On September 17, 2024, three industry experts came together to discuss the advent of the digital product passport (DPP). Bas van der Pol (Founder of Tappr), Jeanet van der Stoel (Sector Lead Textile & Apparel at GS1), and Neil Greenhalgh (Digital Solutions Director of Charming Trim) put their heads together to share about DPP regulations, predictions, and best practices.
Bas van der Pol and Neil Greenhalgh hosted the event, guiding the audience through an information-rich agenda and live questions from the audience. Attendees left the presentation with a clear understanding of:
The presentation also featured insights from sustainability managers and other industry experts, creating an impactful and educational experience for attendees.
It would be impossible to pack all of the valuable knowledge from the webinar into a short blog post, but here are a few of the key points mentioned by the experts featured in the event.
While the dates and specifics of DPP regulation haven’t quite arrived yet, they’re not far off. Greenhalgh shared that details are coming as soon as 2025.
“There aren’t definitive timelines yet, but we know from STOA and CIRPASS that the expectations are that there will be a standardization request by 2025, which will set the framework for legislation.”
Despite the lack of concrete regulation yet, it’s very clear that the DPP will target environmental sustainability and circularity of products, enhance traceability, and offer detailed information about product care throughout the garment’s lifecycle.
Currently, the barcode is the standard for product identification. But it’s clear that it won’t be long before the standard will evolve.
After COVID-19, consumers grew extremely comfortable with scanning QR codes. QR codes and RFID tags are becoming increasingly popular and will very likely take the place of the barcode for identifying products.
However, GS1 is taking QR code technology even further, allowing consumers and brands to access digital product passports from multiple sources. Van der Stoel explained the impact:
“GS1 offers a GS1 digital link, which means you can link to multiple sources. Let’s say you have a product: in this case, jeans with either a serialized or a batch number. When you scan this product, you can see information about the digital product passport.
But, for example, a recycler can also access the information. And if you’re in a store and you want to sell the product, you can access it at point-of-sale. So you have one QR code with multiple sources and multiple links with product information, certificate information, and point-of-sale information. That makes it different from the QR code you already know.”
As we get closer to the implementation of DPPs globally, technology will only continue to change to fit new manufacturer needs.
Van der Pol challenged beliefs that the DPP is a tool that primarily benefits the end consumers, raising a list of multiple ways textile brands can increase their revenue through compliance with digital product passport regulations. One key opportunity is by tapping into resale services.
“Resale services are a very promising area. We’re seeing a lot of brands launching their own resale service. Not only can repair and care services build customer loyalty, but they also create service revenues.”
Van der Pol went on to explain how following the entire lifecycle of the garment creates a long list of opportunities for organizations to build relationships with consumers that can increase profitability.
Clearly, the “Navigating the Future of Fashion” webinar in collaboration with TAPPR and GS1 was a hit.
If you didn’t get the chance to attend the event and you’re curious to learn more about the impact of the digital product passport, check out the recording here