Why do I need a Digital Product Passport?

A Digital Product Passport is a standardised, structured data record linked to a physical product via a unique identifier — typically a QR code, RFID tag or serial number. It holds public-facing compliance information (accessible to customs authorities, buyers, consumers) and, where applicable, private supply chain data (accessible only to authorised parties). EU DPPs must be registered in the EU DPP Registry and maintained for the product's full lifecycle. Eco Wise's DPPs are built on GS1-native data standards, ensuring compatibility with the EU registry architecture and existing supply chain identification systems.

How do EcoWise X WasteTrade Digital Product Passports support the recycling supply chain

WasteTrade Digital Product Passports powered by EcoWise help keep material information connected as recyclable materials move between collection, transport, processing and manufacture. They create a structured record that can be updated at each stage, giving authorised participants clearer access to provenance, movement and processing information without relying on disconnected documents and separate systems.

Does a Digital Product Passport replace compliance or certification?

No. A Digital Product Passport helps organise and connect information. Existing permits, certifications, classifications and legal obligations continue to apply.

How does a WasteTrade Digital Product Passport work?

A passport can be created around a material batch and develop as the material progresses through collection, transport, recycling and manufacture. Relevant information can be added at each appropriate stage.

How does the joint service work?

Eco Wise and TÜV AUSTRIA operate under a coordinated engagement model. You receive a joint proposal that clearly defines each party's scope. TÜV AUSTRIA leads regulatory gap assessment, data methodology, verification and certification. Eco Wise leads DPP platform deployment, data collection infrastructure and EU registry integration. Each party invoices separately for its defined scope. Delivery timelines depend on the complexity of your product portfolio and certification requirements — typically 1.5 to 12 months from kick-off to live DPP.

What data do I need to provide?

The specific data requirements depend on your product category and the applicable EU regulation. In general, DPPs require a combination of product identification and technical specification data; compliance and conformity documentation (test results, Declarations of Performance or Conformity, CE marking records); environmental performance data (carbon footprint, recycled content, repairability, recyclability); and supply chain traceability data. TÜV AUSTRIA Belgium will conduct a regulatory gap assessment in Phase 1 to identify precisely what is required for your products, and Eco Wise will map those requirements to data collection workflows.

Do I need to change my existing systems?

Not necessarily. Eco Wise's DPP platform is designed to work alongside your existing ERP, PLM and compliance management systems. In many cases, data can be extracted from existing sources and structured for DPP compliance without requiring system replacement. Our onboarding process maps your current data landscape and identifies the most efficient path to DPP readiness. TÜV AUSTRIA Belgium's existing certification work — if you are an existing client — can be connected directly into your DPPs, reducing duplication.

Eco Wise operates a sovereign data architecture. Your product data is stored on your own infrastructure — Eco Wise holds only the reference structure and anonymised index, not the data content itself. TÜV AUSTRIA Belgium processes data only to the extent required for verification and certification under its accreditation obligations, and both parties operate in full compliance with GDPR. The partnership agreement includes explicit data minimisation, purpose limitation and breach notification obligations.

What exactly is a Digital Product Passport?

The EU's Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR — EU/2024/1781) requires manufacturers placing regulated products on the EU market to issue Digital Product Passports. These are not optional enhancements to your product documentation — they will be a legal condition of market access. The first product groups under ESPR are expected to have delegated acts published from 2025 onwards, with construction products following under the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) from 2028. Beyond legal compliance, buyers, procurement teams and financial institutions are increasingly requiring verified product data before purchase or investment decisions.

Why does my DPP data need to be verified or certified?

Under EU regulations, DPP data must be accurate and, for certain data fields, independently verified or certified by an accredited third party. Self-declared data that has not been verified carries regulatory risk — and commercial risk, as buyers increasingly require certified claims for procurement decisions. TÜV AUSTRIA Belgium's accredited verification and certification adds the layer of credibility that regulators and customer's trust. Eco Wise's platform is designed to receive and structure verified outputs directly into your DPP data fields, so certification and data management work together rather than in parallel.

What happens if I don't act now?

DPP readiness requires data collection, system integration and — for certified claims — a full certification cycle. For complex product portfolios or supply chains, that process can take four to twelve months. Waiting until regulations come fully into force leaves insufficient time to comply without disruption to market access. Manufacturers who prepare now can also capture commercial advantages — using verified DPP data in sales conversations, procurement bids and sustainability reporting ahead of competitors.

When do the DPP requirements apply to my products?

The timeline varies by product category. EU ESPR delegated acts — which specify the DPP requirements for each product group — are being published on a rolling basis from 2025 onwards. Construction products under the CPR are expected to face DPP requirements from 2028–2030. CBAM reporting obligations are already active for regulated importers. We recommend initiating a regulatory gap assessment now to understand your specific obligations and start preparing data collection infrastructure ahead of the deadline.

How long does it take to get a compliant DPP in place?

For a straightforward product model DPP with data conformity review, the typical timeline is 1.5 to 2.5 months. For DPPs that also require certification (LCA, EPD, carbon footprint, chain of custody), the full process typically runs 4 to 8 months depending on data availability and certification scope. Full enterprise programmes covering multiple standards across a large product portfolio typically run 6 to 12 months. Starting early allows time to work through these processes without compliance pressure.

Partners

Digital Product Passports for Recyclable Materials

WasteTrade and EcoWise are working together to connect waste and recycled commodities with reliable, fully transparent digital records throughout their lifecycle from collection to finished product.

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User interface of a chat application showing a left sidebar with menu options and user list, conversation with Leslie Alexander in the main panel including text messages and a voice message.

Infographic titled 'Materials on the move. Value without borders.' showing a global flow of materials through collectors, transporters, recyclers, and manufacturers across countries like Netherlands, Turkey, Malaysia, South Africa, and Colombia, illustrated with trucks, ships, and an airplane. Five-step cycle: 1. Collectors gather materials locally. 2. Transporters move materials safely. 3. Recyclers sort and transform materials. 4. Manufacturers use recycled materials to make new products. 5. Final use with products like backpacks and fabric. Bottom section shows PET bottles collected, sorted, processed into rPET pellets, yarn, fabric, then products. The platform ensures transparency, traceability, compliance, and efficiency.

Bringing Digital Product Passports into material trade

WasteTrade is a global B2B marketplace for waste and recyclable materials, connecting collectors, transporters, recyclers and manufacturers as materials cross borders and change form.
Working with EcoWise, WasteTrade has developed Digital Product Passports to keep critical information linked to those materials throughout their journey. A passport begins when a material batch enters the supply chain and grows as new events occur — material data, movement, processing records and evidence forming one continuous digital record, rather than fragments scattered across spreadsheets and systems.
The principle is simple: materials change form, but their history stays traceable — followed through collection, transport, recycling and manufacture.

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Eco Wise Provides

Infographic titled 'Waste Digital Material Passport' describing how material transaction data contributes to a passport tracking waste through supply chain stages: collection, sorting & aggregation, transport, and reprocessing. A digital passport example shows details for HDPE plastic including passport ID, material type, quantity, current status as 'In Transit to Reclaimer,' and origin collected in Manchester, UK on 12 May 2024. Each process stage shows data collected such as collection data (date, location), sorting data (material type, quality), transport data (carrier, date), and reprocessing data (weight, processing method). The passport remains with the material to ensure trust, transparency, traceability, compliance, reporting, and better value recovery.

What WasteTrade Brings‍

WasteTrade provides the commercial and operational environment in which recyclable materials are specified, traded, transported and received.

This gives the DigitalProduct Passport a practical starting point.
Information generated through the material transaction can contribute to the passport from thebeginning and remain associated with the material as it moves through the supply chain.

WasteTrade brings together:

Material specification and classification

Trading counterparties

Transport and movement information

Relevant Compliance records

Transaction documentation

Processing and recycled-content information

Carbon data through ThinkCarbon

The partnership allows these records to contribute to a continuing material history rather thanremaining isolated around individual transactions.

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How the Partnership Creates Value

Secondary-material markets depend heavily on evidence.

A buyer needs to understand what a material is, where it came from and whether it meets the required specification. Recyclers need to record what happened during processing. Manufacturers increasingly need evidence behind recycled-contentand sustainability claims.

In traditional supply chains, that information can become fragmented.

WasteTrade and EcoWise are developing a structure that keeps the relevant records closer to the material they describe

At collection

The opening record can establish the material identity, source, classification, weight and relevant quality information.

During transport

Movement, carrier and handover information can become part of the continuing record.

At recycling

Processing information can connect the incoming material with the recyclate produced from it.

At manufacture

The resulting recycled feedstock can be associated with the production batch or finished product in which it is used.

The physical material may move from bale to flake, pellet and finished product. The passport provides away for the information behind that journey to continue with it.

This is the core of WasteTrade’s Digital Product Passport approach: one material journey supported by an unchanging record that develops at each stage.

^{Why This Partnership Matters}

WasteTrade operates within the physical supply chain. EcoWise provides the digital infrastructure that allows information from that supply chain to be structured, retained and exchanged.

Together, the two companies have developed Waste Digital Product Passports around the way recyclable materials actually move through industry.

For businesses using WasteTrade, that creates a clearer connection between the material being tradeda nd the evidence behind it.

It also provides a stronger foundation for the increasing traceability, recycled-content and product-data requirements developing across European markets.

Together with Eco Wise

Connecting physical materials with digital evidence
‍WasteTrade brings the marketplace, transaction and material journey.
EcoWise provides the Digital Product Passport infrastructure that allows a structured digital record to develop alongside it.
Together, we are building a more traceable way to trade waste and recyclable materials, with information that remains connected to the material from its first recorded stage through toits next use.

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