EU Digital Product Passport: Putting Power into Consumer’s Hands When Buying Clothes

Consumer CompactSoftlinesMarch 25, 2024

Distinguishing truth from fiction can be difficult when looking at environmental claims. An EU study from 2020 described 53.3% of environmental product claims as “vague, misleading or unfounded” and found 40% were unsubstantiated by verifiable evidence. ¹ The EU is acting to ensure that consumers are empowered to make better clothing purchasing decisions by giving them access to consistent, reliable and trusted environmental information about the products they choose.

We all rely on clothes to protect us, make us feel good and help us operate effectively in our work and leisure environments. Unfortunately, clothing is one of the most resource-intensive and pollution-generating consumer product industries on the planet.

The EU is introducing far-reaching regulatory changes that will impact all industrial sectors in a bid to create a safer and more sustainable economy. In response to the trend for ‘fast fashion’ that has dominated the first quarter of this century, they want to make clothing more sustainable by altering the way we choose, maintain and dispose of items at the end of their useful life. To achieve this, they seek to ensure consumers have the information they need to become more environmentally responsible citizens.

Digital Product Passport

Apparel markets have been flooded with environmental claims in recent years. Claims like ‘planet-friendly’ or ‘good for the environment’ are, at best, ambiguous and, at worst, misleading, leading to confusion among consumers who are just trying to do the ‘right thing.’

The EU aims to stop the influence of such claims in all consumer product markets through the use of a Digital Product Passport (DPP). This will sweep away broad, ill-defined claims and replace them with clear, consistent and comparable information on a product’s environmental performance.

For the first time, apparel brands will be required to have the environmental performance of their clothes independently assessed and certified. The information declared in the DPP will give consumers information they can trust to better inform their purchasing decisions.

The DPP will typically report important environmental factors such as:

Durability
Repairability
Recyclability
Recycled content
Greenhouse gas emissions
Water consumption

The key element for consumers is that the ‘scores’ for each of these environmental factors will be calculated in the same way, against a common standard, by an impartial, third-party assessment body using a defined set of methodologies.

However, the DPP does a whole lot more than just report six sustainability scores. In effect, it is also the product's digital twin, in this case, clothing. A QR code attached to the inside of the garment can be scanned by a smartphone, revealing a host of information relating to ownership, maintenance and repair. These records will be updated throughout the product’s life cycle, from manufacture to disposal, creating a complete digital biography for the garment.

SGS Solution

bluesign^®, an SGS company, is making it possible for apparel brands to comply with the demands of the EU Digital Product Passport.

The bluesign^® SYSTEM, a holistic approach based on input stream management, helps clothing and textile brands and retailers guarantee consumer safety while reducing the impact of their products on people and the environment through responsible use of resources.

bluesign has been working with environmentally responsible global brands, manufacturers and chemical companies in the apparel and textile industry for over a quarter of a century and is ideally placed to help companies adapt to the introduction of a common standard for the way environmental impacts are reported. Our clients will benefit from customizable solutions, including environmental appraisal and supply chain assessment, all designed to meet the requirements of the DPP.

Learn more about bluesign^®.