So, what are Digital Product Passports?

A DPP is a digital record of a garment’s journey, from creation to wear and beyond. “We see it as a product’s authenticated biography,” says Jolanda Kooi, co-founder and CEO of transparency platform tex.tracer. “It’s a structured, shareable data set that evolves with the product. It connects all parts of the supply chain and consumer events like repair and resell.”

While in-depth data requirements are expected in 2026, traceability players like tex.tracer or TrusTrace have a pretty good idea of the information DPPs should hold. According to Kooi, this includes “product composition and material breakdown, authenticated supply chain information, environmental footprint data, certifications and instructions for reuse, repair and recycling.” For the most part, a DPP should be easily accessible to consumers via a QR code, whereas more sensitive parts might be reserved for regulatory authorities and B2B partners.

“You can find ours via a QR code printed on the care label of any DPP product,” says Jody Plows, CEO of Nobody’s Child, which started piloting DPPs in 2023. While fashion’s supply chains often resemble a global labyrinth, Plows noted that customers increasingly “want to know where their clothes come from,” she continues. “Our DPP pilot allows us to do this, right down to the very last button.”

At textile company BYBORRE, creations come with an easily downloadable Textile Passport. “We go back to our yarn suppliers, ask where the fibres come from,” says founder Borre Akkersdijk. “We talk about CO2 emission, water and electricity use, which chemicals are used (if any), the finish, certifications in the supply chain, and a lifecycle assessment.” The company implemented these passports seven years ago, and they have served as a source for today’s DPPs. “When we started, it wasn’t about ticking a box,” Akkersdijk adds. “We were proud of our partners and wanted to be open about where our textiles came from.” 

Why – and when – do we need them?

The purpose of Digital Product Passports isn’t to annoy supply chain managers and small brand owners. Rather, they’re meant to boost transparency and accountability in a garment’s journey and lifecycle, which the industry desperately needs. They’ll be reinforced from 2028 onwards, as part of the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR). They’ll be mandatory for all textile products on the EU market, so UK designers will have to implement DPPs if they want to sell their designs in Europe. Kooi says: “Various phases have so far been defined, but the direction is clear: brands need to act now to prepare.”

How can small brands prepare?

To get started, you’ll need two things: data and a way to process that data. The former will be easy if you’re already intimate with your supply chain, from your garment manufacturer to the roots of your raw materials. But Akkersdijk notes that, in fashion, this is rarely the case. “If creating clothes means making an illustrator drawing, sending it to the factory and waiting for something to come back, [traceability] will be hard,” he says. 

Plows adds: “The information exists somewhere in your supply chain. The first step is speaking to your suppliers and co-creating the journey.” Arguably, emerging brands might have an easier time than big fashion houses. When starting, your production tends to be more compact, reliant on personal manufacturer relationships, with fewer stakeholders, and it’s easier to implement transparency from the ground up. “Start small, but start now,” Kooi adds. “The challenge is reaching and onboarding tier two, three and four value chain partners.” She advises emerging brands to start mapping their supply chain beyond tier one. This means the garment factory, textile and trim suppliers, yarn spinners, dyeing houses, and ideally the ginning, scouring or farming facilities, back to the roots of your raw materials. 

How do you manage your data? 

“The main challenge for us was managing the sheer volume of data collection that goes into each DPP,” Plows says. Nobody’s Child’s owner, Andrew Xeni, also runs a retail tech company called Fabacus, which was largely responsible for “the technical side” of the brand’s DPPs. Meanwhile, most small brands will rely on manually tracking and processing DPP data. Think spreadsheets and scattered folders with supplier declarations, certifications and notes from factory visits. These options are cheap, low-tech and relatively simple, “but they’re not scalable,” Kooi says. “Use a platform that works with your current tools and doesn’t require extra tech from your supply chain partners.” 

Since it’s unclear how DPPs should be checked, enforced, or substantiated, a traceability platform might be the most future-proof. Kooi says that tex.tracer helps brands “confidently back up claims with authenticated data rather than outdated documents or assumptions. We collect primary source data directly from supply chain partners and authenticate it in three ways: Time and location-stamped entries, peer-to-peer reviews and blockchain notarisation.” 

What are the perks?

Despite the hassle, DPPs have upsides beyond governmental compliance. They helped Nobody’s Child “build strong relationships with suppliers,” Plows says, “and embark on a collaboration to understand every step of the supply chain better.” With this know-how, brands can improve the efficiency and quality of their production.

After implementing them, “people started to trust us,” Akkersdijk adds. “Now, we see that companies and designers need to have this information, internally, but also marketing-wise. They use BYBORRE textiles almost as a stamp of approval.” Plows notes that Nobody’s Child “even had people come into the store, asking to see the QR codes, so they can try it for themselves,” continuing: “Another great quality of DPPs is that they can be used for aftercare, giving customers [care] recommendations as they wear a garment.” Where brands traditionally only engaged with their wearer before and during purchase, DPPs can keep that connection going for longer. Brands can include a product’s design inspiration, runway styling, in-depth care instructions, advice for mending and alterations, and even assist in resale. “Many brands just create for the moment of sale,” Akkersdijk says. If executed right, DPPs can shift some of that consumerist mindset away from a garment’s creation and sale, and towards its wear. 

And, finally, what about greenwashing?

Well, we don’t mean to end on a negative note. However, whilst ideally, DPPs would encourage transparency from fashion brands of every size, it’s unclear how DPPs will be checked or enforced. “I think it’s an expectation of the future,” Akkersdijk says. “But that expectation is just that you’re honest and transparent.” Experts predict some level of auditing by national market authorities, with warning letters or prosecution for those who don’t comply. Others say that, with DPPs, fashion critics and activist groups can easily call out exploitative brands. But the biggest focus is on the consumer. Surely, they’ll hold brands accountable? Unfortunately, in fashion, unethical or unsustainable practices are hard to untangle. Synthetic fibres aren’t always bad. Made in Italy isn’t always good. And it seems irresponsible to rely on consumers (or fashion critics, or even Greenpeace) to turn DPPs into something meaningful. Kooi says: “A DPP without authenticated data risks becoming just another marketing tool.”