DIGITAL PRODUCT PASSPORTS: Brand tactics and customer insights

Digital Product Passports (DPPs) are becoming a new reality in commerce, and frontrunners are already looking beyond compliance to gain a competitive edge.

Together with researchers from Aarhus University and in collaboration with Lifestyle and Design Cluster, we have mapped the emerging DPP landscape through interviews, user testing and analysis of more than 12 brands already on their DPP journey.

In this report, we bring those perspectives together: what is changing, what customers actually value, what we can learn from frontrunners – and where we see the biggest business opportunities for brands.

01. The Digital Product Passport landscape today

The buzz around Digital Product Passports has been building since the adoption of the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) in 2024. And for good reason.

DPPs have the potential to change how businesses and consumers understand products by making information about materials, origin, sustainability and lifecycle more accessible. In turn, that transparency can support better choices, new customer experiences and a more circular economy.

With the launch of the European DPP Registry, the adoption of technical standards, and the first compliance deadlines approaching, the conversation is shifting from awareness to action.

Some frontrunners didn’t wait for the regulatory picture to be complete. They recognised early that DPPs could be more than a compliance exercise – and started exploring the business and customer opportunities behind them.

Across the market, brands are now experimenting with DPPs at different levels of maturity, from early pilots to more established implementations. While these solutions do not yet represent the final version of what a compliant DPP will look like, they give us a valuable glimpse into what is possible.

So, what can we learn from the businesses already putting DPPs into practice? And, just as importantly, what value do consumers actually see in them?

02. INSIGHTS FROM REAL CUSTOMERS

Having monitored the DPP space and supported brands on their journeys, we have seen much of the conversation focus on compliance, technology and data. What is often missing is the customer perspective.

That is why IMPACT Commerce, Aarhus University and Lifestyle & Design Cluster joined forces to explore how customers actually experience DPPs. Because if we want to unlock their potential beyond compliance, we need to understand what makes them useful and valuable to the people scanning them.

We conducted an exploratory think-aloud study with 12 brands that have live DPPs, spanning textiles, footwear, beverages and furniture.

• 39 existing customers of the participating brands took part.
• Participants were given a physical product, asked to find and scan its QR code, and think out loud as they explored the DPP.
• The DPPs ranged from pilots to more established implementations.

The study included Wrangler, Dondup, Nudie Jeans, Kappahl, Nilson Group, Green Cotton Group, HOLMRIS B8, Craft Sportswear, Sport Group, Roccamore, MOS MOSH and Paul Smith.

9 insights into what makes DPPs work for customers

Our research revealed a number of recurring patterns. Some are surprisingly practical. Others tell us something more fundamental about what customers expect from a DPP and where they see value.

01 Tell, don’t sell

When DPPs opened with e-commerce elements such as product carousels, prices and add-to-basket buttons, customers often mistook them for sales pages. Product images, however, served a useful purpose: confirming that the DPP matched the product in their hands.

What this means for brands: Keep the product reference, but don’t let sales elements distract from the purpose of the DPP.

02 Keep the experience in one place

Customers treated the DPP as a self-contained experience. When links opened new tabs or took them elsewhere – even to useful services such as repair – several became confused or struggled to find their way back.

What this means for brands: Keep key interactions within the DPP experience wherever possible. A useful service quickly loses value if the journey to get there creates friction.

03 Make the data carrier impossible to miss

Several customers struggled to locate the right QR code. Multiple codes on the same product created confusion, while some were physically difficult to reach – particularly on footwear.

What this means for brands: Treat the data carrier as part of the customer experience. It should be easy to find, easy to reach, clearly distinguishable from other codes and durable enough to last with the product.

04 Go beyond the digital label

Some customers expected the DPP to contain much the same information as a traditional care label. They naturally compared the new experience with something they already knew.

What this means for brands: Simply digitising existing label information may not be enough. Give customers a reason to scan by offering information, services or functionality they cannot get from the physical label.

05 Certificates are powerful trust signals

Customers responded strongly to certificates, often without knowing exactly what they represented. Their presence alone was frequently interpreted as a signal of credibility and effort.

What this means for brands: Certificates can be powerful trust signals, but don’t rely on the logo alone. Help customers understand what the certification actually means.

06 Different customers value different things

Interest in sustainability information varied significantly. Some customers engaged with environmental metrics, while others cared more about materials or origin. Detailed supply-chain information was sometimes perceived as more relevant to businesses than consumers.

What this means for brands: More information does not automatically create more value. Prioritise the information customers find relevant and allow those who want more detail to dig deeper.

07 Data needs context to create value

Even customers interested in sustainability struggled to interpret figures such as CO₂ emissions or water consumption without something familiar to compare them with. The data was there, but its meaning was not always clear.

What this means for brands: Don’t just present the data – help customers understand it. Context, comparisons and clear visualisation can turn numbers into information people can actually use.

08 Transparency can be valuable in itself

Many customers were positively surprised by how much information brands had – and were willing to share. That openness was often interpreted as a sign of confidence and accountability.

What this means for brands: Transparency can build trust beyond the individual data points. Sometimes, the willingness to show what sits behind a product is part of the value.

09 Origin makes transparency tangible

For some customers, knowing where a product was actually made was one of the most compelling parts of the DPP. One customer was particularly excited to see that a product was manufactured in Europe rather than China.

But the finding was more nuanced than “local is better”. Another customer valued seeing the origin even when the product was made in China, because the brand’s willingness to disclose it signalled accountability. Another saw provenance as particularly valuable before making a purchase, but less important once the product was already owned.

What this means for brands: Make provenance easy to find and understand. It is tangible information customers can relate to and can make transparency feel much more concrete.

03. INSPIRATION FROM Pioneers

Over the past three years, we have monitored the DPP landscape, mapped emerging approaches and supported brands on their DPP journeys. And one thing is becoming increasingly clear: the most interesting DPPs go beyond compliance.

Companies in fashion, furniture and electronics are among those leading the way. That is hardly surprising. These sectors are facing growing regulatory requirements, but they also have something else in common: significant opportunities to use the DPP as a new touchpoint throughout the product lifecycle.

So, what can we learn from the frontrunners?

In the following, we have distilled the key lessons from early movers and combined them with inspiring examples of how DPPs can be used to build trust and loyalty, enable circularity, protect brand authenticity, gather product feedback and create new opportunities for customer engagement.

Make it visible – and worth scanning

A digital product passport only creates value if people actually use it. That makes the entry point an important part of the experience. Brands need to make the DPP easy to spot, easy to access and, importantly, give customers a reason to scan.

Clearly Communicate ‘what’s in it for me’

Visibility alone is not enough to make customers engage with a DPP. They also need to understand what they get out of it. Communicating these benefits early in the customer journey give people a stronger reason to scan, register and return.

North Actionsports does this well by connecting the DPP directly to tangible customer benefits. On supported product pages, customers are introduced to the DPP and directed to a dedicated page explaining how it works and what they gain from using it, including:

• Lost & found: Ownership details can be accessed by scanning the QR code, making it easier to return lost gear to its owner.
• Theft protection: Registering the product to its owner makes it harder to falsify proof of ownership.
• Club North membership: Registering gear through the DPP gives customers access to exclusive benefits and rewards.

The clearer and more relevant the benefits are, the greater the perceived value of the product and DPP – and the stronger the reason to engage with it.

Transparency builds trust – and trust builds loyalty

Digital product passports provide customers with an essential ingredient in today’s trust economy: transparency.

According to the Sustainable Brand Index 2025, consumer trust has decreased by 35%, despite a growing appetite for sustainability and accountability. DPPs can play a role in addressing that gap by making product information more accessible and helping customers make more informed choices.

“96% of consumers say transparency is important for earning their loyalty”

*Source: 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer.

When talking about transparency and trust, Patagonia is an obvious must-mention. The brand has built strong customer trust and loyalty around quality, social and environmental responsibility, and extending product lifecycles through repair.

Long before we called it a digital product passport, Patagonia was giving customers insight into where and how their products are made and their impact. By making this information visible, Patagonia turns transparency into accountability – and accountability into trust and loyalty.

Drive engagement and repurchase

Skincare brand Cocokind shows how DPPs can become more than a source of product transparency. They can also create a valuable touchpoint for continued customer engagement and repeat purchases.

Cocokind makes its DPPs available across product detail pages, packaging and the products themselves. Beyond providing information on ingredients, certifications and environmental impact, the DPP gives customers an easy way to restock their favourite products when they are running low.

Haircare brands, such as Kérastase, also use product IDs to connect customers with product-specific content. By scanning a QR code, customers can access guidance on how to use the product, along with relevant tips and recommendations.

Used in this way, the DPP becomes more than an information layer. It can help brands educate customers, make repeat purchases easier and create more opportunities for engagement after the initial sale.

Make your customer feel special

Luxury fashion brand Balenciaga was one of the first to explore how product IDs can add value beyond transparency. Its example shows how DPPs can become a touchpoint for exclusive experiences and loyalty.

In collaboration with the music group Archive, Balenciaga launched a lmited-edition music merchandise collection where selected pieces could be scanned to unlock exclusive music tracks. The product itself became the key to an experience that only owners could access.

The same thinking can be applied to services such as extended warranties, free repairs or other benefits unlocked by registering ownership. These extras give customers a reason to scan while adding to the perceived value of both the product and the brand.

Bas van der Pol, founder of DPP provider Tappr, also sees opportunities for up- and cross-selling through the DPP. For example, brands could use product-specific content to show customers how to style an item with other products from the collection.

Used thoughtfully, these direct-to-consumer opportunities could create additional sales while keeping the experience relevant to the product the customer already owns.

Extend the product lifecycle with care & repair

Our research with Aarhus University shows that “care and repair” are among the services consumers value when engaging with a DPP. By making it easier to care for, repair or give products a new life through take-back programmes, brands can extend the product lifecycle – while creating new opportunities to reconnect with customers after purchase.

Turn care into connection

Digital product passports open up new possibilities for care instructions that traditionally live on the product itself. Particularly in textiles, brands can use the DPP as an extended digital care guide, building on content they often already have.

Instead of simply showing washing instructions, a DPP could provide practical guidance such as video tutorials, product-specific care advice or recommendations for services and products that help customers look after their purchase.

Better care can help products last longer and strengthen customers’ perception of their quality – an important connection, as research suggests that perceived product quality is one of the strongest predictors of brand loyalty.

Give repair the attention it deserves

“Repair is the Trojan horse of loyalty.”

That’s how Bas van der Pol, Founder of Tappr, describes the opportunity. While repair services require resources, they can also create a valuable reason for customers to return – strengthening the relationship with the brand over time.

Danish childrenswear brand Müsli does this directly through the DPP on its products. Customers can indicate where an item is damaged, add further details and send it in for repair free of charge.

On top of this, the insights generated through repairs can also provide valuable product feedback, helping brands identify recurring issues and feed them directly back into design and production.

Lindex, which has also been piloting DPPs, sees this as an opportunity to continuously improve the quality and durability of its products. As Catherine Aledal, Digital Product Manager at Lindex, explains:

Repairs bring customers back into the loop

Nudie Jeans is another brand piloting digital product passports. With its “Create Tomorrow’s Vintage” philosophy, more than 66,000 repairs globally and a take-back programme, DPPs are a natural extension of the brand’s circular approach.

By making services such as care, repair and take-back easily accessible through the DPP, Nudie Jeans can help customers keep their products in use for longer while reinforcing the quality and values behind the brand. This brings circularity into the customer relationship – creating new reasons to return, reconnect and ultimately build loyalty.

the RE-COMMERCE opportunity

We’ve all been there. You have a great product you no longer use, but selling it often means taking photos, finding product details, writing a description and creating a listing from scratch.

What if you could make it easier with a simple scan? Brands are already exploring how DPPs can remove friction from resale and make it easier for customers to keep products in circulation.

And the opportunity is only growing. The global second-hand fashion market is expected to double by 2027, reaching around $350 billion (ThreadUp). DPPs can help brands tap into this growth by making resale easier – while staying connected to their products beyond the first sale.

Resale with a single scan

A DPP can contain much of the information needed to create a second-hand listing, from product descriptions and materials to images and product specifications.

So why ask customers to start from scratch? That same data can make resale much easier, whether through a marketplace or the brand’s own channels. The customer saves time, the next buyer gets better product information, and the brand gains a stronger connection to the product throughout its lifecycle.

Protect your brand by verifying authenticity and ownership

As re-commerce grows, so does the need to verify that products are genuine. For premium and luxury brands in particular, DPPs can provide a trusted link between the physical product, its authenticity and its owner.

Luxury watch brand Breitling, for example, uses digital passports to let customers prove ownership, access the watch’s history and transfer ownership when it is resold. This makes it easier for the next buyer to verify the product while helping protect the brand against counterfeits.

The same opportunity exists in high-end furniture. Sought-after designs are often exposed to copies, and brands such as Fritz Hansen already use physical design details to distinguish originals from counterfeits (source). A DPP could add another layer of verification by connecting authenticity and ownership information directly to the product.

Morten Lund Petersen, who has extensive experience with sustainability and product transparency in the high-end furniture industry, highlights the potential role of DPPs in both authenticity and theft protection:

04. How to get started with Digital Product Passports

Based on our interviews and experience supporting brands on their DPP journey, we recommend taking a strategic approach – from defining the opportunity and building the right data foundation to piloting, learning and scaling.

5. COMPLIANCE IS THE STARTING POINT – NOT THE OPPORTUNITY

DPPs are coming, and for many companies regulation will be the reason to get started. But compliance alone should not define the ambition.

Our research shows that customers see value when product information is easy to access, relevant, understandable and useful. And the brands already experimenting with DPPs show how the same data foundation can support much more – from trust and loyalty to repair, re-commerce, brand protection and better product development.

That is where we believe the bigger opportunity lies.

Turn the DPP from a regulatory requirement into a valuable product touchpoint – one that connects data, product and customer throughout the lifecycle.

The brands that start experimenting now have an opportunity to understand what works for their customers, build the right data foundation and develop a business case before DPPs become business as usual.

A COLLABORATION BETWEEN