Short answer
The battery passport is the EU's first mandatory Digital Product Passport (DPP). It was created by the Batteries Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, Article 77. The general DPP is established by the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation — Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 (ESPR) — which will extend DPP requirements to further product groups, textiles and consumer electronics among them, through delegated acts from 2027 onward.
Same pattern in both: a unique identifier, a QR data carrier, and a structured record you often can only fill with supplier data.
If you have wrestled the battery passport into shape, you have effectively piloted a system the EU intends to apply far more widely. That is the strategic point of this page: the battery passport is not a one-off battery rule. It is the template for a digital-passport regime that will reach across manufacturing over the next several years.
Two instruments, one idea
| Battery passport | Digital Product Passport (general) | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal basis | Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, Art. 77 | Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 (ESPR) + product-specific delegated acts |
| Scope | EV, LMT and industrial > 2 kWh batteries | Product groups set by delegated act (e.g. textiles, iron and steel, later electronics) |
| Key date | 18 February 2027 | Rolling — per product group from 2027 onward |
| Mechanism | Unique ID + QR data carrier + structured record | Same mechanism, generalised |
Why the battery passport came first
Batteries were an obvious proving ground: high-value, safety- and sustainability-sensitive, with a supply chain the EU already wanted more visibility into. So the Batteries Regulation embedded a full passport — identifier, data carrier, carbon footprint, recycled content, due diligence — ahead of the general framework. When people call the battery passport "the first mandatory DPP", that is what they mean: it is the live prototype the rest of the regime is modelled on.
What the ESPR generalises
Regulation (EU) 2024/1781, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, is a framework law. It does not itself list every rule for every product; instead it empowers the Commission to adopt product-specific delegated acts that set ecodesign requirements and, for many product groups, a Digital Product Passport. The ESPR names priority groups for early attention — textiles (apparel especially) and iron and steel are among the first, with further categories including electronics expected to follow. Exact requirements and timing for each group are decided in its delegated act, which is why the honest statement is "coming, per product group" rather than a single fixed date.
The pattern repeats — so the work transfers
What you learn doing the battery passport carries directly into the next category you are caught by:
- You are probably the economic operator. The same "who places it on the market / puts it into service" logic applies across DPP product groups.
- The data is upstream. As with batteries, most passport fields for textiles or electronics will live with suppliers, so early data requests are the long pole again.
- The identifier and QR mechanics are shared. A unique product identifier resolving via a data carrier is the common architecture.
Treating the battery passport as your first DPP, rather than a standalone battery chore, is the efficient way to read it. The muscle you build now is reusable.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. The ESPR's product-specific DPP requirements are set by delegated acts that are still being adopted, so scope and timing for textiles, electronics and other groups will move; confirm the current position for your products with qualified counsel.
Frequently asked questions
Is the battery passport a Digital Product Passport?
Yes. The battery passport under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 is the EU's first mandatory DPP — it set the template of a unique identifier, a QR data carrier and a structured record.
What is the difference between the two?
The battery passport is a product-specific DPP mandated by the Batteries Regulation. The general DPP is established by the ESPR, Regulation (EU) 2024/1781, which extends DPP requirements to further product groups through delegated acts.
Which products get a DPP next?
The ESPR sets priority product groups — textiles and iron and steel are among the first, with electronics and others to follow via delegated acts. Exact scope and timing are set product-by-product.
Why does the battery passport matter for other industries?
Because it is the working prototype. The identifier, data carrier, access model and supplier-data problem you solve for batteries are the same pattern the DPP requires elsewhere.
Start with the passport that's already mandatory
The battery passport is live from 2027 with obligations already in force today. Screen your batteries against Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 and get a dated position report — the same discipline you'll reuse for the DPP.
Check my batteries → get my battery passport reportSources
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, Article 77 — battery passport, the EU's first mandatory Digital Product Passport. eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1542/oj
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 — Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR); establishes the general Digital Product Passport and empowers product-specific delegated acts. eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1781/oj
Honesty note, as of 9 July 2026: the battery passport's Article 77 basis and 18 February 2027 date are fixed. The ESPR's DPP requirements for other product groups are set by delegated acts still being adopted, so their scope and dates will move.