin and carbon intensity will be a key competitive advantage in green public procurement.

Textiles and clothing

The textile delegated act is expected in 2027; DPP compliance itself starts ~2028–2029 (after the 18-month grace period). A separate, earlier measure: from 19 July 2026 large enterprises may not destroy unsold textiles and footwear. The revision of the Textile Labelling Regulation (TLR) is expected as a proposal in Q2 2026 – a mandatory digital label even outside the scope of the ESPR DPP. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for textiles is now mandatory too, under the revised Waste Framework Directive (Directive (EU) 2025/1892, in force since 16 October 2025): an eco-modulated per-product fee for every producer and importer, with Member States setting up the schemes by ~2028.

Furniture

ESPR delegated act – 2028; DPP compliance starts ~2029–2030. Passports will contain data on material origin, repairability, recyclability and carbon footprint. A sector with a large volume of waste and low recyclability – critical for the circular economy. For European furniture producers this is an opportunity to differentiate their products on the European market through proven sustainability, especially in the B2B segment (hotels, office fit-out, public sector).

Electronics

Electronics is in the Working Plan as a later-stage priority (through 2030). Expected DPP data: energy efficiency, repairability, component traceability, end-of-life waste-management information. The sector is particularly complex because of long supply chains – chips, PCBs and rare-earth elements often come from dozens of suppliers across regions. DPP will require manufacturers to keep transparency on composition and to provide access to spare parts for a minimum period after market placement.

Batteries (separate regulation)

Batteries are not under ESPR but under the Battery Regulation (EU) 2023/1542. The Battery Passport is mandatory from 18 February 2027 for all EV batteries, industrial batteries above 2 kWh, and light means of transport – the first real example of a digital passport in operation in the EU. The passport will contain data on chemical composition, carbon footprint, recycled raw-material share (lithium, cobalt, nickel), expected lifespan and reuse possibilities. This sets the standard for all subsequent ESPR DPP regimes – battery manufacturers will be the first to operationally test the registry and the technical infrastructure.

Construction products and materials

Construction products are not in ESPR but under the separate Construction Products Regulation (CPR). The delegated act for DPP service providers is expected in Q2 2027; the first product-group standards (cement and concrete) by the end of 2027. Mandatory DPP then phases in product-family by product-family, with an 18-month window. This matters for construction companies across the EU – CBAM already requires proof of carbon footprint for steel, cement and aluminium imports, and DPP adds product-level traceability on top.

Tablet with digital diagrams and user interface, symbol of technology industries.

Business and the New EU Rules: Time for DPP

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Being ready in time: DigitalProductPassport by WIARA

If your sector is on this list, the passport is a project with a date on it, not a watching brief.

DigitalProductPassport by WIARA is a cloud platform built by WIARA, a software company. Passports are published from ready-made ESPR and CPR templates that are maintained as the rules change, so the work left before a deadline is collecting product data rather than building software.

The free plan covers 3 passports in total. What the platform does is set out on the product page, and the plans and their limits are on pricing.

DPP

Frequently Asked Questions

Among the ESPR product groups, iron and steel comes first, with a delegated act in 2026, followed by aluminium and textiles in 2027 and furniture in 2028. The battery passport arrives earlier, on 18 February 2027, but under the separate Battery Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, not the ESPR. These sectors have a high environmental footprint and a strong need for traceability.

They must ensure that every product has a valid passport, accessible to customers, partners, and regulators. This is a condition for placing products on the European market.

These sectors are associated with high emissions, difficult recyclability, and significant waste. DPP aims to reduce environmental impact and promote more sustainable production.

Information about composition, material origin, energy efficiency, carbon footprint, repairability, recyclability, and conditions for safe use.

It will provide transparency and traceability, facilitating collaboration, trust, and access to new markets in the EU.

Earlier compliance, avoiding sanctions, competitive advantage, greater customer trust, and the opportunity for financing through European programs.

Yes. Tyres, mattresses and chemicals follow later in the ESPR Working Plan, and electronics towards the end of the decade. Construction products get their passport under the separate Construction Products Regulation, family by family from around 2029.

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