The European Commission opened a call for proposals for the Digital Product Passport (DPP) as part of the new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products regulation on May 11, 2023, under the Digital Europe Programme. The Commission considers this program as a cornerstone to promote products that are more sustainable and environmentally friendly.
The existing Ecodesign Directive from 2009, which currently covers only products in the energy sector, has shown significant results, leading to financial savings and a 10% reduction in electricity consumption among the product groups it encompasses. Therefore, there is a need to expand the regulation to other industries (excluding the food industry).
So far, 26 proposers have submitted their opinions on the Digital Product Passport, including organizations from the EU and several proposers from Turkey as a candidate country.
The framework of future regulation will enable the establishment of a wide range of obligations, including the Digital Product Passport.
Benefits of Digital Product Passport
The European Commission has stated the objectives of the Digital Product Passport in its call for proposals.
The primary objectives are:
- To enable all relevant economic actors to share key information about products, related to their sustainability and circularity, and to accelerate the transition to a circular economy by increasing the energy efficiency of products, extending the product lifespan, optimizing product design and manufacturing processes, as well as managing product use and end-of-life processes.
- To provide new business opportunities to economic actors through value retention based on improved data access, as well as the optimization and improvement of repair, maintenance, re-manufacturing, and recycling processes.
- To assist consumers in making sustainable choices.
- To allow administrations to verify compliance with legal regulations.
New Digital Product Passport Regulation and Industry Opinion
Among the organizations that have provided their opinions in the process of creating the new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products regulation, a special contribution from the textile industry was provided by the well-known Dutch agency Policy Hub, together with its partners, including Global Fashion Agenda, Sustainable Apparel Coalition, and H&M Group.
Since the improvement proposals published in the official feedback from Policy Hub to the European Commission deserve special attention, for the purpose of this text, we highlight point 7, which “welcomes the EC’s proposal to provide an alternative to the existing CE marking of products, and suggests the Digital Product Passport as a far more suitable tool for the textile and footwear industries”.
In the new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products regulation, there is a particular emphasis on the need for significant increase in product durability, as well as opportunities for reuse and improvements in product repairability.
In point 7 of the submitted opinion, it is specifically emphasized that the DoC and EC labels have never been used in the textile and footwear industries and that it would represent a significant burden and risk in creating unnecessary and inefficient administration.
The Importance of Digital Product Passport in Production Processes
Access to clear and precise information such as product composition, origin of materials and components, as well as technical processes used in production, will be crucial for technologists in the sustainable development industry, especially in the phases of repair, improvement, and reuse of products.
Recycling facilities will be able to optimize processes, save costs, and increase efficiency by having access to complete product information. Brands that invest in their own repair, alteration, and improvement facilities will use the information obtained from the Product Data Sheet (PDS), in addition to systematizing technological processes, to improve their business in the areas of marketing and sales.
In the new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products regulation, there is a particular emphasis on the need for significant increase in product durability, as well as opportunities for reuse and improvements in product reparability.
Culture of clothing repair and reuse
The vision of the European Commission from the Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles highlights, among other things, the importance of ensuring conditions for the existence of a wide availability of clothing repair and reuse services.
Looking at Europe as a whole, we can observe a dual situation when it comes to the availability of major and minor clothing alteration services. While Western and Northern European countries experience a lack of access to clothing alteration services, countries in Southern Europe, as well as European nations influenced by Mediterranean cultures, have a strong tradition of craftsmanship, with a large number of tailoring salons and workshops that provide repair, alteration, and enhancement services for clothing.
Differences in consumer habits related to the use and lifespan of clothing in different European regions are not surprising, considering the social and cultural aspects. Therefore, the exchange of knowledge and best practices between European countries as a whole is of utmost importance in creating legislation that will not only influence EU member states but also countries in the accession process.
Chance for the Participation of the Textile Industry in Serbia
Call for opinions in the process of creating the Digital Product Passport is open until September 26, 2023. So far, 26 proposers have submitted their opinions on the Digital Product Passport, including organizations from the EU and several proposers from Turkey as a candidate country.
The REPPAREL Initiative welcomes the opportunity for actors from the Serbian textile industry, like Turkish organizations, to contribute to the achievement of the goals set out in the European Commission’s Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles. By providing opinions and suggestions, organizations from Serbia would directly impact the creation of industrial standards and market conditions that would make the national textile industry competitive and strong enough to enter the crucial collective European market.
IGOR RADULOVIĆ, Founder of REPPAREL Initiative
The author is a technical designer with decades of experience in product development in the apparel industry.