# EU Digital Product Passport: What Hardware Brands Need to Prepare For

The EU Digital Product Passport is a machine-readable record — accessible via a QR code or data carrier on the product — that captures sustainability, supply chain, and end-of-life information throughout a product's lifecycle. It starts with batteries and textiles, then expands to electronics and more. For hardware companies, it's a supply chain data infrastructure challenge, and the window to prepare is narrowing.


## Transcript

### A QR code that must know your product's entire life

The EU Digital Product Passport will require your product to carry a QR code linking to a digital record of its materials, repairability, and end-of-life handling. It starts with batteries. Electronics are next. Most hardware companies don't have the supply chain data to comply yet.

### Scope, timeline, and what the passport contains

The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation introduced the Digital Product Passport in 2024, rolling out by category. Batteries lead under Regulation 2023/1542, with industrial and EV passports required from 2026. Electronics are next — most data must come from suppliers.

### How to get ahead of the requirement

Start by auditing the supply chain data you currently capture from suppliers — most companies find real gaps. Ask suppliers for material composition, recycled content, and substance data now. Track the ESPR delegated act timeline for your category. Build these workflows now, not later.

Tags: EU Digital Product Passport, DPP, Ecodesign, supply chain, sustainability compliance