The Digital Product Passport as a Brand Touchpoint: How DPP Design Builds Trust

What Digital Product Passport Design Means for Brands

Digital Product Passports (DPP’s)  are no longer theoretical, they’re becoming part of how products are made, sold, and regulated. But for consumers, what matters most isn’t the regulation. It’s the experience.

The way a DPP looks, feels, and functions will quickly become a reflection of the brand itself. From the moment someone scans a QR code on a swing tag, the design defines how they interpret the brand’s attention to detail, credibility, and transparency.

Design is the human side of compliance.

Learn more about how the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) is driving the rollout of Digital Product Passports across sectors.

Why Digital Product Passport Design Matters

Most brands are focusing first on the data, gathering supplier information, verifying materials, and meeting compliance deadlines. But once DPP’s are public, design determines whether that data earns trust.

A poorly designed Digital Product Passport, can make credible data feel confusing or incomplete. A well-designed one turns sustainability information into a clear, branded experience that people can understand at a glance.

Effective Digital Product Passport design helps brands:

• Strengthen product authenticity and traceability
• Communicate complex sustainability data clearly
• Build confidence through a consistent, professional interface
• Meet accessibility and interoperability requirements across regions

Design isn’t an afterthought. It’s the surface where proof meets perception.

Turning principles into practice

To make this tangible, think of a passport as three layered moments: the scan, the first screen, and the deeper record. If the scan is smooth, the first screen is clear, and the record is structured, trust follows. The five rules below translate that flow into day‑to‑day design decisions teams can ship.

1. Scan Ease: The Foundation of Good Passport Design

A Digital Product Passport only works if it’s effortless to access.
If it doesn’t scan, it doesn’t exist.

Every label, tag, or package must support reliable scanning in real-world conditions. That means:

• A GS1-standard QR code with adequate contrast and quiet zone
• Flat, visible placement, avoid folds, curves, or stitching
• Readable size suitable for quick recognition across devices
• No forced app downloads or logins

Each second of friction erodes trust, while smooth scanning builds it.

2. Branding Without Breaking Functionality

The DPPs entry point, the QR and its surrounding design, should be part of the brand identity without interfering with function.

Over-styling can reduce scannability; under-styling can feel generic. The best designs achieve branded utility: visually distinct yet technically sound.

Typography, colour palette, and layout should echo your product’s design language while maintaining global readability and accessibility standards.

For examples of how brands are integrating traceability into product identity, see Kinset’s Digital Product Passport pilot with World Collective.

3. The First Screen: Where Credibility Takes Shape

The first screen of a Digital Product Passport carries more weight than most product pages. It’s where the user decides whether to trust the information they’re seeing.

To build immediate credibility, brands should:

• Lead with verified facts — origin, materials, manufacturing, impact
• Use simple visual hierarchy to guide attention
• Avoid filler text or marketing slogans
• Make load time near-instant

Think of this first screen as the “label” of your digital transparency: clear, structured, and authentic.

4. Accessibility and Inclusion

Transparency means nothing if it’s not accessible.

Design every passport to work for everyone, regardless of device, language, or ability:

• Use high contrast for legibility in different lighting
• Maintain sufficient text size and spacing for readability
• Offer multilingual options and localized content
• Apply WCAG accessibility standards for inclusive design

An accessible Digital Product Passport isn’t just a compliance requirement, but also a signal of accountability and inclusion.

5. Measuring What Matters

Design evolves with use.

Track performance to understand how people engage with your passport:

• Scan-to-view rate shows accessibility in practice
• Bounce rate reveals whether content meets expectations
• Time on page highlights sections users find valuable

These insights help brands refine their layout and messaging, ensuring every design choice serves both compliance and communication goals.

How Kinset Helps Brands Design for Trust

Digital Product Passports are becoming the new standard of transparency.
But building them well requires more than technical readiness — it requires design precision, data integrity, and clarity.

Kinset helps brands create Digital Product Passports that are both compliant and credible, combining verified data, interoperable standards, and intuitive design. Our platform ensures every passport looks like your brand, performs reliably, and turns sustainability data into an experience that builds confidence.

Explore our Resources to see how we’re helping brands move from compliance to credibility.

Design the passport people want to scan.
Learn how Kinset brings trust, traceability, and design together.