New report on the opportunities and challenges of the Digital Product Passport
What does the introduction of Digital Product Passports mean for companies in the fashion and textile industry? This is what Eveliina Lehtisalo investigated in her master’s thesis at Aalto University in Finland, within the Trace4Value project.
Digital Product Passports (DPPs) will be introduced for textiles by 2030 and will require companies to collect more data on their materials and products and present it to their customers.
The study explored opportunities and challenges the DPP introduces for textile and fashion companies, involving seven Nordic fashion houses and one recycling player. The results indicate that the DPP can help companies become more transparent by making it easier to keep track of their products and suppliers through more efficient data management.
Circular solutions
DPP can also increase consumer engagement, as well as contribute to better risk management across supply chains and increased use of circular solutions. The participating companies had similar views on the potential of product passports, with some differences, especially around the opportunities within efficiency and circularity.
But there are also challenges, such as supply chain complexity, lack of resources and technical capabilities, lack of clarity on the value and fitness of the information requirements, and industry readiness for implementation.
-DPP has great potential for taking the industry forward within sustainability, a point also recognized in previous studies. However, achieving an industry-wide adoption will not be a simple task, to say the least. And it’s important to keep in mind that the DPP is just one part of the larger sustainability initiatives, says Eveliina Lehtisalo.
Watch presentation of Master Thesis
