Digital product information that is reliable and interoperable is becoming increasingly important for global supply and value chains. The Digital Product Passport (DPP) is emerging as a key enabler of this development, supporting the digital exchange of product-related information across markets and sectors and opening the door to digital services beyond. To ensure that DPPs can function seamlessly on a global scale, international standards are essential.
The DPP is becoming a key instrument in the broader transition towards digital product information and efficiency in the interaction between market participants since it first appeared in the context of the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR). Europe has taken a leading role in establishing the necessary standardization foundations through the work of CEN-CENELEC JTC 24, which developed the first technical framework for DPPs. This covers areas such as identifiers, data carriers, access rights, security, interoperability, and data exchange. However, the benefits of DPPs can only be fully realized if the underlying concepts are internationally aligned. This is particularly important for European industry. Internationally interoperable DPPs can simplify access to product information from global supply and value chains, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) importing components and materials. At the same time, they can enable European companies to provide digital product information worldwide through a common approach instead of maintaining market-specific solutions.
To address this need, DIN and DKE initiated the establishment of ISO/IEC JTC 5 Digital Product Passport. DIN will hold the secretariat of the new committee. The inaugural plenary meeting will take place in Berlin in September, bringing together experts from 48 countries. Building on the work of CEN-CENELEC JTC 24, ISO/IEC JTC 5 will coordinate international standardization activities and develop a coherent framework for the DPP. It will broaden the perspective from the DPP system to the wider DPP ecosystem and support reliable and widely accepted data flows across the full value chain, from raw material extraction and product development to manufacturing, authorities, consumers, and recycling. This also includes the role of the DPP within a global digital quality infrastructure.
Reflecting this broader scope, ISO/IEC JTC 5 will follow a new, network-oriented approach, collaborating with relevant committees and bodies across ISO and IEC: from IEC/TC 65 to ISO/CASCO. Rather than replacing existing work, it will connect established expertise and coordinate relevant standardization activities within a common international framework for the DPP system and ecosystem. Close cooperation with CEN-CENELEC JTC 24 will link the European work on the DPP system with the broader international framework for the DPP ecosystem.
By bringing together international expertise and aligning existing standardization activities, ISO/IEC JTC 5 marks an important step towards establishing the DPP as a globally interoperable infrastructure for a digitalized economy.
