Know your owners
Every activation identifies a client, even when the piece was sold by a retailer.
DPP guide · updated September 2026
The product passport,simply explained.
What a Digital Product Passport is, what European regulation really requires, and how to turn it into a lever for client relationships. Then, if you wish, an audit to see where your maison stands.
July 2024The EU ESPR regulation enters into force.
2027 · 2029First obligations: textiles, tyres, steel, aluminium.
Watches and jewelleryExpected from 2030.
01 · Definition
A unique digital identity
for every product.
The Digital Product Passport is a digital identity assigned to each physical product.
It brings together, securely and verifiably, all the information about the product: origin and materials, proof of authenticity, ownership history, maintenance and servicing, warranty documents and exclusive brand content.
Accessed via a QR code or an NFC chip embedded in the product, the DPP creates a permanent link between the manufacturer, the product and each of its successive owners.
What a passport contains
IdentityReference, serial number, proof of authenticity.
WarrantyTerms, dates, extension.
ServicingService history and appointment booking.
OwnershipSuccessive owners and transfers.
Brand contentHeritage, craftsmanship, invitations.
Regulatory dataMaterials, origin, repairability, end of life.
02 · Comparison
DPP or certificate of authenticity:
what’s the difference?
Certificate of authenticity
A static document
- Issued once, at the point of sale
- Does not follow the product over time
- Ignores successive owners
Digital Product Passport
A living infrastructure
- Follows the product throughout its life cycle
- Records every change of ownership and every service
- Lets the brand engage with every owner, including on the second-hand market
03 · Regulation
What Europe requires,
and what it doesn’t.
The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) makes the Digital Product Passport mandatory, category by category. Each category awaits its own delegated act, followed by a transition period of around 18 months before the obligation applies.
- 2024
ESPR in force
The framework is set in July 2024: ecodesign requirements and the Digital Product Passport.
- 2025
Working plan
April 2025: the ESPR working plan prioritises textiles, furniture, tyres, mattresses, steel and aluminium until 2030.
- 2026
EU registry
The Commission sets up the Digital Product Passport registry.
- 2027
Batteries
The first mandatory passport, for industrial and electric vehicle batteries.
- 2028+
Textiles
Delegated act expected in 2027, with the obligation around 18 months later.
04 · Why now
No obligation yet,
so why invest now?
Because the passport first solves a commercial problem: the brand does not know who owns its pieces.
See your real sell-out
Where and when each piece reaches its end client, market by market.
Follow the second-hand market
Every change of ownership reveals a new client, instead of losing one.
Be ready when it comes
If an obligation arrives, your data and journeys already exist.
05 · Pioneers
The maisons that did it
before any obligation.
- BreitlingA digital passport for every new watch, since 2020.
- Vacheron ConstantinDigital certificates for its certified pre-owned pieces, from 2019.
- Pragma, Strehler, Ange BardeIndependent maisons that identify their owners with Horae.
- ChloéA digital ID on its bags from 2022, to make resale easier.
- MulberryA commitment to give every product a digital ID, starting with second hand.
- Ralph LaurenA digital ID in the service of traceability.
- Loro PianaTraceability of its exceptional fibres, from raw material to finished product.
- Johnstons of ElginA digital ID on its cashmere pieces.
- De BeersTracr traces each natural diamond, from mine to jewel.
06 · Infrastructure
Database
or blockchain?
The regulation does not require any specific technology: a passport can run on a conventional database. Blockchain brings three guarantees that matter particularly in luxury.
Authentic for life.
A product’s history can be neither altered nor erased. Authenticity becomes a certainty, not a promise.
Sovereign.
No commercial intermediary controls the identity of your products. Your data belongs to you.
Universal.
Any retailer, repairer or client can verify the origin without your involvement, anywhere in the world.
07 · DPP Readiness Audit
Where does
your maison stand?
In 10 days, a clear view of your maturity, the use case that really matters to you and a costed roadmap. Before you invest, with no commitment to any solution.
Request the audit- 10days
- 4deliverables
- 4 hof your team’s time
- D-5Preparation questionnaire
- D+22 two-hour sessions with your decision-makers
- D+104 deliverables handed over
- D+12One-hour debrief
The deliverables
Four documents,
one clear direction.
01
Maturity map
A rigorous assessment of your organisation across 5 key dimensions. You get a score for each dimension, an industry benchmark and an immediate list of priorities.
Product dataQuality, completeness and governance of your existing data.
TraceabilityMaturity of your supply chain and material traceability.
Owner experiencePost-purchase client journey and potential for long-term engagement.
Digital infrastructureInteroperability of your systems with DPP standards.
Regulatory exposureObligations that apply, or not, to each product line.
02
Priority use case
From the 12 DPP scenarios identified in luxury, we select the one with the highest ROI for your brand and your timeline.
Customer intelligenceKnow the end buyer better and activate the relationship.
Post-purchase experienceWarranty, servicing, repair and product storytelling.
Secondary marketCertified authenticity and value capture on resale.
ComplianceAnticipate the obligations that actually apply to your products.
03
Functional specification
A complete document, independent of any commercial solution, ready to submit to any provider on the market.
Functional scopeRequired features, ranked by priority.
Technical requirementsInteroperability, security and performance standards.
Evaluation gridWeighted criteria for selecting providers.
Success indicatorsDelivery and business value KPIs.
04
12-month roadmap
A realistic, phased execution plan, tailored to your organisational structure and budget.
Phase 1 · Foundations0 to 3 months: governance, data cleansing, choice of partner.
Phase 2 · Pilot3 to 6 months: roll-out on one collection, measurement of results.
Phase 3 · Scale-up6 to 12 months: extension and continuous optimisation.
Budget estimateRanges per phase, with key assumptions.
Your questions
about the DPP.
Is the passport mandatory for a watch?
Not yet: the obligation is expected from 2030. Maisons that equip themselves now already know their owners and their sell-out today.
How long does it take to launch our passports?
Around 4 weeks to go live, with no app for your clients to install: a card with a QR code and a page in your maison’s colours are all it takes.
What does the audit give us, and what does it require of our teams?
Four deliverables in 10 days, including a specification and a costed roadmap, for 4 hours of your time. It does not commit you to any solution.
We already have a provider. Is it still useful?
Yes: the audit gives you an objective grid to assess your current provider or consult others.
On request
DPP Readiness Audit
Led by Basile Caillé and Mathieu Chény, former PwC consultants, with over 15 years advising luxury maisons.