With Digital Product Passports (DPPs) expected in the fashion and textile sector around mid-2027, the countdown has begun. That gives businesses just under two years to prepare for one of the most significant regulatory shifts in sustainable product transparency to date.
The European Union’s upcoming Digital Product Passport (DPP), introduced under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), will soon transform how fashion and textile brands manage product and supply chain data. DPPs are expected to become mandatory for the fashion and textile sector around mid-2027, giving businesses roughly two years to prepare for one of the most significant sustainability and transparency regulations to date.
Your Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) team is likely already exploring how to capture the right supply chain data. Great! But if you’re hearing questions from your eCommerce or Marketing teams like “How exactly do we implement this?” — you’re not alone!
This article simplifies the path to DPP readiness into four clear steps. We’ll look at the data you need, how to capture it, and how to share it with consumers.
Step 1: Map your suppliers and build supply chain transparency
Step 2: Capture essential product and ESG data for the EU DPP
Step 3: Designing consumer-facing Digital Product Passports for websites
Step 4: Plan a durable data carrier (QR codes, NFC) to meet EU labelling requirements
Why Start Your Digital Product Passport Project Now?
Segura’s supply chain visibility software provides a single source of truth for supplier data, enabling real-time reporting, risk management and ESG analysis, removing the reliance on outdated spreadsheets.
The value of supply chain mapping to support compliance with DPPs is clear.
Discover how to map your supply chain and why it matters.
With supply chain visibility in place, the next step is to collect the product information needed for the Digital Product Passport. Although the final delegated acts are still being drafted, pilot projects indicate that textile DPPs will likely require data on:
Some social or ethical indicators (for example, labour practices) may also be included, though not yet confirmed.
Find out more about what data you are likely to need to collect: Digital Product Passport data collection details in the fashion and textile sector.
The European Commission plans to operate a central registry that stores all unique DPP identifiers to enable market surveillance and customs checks.
Retailers are likely to be required to upload and maintain their DPP data in this registry, ensuring that product information remains accessible to authorities throughout the product’s lifecycle.
Segura can support retailers by providing functionality to export or upload DPP data directly into the EU registry once technical specifications are finalised. This integration will help ensure ongoing compliance, reduce manual data handling, and give brands confidence that their product data is correctly stored and maintained in line with EU requirements.
Once your product data is collected, decide how to present it to consumers. The EU DPP framework is expected to require long-term accessibility for the expected lifetime of the product, even after it's no longer on sale.
Segura offers two versatile options for making Digital Product Passports (DPPs) accessible.
Many retailers adopt a dual strategy: host DPPs on their own site while the product is for sale, then redirect to a hosted page to preserve long-term access.
Segura can manage links between each product and its hosted DPP data. To ensure the best experience, the QR code must be easy to scan. Beyond DPP access, QR codes can offer additional value, connecting consumers to your brand story, special offers, or loyalty programmes.
The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation is already in force, but delegated acts defining the exact textile DPP rules are still being finalised. Mid‑2027 remains the working target for the first implementation, with additional phases possible.
Yes, while the Digital Product Passport for textiles is a regulatory requirement, it also brings significant commercial and strategic benefits for retailers and brands. By capturing and sharing transparent product data, brands can:
A Digital Product Passport platform, on its own, is like putting a roof in place before you’ve built the house.
Without the foundations - your supplier data, and the walls - your product data, the roof has nothing to rest on.
First, you need the solid groundwork of supplier visibility, then you need to build the product data structure. When you have both, then you can implement a DPP solution.
Here are some estimated timelines:
| Duration (est.) | Tasks to reach a compliant Digital Product Passport solution |
|---|---|
| 3-6 months | Identify and select a supply chain mapping platform, set out your requirements and create a phased deployment plan aligned to your legislative requirements, targets and commitments. |
| 1-6 months | Discover and map your upstream supply chain; the size of your business can affect your timescales. |
| Ongoing | Collect product data, ESG data and evidence whilst uncovering risks; Gap analysis will be simpler through reporting, however, ongoing management and supplier engagement is key to success. |
| Ongoing | Take action to mitigate risks; through a platform, you will be able to identify risks, but this will require ongoing reviews and focus. |
| 3-9 months | Move forward with a DPP solution, timescales will be dependent on your desired approach, but shouldn't be under-estimated — engage your internal teams now and plan those activities. |
E-Commerce teams are understandably protective of their native website. Product pages are highly optimised for sales conversion, and digital sales teams test and tweak changes regularly to help improve sales conversions.
E-commerce teams will welcome knowing that they can maintain control over brand experience. Segura can provide the necessary data for embedding content on individual product pages, allowing retailers to maintain a consistent, branded customer experience while enriching product listings with verified sustainability and supply chain information.
Alternatively, wholesaler partners that don’t require e-commerce functionality, or SME retailers who don't have the capacity to handle the technical development, can opt for Segura’s hosted DPP solution. This version is white labelled and can be customised with a client’s branding. It features a user-friendly template that includes a supply chain map, supplier tier information, and verified environmental and ethical data points.
A critical consideration when implementing a DPP strategy is its long-term accessibility. The DPP must remain available for the anticipated lifetime of a product, which is likely after a product is no longer on sale.
Therefore, a dual solution could also be employed. Retailers might initially host DPPs on their own site during a product’s retail lifespan, then transition to Segura’s hosted solution to ensure continued access. For example, once the item is removed from sale, the product page is redirected to a Product Sustainability directory with ‘end-of-life’ information.
A Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system is a planning tool for product design and sourcing.
It helps teams make strategic decisions on materials, composition, and environmental impacts, and is invaluable for exploring circular design, recycling, and re-use at the design stage.
A Digital Product Passport (DPP), however, must capture the actual supply chain reality: what was produced, purchased, and by which suppliers for each product line.
For a complete DPP, combine the design insights from your PLM with the verified supplier data from a supply chain traceability platform like Segura. These systems can share data seamlessly through API integration, ensuring real-time updates across all tiers of the supply chain.
On its own, a PLM cannot provide the verified data required for DPP legislative compliance.
For more, read our article: What is the difference between PLM and Supply Chain Visibility (SCV) software?
Mid-2027 may sound distant, but mapping suppliers, gathering multi-tier product data and integrating systems can easily take 12–24 months. Waiting until the rules are published could leave little time to close data gaps and pilot solutions before the compliance clock runs out.
Starting early provides significant advantages:
The DPP is more than a compliance obligation—it is a strategic opportunity to future-proof your brand, build consumer trust, and position your business as a sustainability leader.
Segura helps fashion and textile brands map suppliers, capture ESG data, and present consumer-friendly Digital Product Passports. Read more about Segura’s Digital Product Passport here. Let us take the weight of the EU legislation and compliance, and you can gain the commercial benefits!
Contact us at info@segura.co.uk to discuss your DPP compliance strategy.