Innovation Alert: Product Passports and the Potential Shift in Shopping Dynamics”

Benjamin Marien, a director at Aquinos Bedding, highlights the concerning reality that approximately 30 million mattresses reach the end of their life across Europe each year, with a majority ending up in landfills or being burned. To address this issue and promote sustainability, digital product passports (DPPs) are being introduced across the European Union. These passports capture crucial data about a product’s environmental impact, composition, production, and history.

Aquinos Bedding, which produces 1.2 million mattresses annually, is set to introduce DPPs, attaching them to mattresses through QR codes for consumers to scan and RFID tags for recyclers to access the passport. This innovative approach allows consumers to learn about the mattress’s origin and materials while providing warranty and washability information to extend the product’s life. For recyclers, the RFID tag ensures easy and efficient access to the passport.

Industry consortia, such as the Global Battery Alliance, are actively developing standards for DPPs, emphasizing the importance of cooperation throughout the supply chain. The European Commission sees DPPs as a means to empower consumers with better information, enabling them to pressure manufacturers and distributors for more sustainable products. The introduction of mandatory DPPs for industrial and electric vehicle batteries by 2027 is expected to be followed by other product categories, including textiles, by 2030.

Clothing brand Nobody’s Child has already tested DPPs in its autumn/winter 2023 collection, aiming to implement passports for all its products by the end of 2024. The European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive will hold companies accountable for the integrity of the data reported in DPPs, emphasizing the importance of accurate information.

In the construction sector, the London Fetter Lane project uses materials passports for its building, documenting information from materials to components, fostering a circular economy approach. Start-ups like Circuland are working towards creating marketplaces for used products by aggregating data from different buildings, enabling the reuse of materials with documented histories.

The potential of DPPs extends beyond promoting sustainability in product lifecycles; they can also support better buying decisions, materials recycling, and the reuse of products. As the implementation of DPPs progresses, collaboration between large companies and their supply chains becomes crucial in educating and supporting lower-level suppliers to ensure the success of this innovative approach.