2023.03.22
Digital product passports – now there is a prototype
As part of the preparations for the digital product passports, the ProPare project has developed a prototype to show how the passports can work in practice. Behind the project are the non-profit actors Axfoundation, GS1 Sweden, Ecolabelling Sweden and Svensk Handel.
It is expected to be here soon, the EU's new legislation that requires almost all products on the European market to have a digital product passport, also known as a traceability system or circular ID. The hope is that the passports will make it easier for consumers, companies and authorities to make sustainable choices. Although individual legislation for product groups may not be in place until 2025 at the earliest, several actors have now come together to develop a prototype of the passports.
– We are pleased to be able to present a cross-industry prototype today that is based on global and competition-neutral standards. Openness and accessibility are key components for digital product passports to be successfully implemented and actually lead to increased circularity and traceability, says Viveka Risberg, project manager for ProPare and program manager for Sustainable Production and Consumption at Axfoundation, in a press release.
The upcoming legislation means that companies will be responsible for making product data such as climate footprint, recyclability and reparability available, including information about components for all products on the European market. In addition, today's consumers place high demands on companies to be proactive in sustainability work and the circular economy.
– Swedish companies now have an opportunity to gain a competitive advantage and future-proof their operations by preparing for the upcoming legislation on digital product passports. In addition to speeding up a sustainable transition and benefiting their own company, it also makes it easier for consumers and buyers. The main benefit is digital order and order in the supply chain for products with good quality and sustainability performance, says Magnus Nikkarinen, business policy expert at Swedish Trade in the press release.
When the digital product passports are in place and fully functional, information should be accessible by scanning a code on the product, such as a QR code that is specific to the product.
Read more about ProPare and their prototype here.
Text: Ellenor Österberg
