2026 EU: The DPP Hub Is Open: From Concept to System in Five Days

For years, the Digital Product Passport consisted mainly of announcements: strategy papers, timelines, conference slides. And then, in a single week in July, everything suddenly happened in rapid succession. Six harmonized standards, a registry regulation, a central website—and by the end of the week, a registry that’s actually online. The concept has become a system.

The port is open. The port regulations are in place, the port authority is operational, and the cranes are installed. Only one thing is still missing: the clearance form for the first shipment—the batteries. You could see this as a glitch. I see it differently: This transition phase is the window of opportunity during which you can familiarize yourselves with the system without the pressure of deadlines. As of February 18, 2027, this window will no longer exist.

 

The legal basis for the registry is Article 13 of the Ecodesign Regulation (EU) 2024/1781, the ESPR. The Commission had until July 19, 2026, to deliver—and it has done so. Now it’s up to the economic operators.

THE PORT AUTHORITY: WHAT THE REGISTER STORES AND WHAT IT DOESN'T

Before you look at the registry, here’s a point that will save you a lot of misunderstandings: The registry does not store your product passport.

It is a directory and a control point. It stores unique identifiers, registration data, and higher-level metadata. The actual product passport data remains decentralized with you—hosted in-house or through a DPP service provider. The port authority checks and records the shipping documents. The cargo itself remains with the shipowner.

In the future, this directory will become a market access tool: Customs authorities should be able to verify electronically whether the registration identifier and commodity code match the stored data. However, this requires first a connection to the European customs system EU CSW-CERTEX—the ESPR has allocated a separate implementation period for this link.

SHIPPING DOCUMENTS ON THE CONTAINER: HOW IT ALL FITS TOGETHER

The good news: The system is based on simple logic. A data carrier—such as a QR code or an NFC tag—is attached to the product. It carries the Unique Product Identifier, or UPI—your product’s unique identifier. The UPI leads to the decentralized product passport data. During registration, you submit the UPI to the registry, and in return, the registry assigns a Unique Registration Identifier, or URI.

Product → Data carrier → UPI → Product passport data. And in parallel, the URI serves as an official entry in the port registry. Once you understand this chain, you understand the DPP system. Everything else is just implementation details.

TRACK GAUGE AND CONTAINER DIMENSIONS: WHY EN 18219 AND EN 18220 MATTER NOW

Yes, formally, the listing in the Official Journal triggers the presumption of conformity under Article 41(2) of the ESPR for the requirements of Articles 10 and 11. But to be honest, that’s almost a footnote here. With a traditional safety standard, you have a choice: apply the standard or provide proof in another way. Here, that choice practically doesn’t exist. A product passport whose identifier does not follow the prescribed scheme or whose data carrier is not machine-readable will simply not be processed by the system.

These standards are not a legal formality. They are the technology itself—the track gauge and container dimensions of the DPP port.

Two of the six standards directly affect your product: EN 18219 specifies the structure of the unique identifier. EN 18220 defines the data carrier that holds it. Both impact product design, labeling, and packaging—and therefore require advance planning. That is precisely why these two standards are relevant now, not just in 2027.

THE FIRST SHIPMENT: BATTERIES STARTING IN FEBRUARY 2027

The “Batteries” category has been created as the first product group in the register. This requirement does not stem from a delegated act under the ESPR, but directly from Article 77 of the Battery Regulation (EU) 2023/1542. Starting February 18, 2027, the following will require a battery passport:

• batteries for light-duty vehicles, such as e-bike batteries,
• industrial batteries with a capacity of more than 2 kWh, and
• electric vehicle batteries.

So it does not apply to every battery across the board. But for those it does apply to, the countdown has begun.

One issue remains unresolved: the semantic catalog for the “batteries” product group. It defines which data fields are required and the rules according to which the submitted information will be verified. As long as it is missing, a battery passport registration cannot be completed—as the official user guide itself points out. The shipping form for the first shipment is still being printed.

But that’s precisely where the opportunity lies in the coming weeks: You can already take care of everything that doesn’t depend on the semantic catalog today. And that’s the bulk of the work.

Here’s an example you shouldn’t underestimate: Even verifying your own company in the registry is quite a challenge. The PDF declaration generated there must be signed or sealed offline with a Qualified Electronic Signature (QES) or a Qualified Electronic Seal (QSeal) from a qualified trust service provider and then uploaded again. For many companies, this is their first practical encounter with qualified trust services under the eIDAS Regulation. It’s better to go through this process now, at your own pace, rather than in January 2027 under time pressure.
 

AFTER BATTERIES, THERE'S MORE TO COME

The Battery Passport is just the pilot project. Under the ESPR, additional product groups will follow via delegated acts—the Commission’s work plan lists textiles and iron and steel, among others, as the first candidates. At the same time, the series of standards is being further developed, and with the customs integration via EU CSW-CERTEX, the registry is gradually becoming an automated checkpoint for market access.

The pattern is clear: Anyone who has worked through the registration process, identification logic, and data architecture for the Battery Passport will have the blueprint for every subsequent product group. Conversely, anyone who waits to take action until the registration process is running smoothly will have already missed the crucial part of the preparation.

Does this apply to your product? Then please contact us. If you have any questions about specific details of the DPP, we’re happy to assist you. Simply send us an email with your question or use our contact form.

Author's note

This article has been machine translated into English.
 

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS NEWS

The DPP Registry (European Commission)

DPP Registry User Guide for Economic Operators (PDF, as of July 17, 2026)

Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1778 of July 16, 2026

Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 (ESPR)

Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 (Battery Regulation), Art. 77

TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

DPP = Digital Product Passport

Published on August 5, 2026
Category: Product Compliance, Consumer Goods & Retail, Electrical & Electronics and Wireless, Industry
 

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_{Container photo Erik Odiin https://unsplash.com/de/@odiin}