Why We Need Digital Product Passports
Every product on our shopping shelves has important data (eg. environmental footprint, safety, health impacts, authenticity, etc.) tied to its existence. A Digital Product Passport (DPP) is a single point of truth for all this critical information related to a product. This information can be accessed by, for instance, scanning a QR code on a product or its packaging via a smartphone. This avoids having to reference different documents, online interfaces, and datasets to get product information.
The European Union plans to introduce DPPs for a variety of products with the objective of better understanding each product and its environmental footprint as well as bringing about a Zero Waste Circular Economy approach (which keeps materials in use perpetually thus eliminating waste).
Currently, much of the useful information for a product is not easily available to product stakeholders for products sold in Canada. Consumers, businesses, and governments searching for product information would at best have to go to many sources and at worst must settle for little or no data. Requiring the collection of critical data and making this information available in an easy-to-access digital manner would be helpful for all parties involved.
The Advantages of a Digital Product Passport
Here are some ways a DPP can be used that illustrate its advantages. A DPP can include details on how to sell or otherwise productively make use of the product after its usage reducing the prevalence of single-use items. DPP documentation can be used to compare products when it comes to life cycle carbon emissions, amount of energy and water used to make or use the product, and contribution to toxic air and water. It can indicate dangers due to carcinogenic substances and other chemicals which can impact human health. It can include ways to mitigate these human health impacts by taking certain precautions. It can indicate if a product contains materials that can make it hard to reuse or recycle – information that would be helpful for an end-of-life entity such as a recycling organization. It can also help a consumer repair a product by providing different repair options.
Importantly, a DPP is not a static digital document. Instead, it gets updated over time. For instance, any prior repairs, change of ownership, and estimated or measured carbon footprint due to the usage of a product can be part of a DPP.
A DPP provides all stakeholders of a product (ie. manufacturers, consumers, retailers, and waste management organizations) with a full view of all transactions and critical information related to the product over time. This approach can provide opportunities for collaboration between all stakeholders. For example, businesses can electronically link to customers to offer new services and additional features for an existing product. Businesses can also make use of DPPs to help track and comply with government sustainability regulations at each stage within complex supply chains.
The Move Towards Digital Product Passports
The European Union has approved a Sustainable Product Regulation proposal in 2022 which will make DPPs required for all products sold in the EU (with a few exceptions). Currently, the EU is considering requiring DPPs for apparel, batteries, and consumer electronics by 2026 with other sectors being targeted for a later date.
This push is part of a broader European Green Deal which by 2030 aims to reduce CO2 emissions by 55% compared to 1990 levels by 2030 and to make Europe the first climate emissions-neutral continent by 2050.
Since DPPs will be required for all products being sold on the EU market, businesses around the world that sell their products in the EU will be required to adopt DPP standards. This will result in a global push towards DPPs. No such requirement for DPPs exists for products sold in Canada. We should start adopting DPP standards for all products made in Canada to ensure that we are ready to meet EU standards. This will help address environmental sustainability, health, and innovation concerns. Governments and businesses in Canada must step up to bring the future of digital product documentation here as soon as possible. This will make sure that our products can compete with products made in other parts of the world and will show that we care about sustainability. In the 21st century information is power and having easily accessible product information will empower Canadian consumers and businesses to be more responsible and confident about the products they are affiliated with.
