Get your bearings on terms fast

The circular economy is an economic model in which products, materials and raw materials are used for as long as possible and kept in the economic cycle. The goal is to avoid waste, use resources efficiently and reduce the need for new raw materials. This is achieved, among other things, through durable products, repair, reuse, refurbishment and recycling.

A delegated act is a legal act adopted by the European Commission that supplements existing EU legislation with specific technical or substantive requirements. It serves to further specify general legal requirements without changing the actual legislative text. Under the ESPR, delegated acts establish, among other things, the specific requirements for individual product groups, such as which information must be included in the Digital Product Passport.

Implementing acts, in turn, regulate how the requirements of an EU regulation are implemented uniformly in the Member States.

A digital identifier is a unique code that enables a product or product record to be identified and its associated information to be retrieved. In the context of the Digital Product Passport (DPP), the digital identifier is used to uniquely reference and provide access to a product’s DPP. It establishes the link between the physical product and the associated digital information. Digital identifiers can be made accessible on products, for example, via QR codes, RFID tags, or other data carriers. Standardised identification systems such as GS1’s Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) are frequently used for this purpose.

The DPP ecosystem encompasses all actors, systems, standards and processes required for creating, managing, exchanging and using Digital Product Passports (DPP). It connects companies along the entire value chain with technical infrastructures and shared standards to make product information available throughout a product's entire lifecycle.

The DPP ecosystem includes, among others, manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, DPP service providers, repair businesses, recycling companies, authorities and consumers. It also includes identification standards, data carriers, data models, interfaces, and systems for data exchange and storage.

A key goal of the DPP ecosystem is to make product information interoperably available across company and system boundaries, thereby promoting transparency, the circular economy and regulatory compliance.

Under Article 2(32) of the ESPR, a DPP service provider is an independent third party that supports economic operators with the technical implementation and operation of Digital Product Passports. This includes, among other things, the storage, processing, registration, updating and provision of DPP data.

Digital Product Passport service providers act as independent service providers on behalf of the responsible economic operators. Under Article 10(4) of the ESPR, the responsible economic operator must provide a back-up copy of the DPP through such a service provider. This also applies if the economic operator operates the DPP itself.

The ESPR (Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation) provides that the European Commission may establish specific requirements for DPP service providers by means of a delegated act, potentially including a certification scheme. These requirements are intended, among other things, to ensure the security, reliability, interoperability and long-term availability of DPP data.

A data model describes which information is captured, how it is defined, what it means, and how it is logically related in terms of content. It thus forms the basis for the semantic interpretation of data by different systems. In the Digital Product Passport, for example, a data model answers questions such as: What information describes a product? What information describes materials, components, or suppliers? How are repairs, spare parts, or recycling information represented? What relationships exist between this information?

A data model does not specify the technical format in which data is stored or transmitted. Rather, it describes the structure, definition, meaning, and relationships of the information. For example, the same data model can be implemented in JSON, XML, or other data formats. Data models are a key prerequisite for machine-interpretability. Only when different systems use the same vocabularies for information objects, properties, and relationships can data be understood and processed automatically. In the DPP context, data models therefore play a key role in interoperability, data exchange, and the implementation of standardised product passports across company and system boundaries.

Practical example: Two companies can both use the JSON data format. If one company describes a material as “substance” and the other as “material,” or if they use different structures, automated understanding remains difficult. A shared data model ensures that the same information has the same meaning for different systems.

A data format defines the technical form in which information is stored, transmitted, or exchanged. Examples of data formats include PDF, HTML, JSON, XML, and CSV. Data formats differ in terms of their structure and intended use. While PDF is primarily used to present information to people, formats such as JSON, XML, and CSV are often used for the machine-readable exchange of data between different systems.

In the context of the Digital Product Passport, machine-readable data formats play an important role, as they enable the automated exchange and processing of product information. Unlike a data model, however, a data format does not describe the meaning or relationships of information, but only its technical representation. Example: The same data model can be implemented in both the JSON data format and the XML data format.

The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) is a European regulation. It is intended to promote the transition to a circular economy by making products more sustainable and keeping resources in the economic cycle for longer. To this end, it provides the legal framework for the Digital Product Passport (DPP) and defines the fundamental legal and technical framework conditions for its design. It specifies which physical goods placed on the market or put into service in the EU are to have a Digital Product Passport and prioritises certain product groups for initial concrete implementation. However, the requirements and data applicable to the DPP for the respective product group are defined in product-specific delegated acts.

Under the ESPR (Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation), an economic operator is a natural or legal person that manufactures, imports, distributes, makes available or places products on the market in the course of its business activities. The most important economic operators include manufacturers, authorised representatives, importers and distributors. Depending on their role, they assume different tasks and obligations in connection with products and the Digital Product Passport. Responsibility for compliance with the legal requirements is assigned in each case to the economic operator who is responsible for the product concerned under the applicable legislation.

An economic operator placing a product on the market is the person or organisation that first makes a product available on the European market. Depending on the product and supply chain, this can be, for example, a manufacturer or an importer. In connection with the Digital Product Passport (DPP), this economic operator is of particular importance, since responsibility for providing and ensuring the availability of the DPP generally lies with the party that places the product on the European market or puts it into service.

EPCIS is a GS1 standard for capturing and exchanging event and traceability data in a standardised, machine-readable format.

EPCIS enables event information to be exchanged along the value chain. This includes information about what happened to a product, when an event took place, where it took place, and who was involved. This information can be processed and interpreted across systems.

Thus, in connection with the Digital Product Passport, EPCIS can help provide standardised and interoperable information on product movements, supply chain events, and other product-related information.

GS1 is an international standards organisation that develops widely used technical specifications for the identification, labelling, and exchange of product information worldwide. In connection with the Digital Product Passport (DPP), specifications such as GTIN (Global Trade Item Number), GS1 Digital Link, and EPCIS (Electronic Product Code Information Services) play a particularly important role. They support the unique identification of products and the interoperable exchange of product and event data along the value chain.

The GTIN is a globally standardised identification number that serves as a digital identifier for the unique identification of products. A GTIN consists of a sequence of numbers that uniquely identifies a specific product type internationally.

Example: GTIN 04012345678903. This number can be used on packaging, in barcodes, or in product data. In connection with the Digital Product Passport, the GTIN can be part of a GS1 Digital Link, which can be used to access the associated Digital Product Passport of a product.

The GS1 Digital Link is a GS1 standard that maps product identification numbers to a standardised Internet address (URL).

Example: https://example.com/01/04012345678903. The product’s GTIN (“04012345678903”) is directly included in this URL. This allows products to be uniquely linked to digital information, such as a Digital Product Passport, via QR codes.

Interoperability refers to the ability of different systems to exchange data with one another and process it correctly. In the context of the Digital Product Passport (DPP), interoperability encompasses both the technical level of data exchange and the semantic level of a shared understanding of data. For data to be used throughout the entire value chain, companies, software solutions, and platforms must use common identifiers, data formats, interfaces (technical level), and terminology systems (semantic level). Interoperability thus enables the reliable exchange and further processing of product data between manufacturers, suppliers, retailers, repair businesses, recycling companies, and authorities.

An implementing act specifies how existing requirements of an EU regulation are to be implemented uniformly in all Member States. For example, it can define technical procedures, data formats, registration processes or specific workflows in greater detail.

A delegated act, in turn, supplements or specifies non-essential elements of a regulation, such as the requirements for a specific product group.

Machine-readability describes a system's ability to automatically capture and process data without it first having to be manually transferred or interpreted. Unlike information contained in printed documents, which is primarily intended for human reading and interpretation, machine-readable data exists in a structured form that can be read and processed directly by software applications. Machine-readability is an important prerequisite for the automated exchange, further processing and use of DPP data across company and system boundaries.

Machine-interpretability refers to a system’s ability to automatically recognise the meaning of data and process it correctly. While machine-readability enables systems to read data automatically, machine-interpretability also enables them to understand the meaning of that data. For this, it is not enough for data to be technically readable; its structure and meaning must also be clearly defined. Machine-interpretability is an important prerequisite for semantic interoperability and the automated processing of DPP data.

Placing on the market refers to the first time a product is made available on the European market. Under the ESPR (Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation), placing on the market is an important legal reference point. The requirements applicable to a product must generally be met no later than this point in time. These include, in particular, the declaration of conformity with the applicable regulations, the required product information and, where prescribed, the Digital Product Passport. In addition, various obligations and deadlines under the ESPR are tied to the time of placing on the market.

Putting into service refers to the first use of a product for its intended purpose within the European Union. Under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), it is an important legal reference point, as various documentation and retention obligations must be fulfilled by that time at the latest.

The PPWR (Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation), also known as the EU Packaging Regulation, is Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on packaging and packaging waste. It replaces the previous EU Packaging Directive and has generally applied since 12 August 2026.

The regulation sets requirements for the sustainability, recyclability, reuse and labelling of packaging. The aim is to reduce packaging waste, use resources more efficiently and promote the circular economy.

The connection with the Digital Product Passport (DPP) concerns the digital provision of information. If corresponding digital information is required for a packaged product and its packaging, this information must be accessible via a shared data carrier. However, the PPWR does not introduce a general obligation to have a separate DPP for packaging.

Repairability describes a product's characteristic of being able to be restored to working order in the event of defects or wear. In the context of the ESPR and the Digital Product Passport (DPP), it is a key element of the circular economy. The goal is not only to enable repairs technically, but also to support them through access to relevant product information. For this purpose, the DPP is intended to provide information on spare parts, maintenance, disassembly or repair procedures and — depending on the respective access rights — make it available to independent repair businesses and other actors as well.

Recyclability refers to a product’s property of being able to be treated at the end of its useful life in such a way that the materials it contains can be recovered at the highest possible quality. In the context of the ESPR and the Digital Product Passport (DPP), it is a key element of the circular economy. The DPP is intended to provide information that supports the identification of materials, the disassembly of components, and the handling of relevant substances.

Semantic interoperability refers to the ability of different systems to interpret the meaning of data consistently. It ensures that the same information is understood in the same way regardless of the system used. In the context of the Digital Product Passport (DPP), this is achieved through shared data models, standardised definitions of terms, and controlled vocabularies. This ensures that data fields and their meaning are clearly defined across systems. For example, different systems understand that “steel” or “wool” are types of material, that “30%” represents a recycled content share, or that a specific status indicates the repair condition of a product.

Technical interoperability describes the ability of different systems to exchange and process data via standardised technical mechanisms. In the context of the Digital Product Passport (DPP), it is enabled by common identifiers, data carriers, data formats, communication protocols and application programming interfaces (APIs). It ensures that product information can be transmitted, retrieved and further processed between different systems.

A value chain encompasses all actors and processes involved in the development, manufacture, provision, use, and recovery of a product. In the context of the Digital Product Passport (DPP), the value chain plays a central role because the information required for the DPP generally has to be provided by various actors along this chain. These include, for example, raw material suppliers, component suppliers, manufacturers, importers, distributors, repair businesses, and recycling companies. In addition, the value chain is important for the DPP because relevant product information is intended to be made available and usable throughout the entire chain.