The Digital Product Passport (DPP) is becoming an increasingly important topic for many companies. But before it comes to new systems, interfaces or specific technical solutions, there is a much more fundamental question to answer: Is your existing product data actually available in the right quality and structure?
Companies with large product portfolios, numerous suppliers and complex IT landscapes face a particular challenge. The information is often available somewhere. The problem is that it may be spread across different systems, maintained in different ways or simply not available where it is needed.
Use Case: One Company, Multiple Data Sources – and One Important Question
Imagine a company that sells furniture and home accessories and manages several thousand products.
At first glance, the company appears to be well equipped from a technical perspective. Key product information is managed in a PIM system, commercial data is stored in the ERP, and images and other digital assets are managed in a DAM system. Supplier information enters the company through various channels. Overall, things work reasonably well. But as the company takes a closer look at the Digital Product Passport, one important question comes up:
Where does all the information required for a product actually come from – and how reliable is it?
Looking more closely, it quickly becomes clear that there is no single source of product data.
Some information is stored in the PIM.
Other data comes from the ERP.
Sustainability information is provided by suppliers and is sometimes transferred manually.
Some data is complete, while other information is missing for individual products.
The problem is therefore not necessarily a lack of data. The real issue is that no one can immediately say how complete, up to date and consistent the data actually is.
The First Step Is Not New Software
In this situation, simply introducing another system would not make much sense. First, the company needs to understand where it stands today.
This is where a Digital Product Passport Audit comes in. Rather than immediately prescribing a technical solution, the existing situation is systematically assessed.
The audit looks at questions such as:
Which product data is already available?
Where is it stored?
Which information comes from suppliers?
How is data exchanged between systems?
Where are there gaps?
How are product data and attributes currently maintained?
Who is responsible for which data?
Where do manual steps or breaks in the data flow occur?
Step by step, this creates a much clearer picture of the company's existing product data landscape.
Why an Existing PIM System Is Not Automatically Enough for the DPP
A common assumption is: “We already have a PIM system – so we are technically prepared for the Digital Product Passport.”
A PIM system can certainly be an important building block. But it does not answer the bigger question of whether the company is actually DPP-ready. A PIM can centrally manage product information. However, whether the data is complete, consistent and suitable for future requirements depends on many other factors.
For example:
Which attributes are actually captured?
How is data transferred from other systems?
How are supplier data integrated?
How are missing pieces of information identified?
Who is responsible for specific data?
How are changes managed across different systems?
The Digital Product Passport is therefore not just about systems. It is about the interaction between data, processes, responsibilities and technology. That is why a Digital Product Passport Audit takes a system-independent approach. Existing solutions are assessed objectively before decisions are made about further development or changes.
DPP Audit: More Than a Readiness Check
The outcome of an audit is not simply a “ready” or “not ready” assessment. Instead, it provides several concrete results:
DPP Readiness Score
The Readiness Score provides a structured overview of how well the company is prepared for the Digital Product Passport.
Product Data Maturity Assessment
The maturity of the company's product data is also assessed. This helps put the current situation into perspective and identify areas that require further development.
Gap Analysis
The gap analysis highlights missing data, process gaps, governance issues and technical requirements that still need to be addressed.
Executive Summary
The key findings are consolidated into an executive summary to support decision-making.
Prioritized Roadmap
For implementation, the prioritized roadmap is particularly important. It distinguishes between short-term measures and quick wins as well as medium- and long-term initiatives.
This turns an abstract regulatory challenge into a concrete plan of action.
What Should a Good DPP Roadmap Look Like?
Let's return to our fictional example: The company identifies several areas that need attention during the audit.
Not every issue needs to be addressed immediately. A good roadmap should first focus on the measures that can have the greatest impact on data quality and DPP readiness.
Depending on the actual assessment results, this could involve questions such as:
Which product data is missing most frequently?
Which data sources provide inconsistent information?
Where are responsibilities unclear?
Which processes create unnecessary manual work?
Which technical limitations actually need to be addressed?
Which measures provide the foundation for future product data initiatives?
The benefit of this approach is clear: the company does not have to transform its entire product data landscape at once. Instead, it can focus on the areas that matter most.
Who Should Consider a Digital Product Passport Audit?
A Digital Product Passport Audit can be particularly relevant for companies that:
manage large or complex product portfolios,
source product information from multiple systems,
work with numerous suppliers,
face increasing requirements for sustainability information,
want to strengthen their Product Data Governance,
or want to systematically assess their DPP readiness.
The industry itself is not necessarily the decisive factor. What matters more is the complexity of the company's product data landscape.
How Does a Digital Product Passport Audit Work?
The approach can be summarized in five steps:
Analyze the product data landscape
Existing data sources, systems, data flows and organizational processes are reviewed.Assess DPP readiness
Data quality, completeness, sustainability information, governance and processes are assessed.Identify areas for action
Data gaps, process weaknesses, governance issues and technical limitations are identified.Define the target state
Based on the analysis, a future-oriented data architecture and suitable operating model are developed.Create a prioritized roadmap
The findings are translated into concrete next steps, covering short-, medium- and long-term measures.
What Should You Clarify Before a DPP Audit?
Even before starting a formal assessment, it is worth taking a closer look at your current situation.
Ask yourself:
Where is our most important product data stored?
How many different data sources do we have?
Which information comes from suppliers?
How is sustainability data collected and maintained?
Are responsibilities for product data clearly defined?
Which data is already exchanged automatically?
Where do manual corrections or breaks in the data flow occur?
Which product data is required by commerce, marketing and other digital channels?
If you can answer these questions, you already have a solid starting point for preparing for the Digital Product Passport. If many of the answers are unclear, that can be an important signal in itself: the challenge may not be the Digital Product Passport alone, but the underlying product data structure.
Conclusion: DPP Readiness Starts with Your Product Data
The Digital Product Passport is creating new requirements around product transparency and product information. In practice, however, the real challenge often lies deeper: in established data landscapes, inconsistent information, unclear responsibilities and processes that have not been designed to work end to end.
A Digital Product Passport Audit can provide a structured starting point. Instead of introducing new systems too quickly, it first examines which data, processes, governance structures and technologies are already in place – and where concrete gaps remain. For companies, this means one thing above all: a clearer understanding of where they stand and which steps make sense next.
Would you like to assess your current situation systematically and develop a prioritized roadmap for your DPP readiness?
