How to Create a Digital Product Passport (DPP) — Step-by-Step Guide

Why you should create your DPP now — not in a rush in 2027

The EU central registry opens in July 2026. First legal obligations take effect in February 2027 for batteries, extending to textiles and steel in the second half of 2027.

That timeline might seem comfortable. It is not. Companies working through DPP rollouts estimate that full implementation takes 6 to 18 months, depending on catalogue complexity and supplier responsiveness.

Creating your DPPs now means:

• Avoiding the 2026 bottleneck when your competitors will all be chasing the same service providers simultaneously
• Using the QR code as a marketing asset today, well before the regulatory deadline
• Embedding traceability requirements into your next purchasing contracts while there is still time
• Testing and refining the process on a handful of references before scaling to your full catalogue

What you need before creating a DPP

A DPP is not a quick form — it is a structured digital identity for your product. Before you start, map out who in your organisation holds which data.

For most SMEs, identification and care instructions are quickly available. Environmental data is the most time-consuming to obtain — start with family-level estimates and refine as you go.

For a full breakdown of what a DPP must contain by sector, see our complete Digital Product Passport guide.

The 5 steps to create a compliant DPP

Step 1 — Identify your affected products

Start with an inventory. List the product categories you sell in the EU and cross-reference with the ESPR timeline:

• Batteries and accumulators: mandatory from February 2027 → see the DPP batteries page
• Textiles, garments, footwear: delegated act expected 2026, enforcement 2027 → see the DPP textile page
• Steel, aluminium, electronics: timeline 2028–2029

If you are an importer — meaning you manufacture outside the EU and sell within it — you are responsible for DPP compliance, not your overseas supplier.

Step 2 — Collect your product data

This is the most time-consuming step. For each reference, gather:

1. Identification data: trade name, model, serial number or GTIN, brand, product category
2. Composition: materials, percentages, geographic origin, substances of concern (SCIP/REACH)
3. Certifications: labels obtained, standards complied with, durability scores
4. Environmental data: carbon footprint (kg CO₂e), water consumption, recyclability rate
5. Instructions: care guidance, repair manual, end-of-life guidelines

A simple spreadsheet is enough to get started. Most DPP generators accept CSV imports, letting you process dozens of references in a single operation.

Step 3 — Choose an ESPR-compliant DPP generator

Not all tools are equal. A reliable DPP generator must meet several non-negotiable technical requirements:

• JSON-LD format for machine readability (customs authorities, marketplaces, recyclers)
• GS1 Digital Link QR code — not just a QR code pointing to an arbitrary URL
• Multilingual public page accessible without login
• Dynamic DPP updates without changing the printed QR code
• ESPR compliance with the required data fields by sector

DPPify natively integrates these standards: each DPP generated automatically produces a JSON-LD file, a translated public page and a print-ready GS1 Digital Link QR code.

To understand why the GS1 Digital Link standard is non-negotiable for a compliant DPP, read our article on product QR codes and GS1 Digital Link.

Step 4 — Generate the passport and its QR code

Once your data is ready and your platform chosen, the actual DPP creation takes minutes:

1. Import your data: manual entry for first products, CSV import for subsequent batches
2. Field validation: the platform flags missing or incomplete data
3. Automatic generation: the JSON-LD DPP is created, the public page is activated, the QR code is generated
4. Download: QR code in PNG or SVG format, ready to send to your label printer

The generated QR code is permanent: even if you update the DPP data (new certification, composition correction), the URL does not change. Labels already printed remain valid.

Step 5 — Publish and maintain the DPP over time

Creating the DPP is not the end of the process — it is the beginning of a living product data point. A few best practices for what comes next:

Assign ownership: who in your team updates the DPP when a formulation, supplier or certification changes?

Integrate DPP updates into your product workflow: like price or EAN, the DPP must be created or updated at every product launch or significant modification.

Anticipate regulatory changes: delegated acts may add mandatory fields over time. Your platform should alert you to regulatory updates.

How much does it cost to create a DPP?

An honest overview of the main scenarios:

For an SME launching 10 to 200 references per year, a SaaS platform offers the best cost-to-compliance ratio. Fixed costs are low, regulatory updates are handled by the software vendor, and no internal infrastructure needs to be maintained.

For SMEs navigating ESPR compliance more broadly, see our dedicated page: ESPR compliance for SMEs.

FAQ — Creating a DPP in practice

Does a free DPP generator actually exist?
Yes. DPPify offers a permanent free plan to create up to 3 DPPs with no credit card required. It is ideal for testing the process and validating your data before scaling up.

What is the difference between a DPP and a product datasheet?
A product datasheet is an internal document, often a PDF, with no standardised format. A DPP is a structured digital identifier, machine-readable, accessible via QR code and tied to a unique product identifier (GTIN). It does not replace the datasheet — it complements it and makes it interoperable with all actors in the value chain.

Do I need a specialist provider to create a DPP?
Not if you use a dedicated platform like DPPify. For very large catalogues (> 10,000 references) or complex ERP integrations, a technical partner can accelerate the initial deployment.

Does the QR code change when I update the DPP data?
No — that is one of the key advantages of a proper DPP platform. The QR code is permanent. You can update the data as many times as needed without reprinting labels already in circulation.

Which output formats must a DPP provide?
At minimum: a public web page (human-readable) and a JSON-LD file (machine-readable). Advanced platforms add PDF export, a REST API and exports to AAS (Asset Administration Shell) systems used in manufacturing.

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Ready to create your first DPP? Get started free on DPPify — 3 DPPs included, no credit card required.

Further reading: what is a Digital Product Passport? · Textile DPP: 2027 obligations · Battery DPP: the regulatory timeline · ESPR regulation: what changes