On 27 May 2026, the Joint Technical Committee CEN/CLC/JTC 24 on Digital Product Passports – Framework and Systems, under the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC), officially published six standards on Digital Product Passports (DPP).
EN 18216:2026 Digital Product Passports – Data Exchange Protocol
This standard defines a set of secure and efficient data exchange protocols and data format standards for Digital Product Passports. The data exchange protocol establishes the rules and processes that systems follow when communicating and exchanging information. The data format defines the structure and presentation of information so that relevant systems can correctly understand and process it. Together, the protocol and format ensure that data can be exchanged securely, interoperably, reliably, and across multiple platforms and industries in a compatible manner. This guarantees that data is human‑ and machine‑readable, structured, searchable, and transmittable over open, interoperable networks without vendor lock‑in.
Specifically, the standard covers:
a) Secure communication: Ensures secure and authenticated data exchange between systems, protects data from unauthorised access, and allows only authorised entities to access information when necessary.
b) Interoperability of data exchange: Supports easy integration with existing data exchange systems, ensures compatibility of protocols and formats across industries, and supports a wide range of applications and use cases.
c) Ease of use and integration: Ensures that the defined protocols and formats are easy to implement (especially for mobile devices) and user‑friendly to promote widespread adoption.
d) Data integrity: Ensures the integrity of information related to physical objects and electronic data throughout the value chain (up to the end‑of‑life of products or assets).
e) Documentation and discoverability: Makes the protocols and formats usable by individuals without specialised knowledge, thereby promoting broader adoption across industries.
EN 18219:2026 Digital Product Passports – Unique Identifiers
This standard defines principles, requirements and guidelines for unique product identifiers, unique economic operator identifiers and unique facility identifiers used in Digital Product Passports. It covers the following areas: a) global uniqueness; b) persistence; c) syntax; d) granularity; e) interoperability; f) openness. The standard supports three specific levels of granularity for identification: model, batch or individual item, to meet different operational needs. It also describes identification schemes using issuing bodies, self‑issuing systems, or a combination of both.
EN 18220:2026 Digital Product Passports – Data Carriers
This standard specifies requirements for data carriers used in Digital Product Passport systems, covering: symbol characteristics, format, error correction codes, encoding methods, printing and production quality, and durability. It also specifies requirements for graphics or other markings to facilitate recognition of DPP data carriers, indications of data carrier location, machine readability, quality inspection, and the link between physical products and their digital representation. The following aspects are outside the scope of this standard: architecture and use cases, security elements, and any other cryptographic security functions.
EN 18221:2026 Digital Product Passports – Data Storage, Archiving and Data Persistence
This standard specifies data storage, archiving and data persistence requirements for Digital Product Passports, all based on a decentralised approach. The archiving function securely stores historical passport data, preserving a complete record of past information. Persistence ensures that data contained in a passport remains accessible even when the economic operator that created the Digital Product Passport is no longer active. The standard also specifies replication requirements between economic operators and backup operators, as well as rules for defining the data lifecycle.
EN 18222:2026 Digital Product Passports – Application Programming Interface (API) for Product Passport Lifecycle Management and Searchability
This standard aims to specify the API for Digital Product Passports (DPP) required by the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR). The purpose of the API is to improve the searchability of DPPs and to provide the necessary means for interactions throughout the lifecycle of product DPPs.
EN 18223:2026 Digital Product Passports – System Interoperability
The scope of this standard includes: semantic description of products, including relevant attributes and semantic elements that characterise the product lifecycle; a common information model supporting the implementation of data dictionary systems; metadata models and formats for exchange and presentation that allow dictionary integration; rules for the systematic use of such metadata models when developing data models and dictionaries for specific product groups; technical interoperability and organisational interoperability.
Other developments
The following standards are currently under approval:
FprEN 18239 Digital Product Passports – Access Rights Management, Information System Security and Business Confidentiality
FprEN 18246 Digital Product Passports – Data Authentication, Reliability and Integrity
In addition, Digital Product Passports – Dictionary Reference: Concepts and Principles is under development.
Perspective from the International Alliance for Regional Innovation and Standardization (IARIS)
The International Alliance for Regional Innovation and Standardization (IARIS) believes that the six Digital Product Passport standards published by CEN and CENELEC provide a systematic and actionable technical foundation for building a globally unified digital product identity management and data exchange system. Covering unique identifiers, data carriers, exchange protocols, storage and archiving, API interfaces, and system interoperability, this standard system addresses key aspects of the entire DPP lifecycle, reflecting Europe’s leading practices in sustainable product ecodesign.
IARIS notes that this series of standards places strong emphasis on decentralised architecture, data persistence, and cross‑platform interoperability, helping to break vendor lock‑in and promoting transparent and trustworthy collaboration across global supply chains. IARIS encourages its member organisations and relevant enterprises to actively study and adopt the above standards, participate in subsequent standard development and pilot applications, and jointly promote the mutual recognition and deployment of Digital Product Passports worldwide, thereby contributing to the sustainable development goals of a green, circular, and digital transformation.
Source: CEN/CENELEC press release, compiled and adapted with IARIS perspective for publication on www.iaris.org
Publication Date: 27 May 2026
