How Digital Product Passports Will Reshape Fashion Compliance by 2027

The Shift Towards Transparency and Accountability

The fashion industry is undergoing a seismic shift. By 2027, Digital Product Passports (DPPs) will be a regulatory necessity, not a choice. With frameworks like the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) gaining traction, brands must rethink how they manage product data, compliance, and consumer engagement.

What Are Digital Product Passports?

A Digital Product Passport is a structured, standardised digital record that provides a transparent view of a product’s lifecycle. It includes details on materials, sourcing, carbon footprint, repairability, and recyclability, all accessible through QR codes or NFC technology. DPPs are designed to:

Ensure compliance with evolving sustainability regulations.
Provide retailers, regulators, and consumers with verified product information.
Reduce greenwashing by linking claims to measurable data.

With regulations tightening, brands need a system that simplifies compliance while improving operational efficiency. That’s where Kinset’s connected platform comes in, helping brands centralise, automate, and scale sustainability management.

The Regulatory Landscape: What’s Required?

By 2027, brands selling in the EU will need to comply with:

Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR): Mandating transparency on sustainability attributes.
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): Requiring brands to track and report end-of-life product management.
Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD): Holding businesses accountable for sustainability claims with auditable data.

While these regulations are already taking shape, more concrete details on implementation and enforcement will emerge in April 2025. Brands that prepare early will have a clear advantage.

Failure to comply won’t just mean fines, it could mean lost market access.

How Brands Should Prepare

1. Centralise Product Data

DPPs require seamless data integration. Brands should ensure their ERP, PLM, and PIM systems are connected, allowing real-time updates on sustainability metrics. Kinset’s platform makes this process seamless, eliminating data silos and ensuring compliance readiness.

2. Automate Compliance Reporting

Manually tracking compliance data is no longer viable. Automating reporting through a connected sustainability platform reduces administrative burden and mitigates risk. Kinset helps brands streamline compliance reporting, ensuring they stay ahead of evolving regulations without the manual workload.

3. Embed Transparency into Customer Experience

Consumers demand proof rather than promises. Using DPPs to provide clear, verified sustainability information builds trust and strengthens brand reputation. Kinset enables brands to design and manage DPPs effortlessly, ensuring transparency becomes a competitive advantage.

The Future: Compliance as a Competitive Advantage

Regulations will continue evolving, but forward-thinking brands won’t just react—they’ll lead. Implementing Digital Product Passports now ensures compliance while unlocking efficiency, consumer trust, and long-term business value.

With more clarity expected in April 2025, now is the time to start preparing.

Get in touch with Kinset to see how we can help you stay compliant, optimise operations, and build trust in a rapidly changing regulatory landscape.