The Digital Product Passport (DPP) is a central component of the EU Ecodesign Regulation and the revised Construction Products Regulation for a sustainable and circular construction industry. The concept is based on a data set that manufacturers and distributors use to centrally provide all product data and other information required throughout the product life cycle. It contains comprehensive information on the performance of the various basic requirements of the respective construction product. Thanks to the digitally networked accessibility of this performance data, the DPP enables better coordination of requirements and performance along the entire life cycle of a product with the following benefits:
- Easier comparison, e.g. by replacing building products in the planning stage, means that the optimum/sustainable product can be found for the respective location, which increases the building quality in all aspects.
- The use of materials can be reduced through more precise static dimensioning.
- Traceability facilitates access to information on the maintenance, repair or subsequent replacement of components.
- Data on environmental sustainability is declared by the provider via the DPP and made comparable in the offers.
By collecting data on material composition, environmental impact, recyclability and substances of concern, for example, the DPP enables better traceability, facilitates regulatory compliance and promotes the circular economy.
The DPP is conceptually based on the Ecodesign Regulation for Sustainable Products (ESPR), which came into force on July 18, 2024, and in terms of content on the revised EU Construction Products Regulation (newCPR). The DPP will be gradually introduced in the EU for various product categories. In particular, the revised Construction Products Regulation contains many new information requirements regarding the environmental impact of construction products. As a result, companies can already define corresponding requirement criteria in the invitation to tender. For companies, the DPP is therefore also closely linked to the fulfillment of criteria relating to environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues.
This white paper provides an up-to-date overview of the status of the introduction of the DPP in the EU and the corresponding impact on Switzerland. It uses the white paper “Digitally networked construction product data as a basis for circularity “1 published by Bauen digital Schweiz / buildingSMART Switzerland (BdCH/bSCH) as a basis.
By scanning or reading a unique product identifier, consumers and other actors along the supply chain can access the information stored in the DPP. The most important information in the DPP initially includes the unique product identifier with the product name and details of the responsible manufacturer or distributor, followed by data on technical and environmental properties and links to non-structured information such as descriptions and documentation in the form of assembly instructions and safety information. It can list the appropriate spare parts and go into further detail on the material composition and the origin of the raw materials. In addition, it contains values of indicators of the environmental impact of construction products that originate from environmental product declarations (EPD), such as the global warming potential (GWP) or the energy already consumed in production (primary energy), as well as possible further information on reusability, recycling or disposal. The DPP therefore contains the key information required for the assessment and management of buildings throughout their entire life cycle. The manufacturer or distributor uses the DPP to declare the properties of their product in accordance with the harmonized European construction product standard (hEN) applicable to this product. Planners can rely on this easily accessible data to ensure and prove compliance with the regulatory requirements.
The data contained in the DPP must be structured, unambiguous and machine-readable and is ideally based on a data dictionary. This white paper refers to the buildingSMART Data Dictionary (bSDD), in which different industries define a common language for describing their products and their properties. On this basis, Product Data Templates (PDT) and Product Data Sheets (PDS) can be created.
The introduction of the DPP in the EU will take place in several stages. Pilot projects will test the functionality of the DPP in practice. This will be followed by standardization and, building on this, the development of compliant, interoperable systems. Finally, specific requirements will be defined for various product categories to promote sustainability and transparency. During the gradual introduction, the EU plans to prioritize product categories with a high environmental impact first. In so-called delegated acts, regulations will set out in detail how implementation is to take place, for example for each product family. Delegated acts therefore relate to applicable harmonized standards, technical specifications, test methods, labelling and product information, in particular the DPP. A separate legal act will probably regulate the DPP for all product families. The European Commission has already commissioned the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) to draw up the standards required for the DPP.
In future, Swiss companies that sell construction products in Switzerland and other European countries will generally have to meet the requirements of the DPP. This requires adjustments to processes, but also offers the opportunity to improve competitiveness through a high ecodesign rating. Switzerland is also working on adapting its legislation to ensure compatibility with the EU system and enable Swiss companies to participate in the digital single market. In the medium term, this will result in the adoption of the DPP rules for the Swiss domestic market.
This white paper is aimed at building contractors, manufacturers and distributors of construction products (distributors), architects, engineers, BIM managers, data controllers and regulatory authorities. In particular, it is aimed at professionals who are responsible for the implementation and management of BIM processes and the DPP as part of openBIM projects.
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1 White paper “Digitally networked building product data as the basis for circularity”
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