From 2026, the digital product passport (DPP) will be mandatory for certain product groups in the EU. The first step will be batteries, for which the DPP will be mandatory from 2027. In the following years, the introduction will be extended to other product groups such as textiles, electrical appliances and vehicles. A specific date for the mandatory introduction of the DPP for cars, for example, has not yet been set. The EU Commission is working on a concrete work plan by 2025 at the latest, and the first binding regulations are to be published in the same year.
The objective is clear: companies should be able to transparently demonstrate how sustainable their products really are. The DPP concept is particularly useful in surface technology, where the use of materials, energy consumption and recyclability are not trivial issues, in order to make sustainability more comparable. However, this should not obscure the fact that the effort involved for the companies concerned is considerable. This is because collecting and maintaining the required data means additional bureaucratic work, which can be a considerable burden, especially for small and medium-sized companies.
DPP and CO₂ footprint: additional bureaucracy for companies
The digital product passport is an initiative of the EU Ecodesign Regulation for Sustainable Products (ESPR). It records the environmental impact of a product over its entire life cycle. In future, companies will have to provide data on CO₂ emissions, material composition, recycling options and energy efficiency. The surface industry in particular faces the challenge of analysing its process chains in more detail and providing digital evidence in a standardized format - a process that is associated with considerable costs for data management and documentation. Smaller companies in particular are therefore faced with a considerable bureaucratic and economically non-trivial hurdle.
Best practice: Galvanized trailers with DPP set new standards - but is the effort justified?
The cooperation between Schmitz Cargobull and Zinq - a group of companies that offers galvanizing services at several locations throughout Germany - can serve as a model for the industry with regard to DPP. The European trailer manufacturer consistently switched to galvanizing its chassis 25 years ago. The result: a significantly longer trailer service life, less corrosion damage and improved recyclability of the steel.
Now the partners are going one step further: with the Digital Circular Product Passport (DCPP), Schmitz Cargobull not only records the material composition of the trailers, but also the product-related carbon footprint of steel and zinc over the entire life cycle. The DCPP is based on environmental product declarations and makes the environmental benefits of galvanized trailers measurable and comparable.
Technical details and implementation challenges
- Longer service life thanks to galvanization: Painted trailer models often show signs of corrosion damage after just a few years. Hot-dip galvanized components, on the other hand, can achieve a service life of more than 50 years without maintenance.
- Recyclable materials: Zinc and steel can be recycled almost loss-free, which significantly reduces the carbon footprint.
- Digital documentation as a challenge: All relevant sustainability data is stored in a standardized DPP, which ensures transparency along the entire supply chain - but also requires continuous data maintenance and regular updates.
Economic implications: Burden or opportunity?
- Rising costs: Detailed documentation generally requires investment in IT infrastructure and specialist staff.
- Competitive disadvantage for smaller companies: While large companies can manage the changeover more easily, the additional costs and effort involved can put smaller companies at an economic disadvantage.
- Sustainability as a sales argument: However, customers and investors are increasingly attaching importance to demonstrably environmentally friendly products. This could make the DPP a relevant sales argument in the long term.
Conclusion: The DPP - progress or bureaucracy monster?
With the imminent introduction of the digital product passport, the surface industry is facing a further transformation. While larger companies can often meet the requirements more easily, smaller companies in particular face considerable challenges. Collecting and maintaining the necessary data means high investments in IT infrastructure and specialist staff. It also remains unclear how companies with complex supply chains can ensure the necessary transparency without jeopardizing their competitiveness.
While transparency in terms of sustainability is undoubtedly increasing, the additional bureaucratic workload poses a serious economic challenge for many companies. The way in which the regulatory authorities implement the DPP will probably only become clear in the coming years as to whether it can develop into a competitive advantage or rather another regulatory hurdle.