Some brands in the fashion industry are notorious for keeping their supply chain behind a smoke screen. From materials to chemicals to working conditions, the evidence for sustainable and ethical claims is rarely easily accessible. But one day soon, you’ll be able to see all this information by scanning a QR code in the clothes you buy. You’ll also receive details on how to repair, resell or recycle the product. This QR code is known as a Digital Product Passport.
Digital Product Passports (DPPs) are currently an optional extra for fashion brands looking to build trust among their consumers. But they are expected to become mandatory in the EU as early as 2026. The regulations won’t just apply to products made in the EU but any product sold there. Worldwide fashion brands will have to add DPPs to their products to retain their European customer base. These measures are part of the EU’s Green Deal and its commitment to creating a circular economy by 2050.
The fashion industry is responsible for a lot of pollution
According to the EU, the fashion industry is responsible for 10 percent of global pollution—more than marine shipping and international flights combined. So, while DPPs are being introduced in many industries, from construction to electronics, we’re talking about the fashion industry specifically.
Digital Product Passports are QR codes that link to an electronic register. This register contains all of the information relating to a product. This could include the materials it is made from; reuse, repair and recycling information and details about a product’s sustainability. The DPP can be used by consumers to inform their purchase decisions but also by government authorities to monitor whether manufacturers and importers are complying with regulations.
As well as emitting carbon, the production of our clothes also requires water: an estimated 79 trillion litres annually. Then, there’s the issue of disposal. Our trend-led culture means that clothes are thrown out at an alarming rate—and are rarely properly recycled. Up to 30 percent of clothes you donate to charity actually end up in shops. The rest are shipped to the Global South, where they are resold, or more likely, burned, thrown in waterways or end up in dumps. And the people who make clothes for fast fashion brands often work long days for low wages in unsafe conditions. This has led to disasters like the Rana Plaza crash of 2013, where 1,100 people died producing clothes for the likes of Primark and Mango.
The fashion industry isn’t known for its culture of transparency surrounding these issues. Greenwashing claims abound, as do murky and complex supply chains. The introduction and enforcement of the DPP will allow consumers to make more conscious choices about who they want to buy from.
The Digital Product Passport rollout faces challenges
RESET spoke with Dr. Abraham Zhang, senior lecturer in Supply Chain Management and Technology at the University of Glasgow and co-author of the research paper “Digital product passport for sustainable and circular supply chain management: a structured review of use cases”. He hopes that “the rollout of the DPP will help improve the sustainability of the whole fashion supply chain” and “substantially” enhance transparency in the industry. But he also points out that this is a long and dynamic process. DPPs will “hopefully enhance sustainability performance over a few years”, as the EU implements increasingly stricter requirements for data to be disclosed.
According to Zhang, a challenge for the DPP could also be engagement. Consumers “may not be bothered to scan the code”, he points out. Research from Bain & Company shows a discrepancy between fashion consumers’ willingness to act sustainably and how often they make sustainable choices. This attitude-behaviour gap was most pronounced when it came to action that required consumers to collect and verify information. So while it’s possible that consumers may not take action by scanning the code, the DPP does offer them all the information they require in one location. Perhaps the ease of this will inspire them to take the extra step of scanning an item’s DPP and making sustainable choices accordingly.
Digital Product Passports can “keep products in the loop longer and longer”
Ana Kristiansson, an expert in Digital Product Passports, shared her knowledge with RESET. She believes “DPPs are an extremely positive thing because full transparency in operations gives you a closer relationship with suppliers, manufacturers and customers. Brands now have a chance to educate their consumers.”
Kristiansson founded Portia, a cloud solution that helps brands integrate DPPs and is “an entire circular solution for the full life cycle of a product”. A holistic viewpoint is crucial for Kristiansson, who wants to connect a brand with their consumers, wholesalers and distributors within one portal and encourage circularity from all parties involved in bringing a product to life. She explains how brands can include traceability information, repair and recycling instructions and even resale platforms within their DPP. She adds that “it’s about keeping products in the loop longer and longer”.
The first step in a long journey
The introduction of DPPs—and the EU’s regulations that plan to enforce them—is undoubtedly a step forward for an industry that has long hidden its unsustainable practices behind a barrage of greenwashing. There are challenges to overcome: Kristiansson points out that penalties need to be put in place and enforced for DPPs to have an impact. Zhang tells RESET how supply chains that involve many subcontractors can be difficult to trace. And overall, “[the DPP] needs a lot more research,” he says. “Not just academic, but industry applied research to make it a real success.”
But the upcoming requirement to add DPPs to products puts pressure on fashion brands. All the information on how an item was made—the supply chain, materials, chemicals; the person whose hands stitched fabric into wearable clothes—will have to be revealed. Regulators won’t tolerate smoke screens any longer. Let’s hope consumers won’t either.
