ESPR Compliance Guide for Manufacturers & EU Importers
A practical, step-by-step guide to creating Digital Product Passports and meeting the EU ESPR regulation before the 2027 deadline.
Step-by-step compliance guide
Identify your deadline
Check which product category applies to you. Batteries are first (Feb 2027), followed by textiles (Jul 2027), electronics (2028), and remaining categories by 2030. If you sell across multiple categories, prepare for the earliest deadline.
Gather your product data
Collect the required information for each product. At minimum you need: GTIN (barcode number), product name, manufacturer details, material composition, and compliance status (CE, REACH, RoHS). For batteries, you need 31 additional fields.
Create a DPP platform account
Register at admin.dpp.gs. You need your GS1 Company Prefix (GCP) — a 7-12 digit number from your GS1 membership. Free plan includes 2 GTINs.
Upload your products
Use CSV batch upload for multiple products at once, or add them manually. dpp.gs supports all 70+ ESPR fields including material composition, carbon footprint breakdown, and battery passport data.
Download QR codes
Get GS1 Digital Link QR codes and DataMatrix codes for every product. Download as ZIP (PNG + SVG). For serial-level tracking, use the serial QR endpoint to generate codes for each unit.
Apply to packaging & stay compliant
Print QR codes on your product packaging or labels. When scanned, consumers and authorities see the full Digital Product Passport in their language (25 EU languages supported). Update data anytime when products change.
Compliance checklist
- GS1 Company Prefix (GCP) registered with your national GS1 organization
- GTINs assigned to all products sold in the EU
- Product data collected: materials, carbon footprint, compliance certificates
- Digital Product Passport created on a compliant platform
- GS1 Digital Link QR codes generated and applied to packaging
- DPP accessible in required languages (at minimum: English + local market language)
- Data kept up to date when products or processes change
- Battery passport data complete (if selling batteries ≥2kWh)
Who is responsible?
Under ESPR, responsibility falls on the entity that places the product on the EU market:
- EU manufacturer → responsible for their own products
- EU importer → responsible when importing from non-EU manufacturers
- Authorized representative → can act on behalf of non-EU manufacturers
- Online marketplace → must verify DPP existence (Amazon, Alibaba, Temu, etc.)
What does a DPP look like?
A Digital Product Passport is a web page accessible via QR code. See a live example:
The passport shows product identification, materials, carbon footprint, compliance status, and recycling instructions — automatically translated into the viewer's language.
Get compliant before the deadline
Create your first Digital Product Passport in under 5 minutes. Free to start.
Start free — no credit card