EU DPP Registry: Ushering in the Era of “Smart Packaging” with QR Codes

As international trade places increasing emphasis on transparency, traceability, and sustainability, businesses are no longer required simply to prove that their products are “good.” They also need to demonstrate how and where their products are made, what materials they contain, and which standards they comply with.

Against this backdrop, the Digital Product Passport (DPP) is attracting growing attention. More than just a QR code or an information storage platform, the DPP is being developed as a way to digitize, organize, and connect product data throughout a product’s lifecycle.

For Vietnamese businesses, proactively preparing product data in line with the DPP direction can help them better respond to evolving export market requirements, reduce compliance risks when entering highly regulated markets, and strengthen their position when working with international partners.

What Is a DPP and Why Should Exporters Care?

The DPP can be understood as a “digital record” of a product.

Instead of having product information scattered across documents, internal systems, or individual supplier records, the DPP aims to organize and connect relevant data in a structured format that can be accessed, shared, and traced when needed.

Depending on the product category and specific requirements, the information may include:

• Raw material sources and origin;
• Manufacturing and production processes;
• Product composition and materials;
• Applicable standards and certifications;
• Repairability, reusability, and recyclability;
• Environmental and product lifecycle information.

Within the European Union (EU), the DPP is being developed under the framework of the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), with the aim of increasing product transparency and supporting the transition toward a circular economy.

This indicates that product data is gradually becoming an important part of business competitiveness, alongside product quality, pricing, and production capabilities.

Greater Transparency from Raw Materials to Finished Products

An exported product typically goes through multiple stages and involves various parties, including raw material suppliers, manufacturers, logistics providers, distributors, and end users.

The DPP aims to connect relevant data across these links in the value chain, allowing product information to be managed and traced in an appropriate and reliable way.

In other words, DPP is not simply about placing a QR code on a product. Behind that QR code must be a sufficiently accurate, reliable, and well-structured data system.

DPP and Opportunities for Vietnamese Products

For export-oriented industries such as textiles and apparel, footwear, electronics, agricultural products, food, furniture, and packaging, requirements for information transparency are likely to become increasingly important.

This is particularly relevant for products involving specific materials and recyclability considerations. Data on material composition, raw material sources, and product lifecycle can play an important role in meeting customer and market requirements.

When product information is properly standardized, businesses can move from simply “talking about quality” to “proving quality with data.”

What Should Vietnamese Businesses Prepare for DPP?

DPP represents a broader process of data transformation. Therefore, businesses do not necessarily have to wait until specific requirements become mandatory before starting to prepare.

Several steps can be taken in advance:

1. Standardize Product Information

Identify the key data associated with each product, covering everything from materials and manufacturing processes to applicable standards and certifications.

2. Strengthen Traceability

Develop systems that enable businesses to identify raw material sources, production processes, and other relevant information associated with individual products or batches.

3. Digitize Product Data

Reduce reliance on important information stored only in paper documents or scattered across different departments and systems.

4. Prepare for Data Connectivity

Data should not only be stored. It also needs to be capable of being connected, shared, and verified when working with business partners or systems in importing markets.

5. Integrate DPP into Export Strategy

Rather than viewing DPP simply as a compliance requirement, businesses can see it as an opportunity to improve management systems, strengthen supply chain transparency, and enhance the overall value of their products.

DPP: Preparing for a New Way of Competing

International markets are gradually moving beyond competition based solely on price and production volume. Businesses are increasingly competing on a broader range of factors, including quality, origin, transparency, traceability, and sustainability.

In this context, DPP could become an important part of how products are identified, evaluated, and managed in international markets.

For Vietnamese businesses, preparing for DPP is therefore not simply about meeting a new market requirement. It is also an opportunity to digitize product data, improve management capabilities, increase supply chain transparency, and demonstrate product value through verifiable information.