Toys and the DPP: obligations from 2030
Toys are another product group that the Digital Product Passport (DPP) will cover. For manufacturers, and especially importers, this means a new documentation duty in an already tightly regulated sector. This article explains when the passport starts to apply and what is worth doing now.
When the DPP will cover toys
The passport obligation for toys stems from the new EU Toys Regulation, set within the wider ESPR framework (the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, 2024/1781). The first duties for this group are expected around 2030.
Treat the year as indicative — the exact moment depends on the rules fully entering into force. The direction, however, is settled: toys join an early wave of the passport rollout, soon after detergents.
Why toys are a priority
Toys are aimed at the most vulnerable audience — children. The sector has long been subject to strict safety requirements, and the passport fits that logic: it is meant to make it easier to verify that a product meets the applicable standards.
For companies this means the safety, composition and compliance data they already gather will become part of a digital record available when it is needed.
What the passport will require
The exact set of fields will be defined by an annex to the sectoral rules. Even so, you can expect information that organises what a toy maker already holds:
- product identity and its identifiers,
- the operator responsible for placing the product on the market,
- compliance information and the safety requirements met,
- relevant warnings and user information,
- references to the technical documentation.
This is a helpful framing — the final list of fields will come from the sectoral act, not from this article.
The special role of importers
In the toy sector, a large share of products comes from outside the EU. An importer who places such goods on the market takes on responsibility for compliance — including the accuracy of the passport.
That is a practical challenge: the data must come from a non-EU manufacturer, yet a European operator is answerable for it. It is worth agreeing now with suppliers how they will hand over the full set of information the passport needs.
The level of data detail
A toy passport will most likely describe the product at model or batch level rather than per item. The final level of detail follows the regulatory goal and will be specified in the rules.
We explain the meaning of the model–batch–item levels in the context of the whole schedule — see the ESPR timeline.
How to prepare now
Although the obligation is still a few years off, in a sector with a broad range preparation takes time. It is best to start by tidying the data.
- Gather compliance and safety documentation for each model.
- Agree with non-EU suppliers how passport data will be provided.
- Check which information you already have and what is missing.
- Assign someone to own the accuracy of product data.
If you are unsure about the scope of the obligation, our article Does your product need a DPP? will help.
Toys in the wider timeline
Toys are one stage in the wave-by-wave ESPR rollout — after batteries and detergents. Requirements for each product group are introduced by separate delegated acts, which is why deadlines and data scope differ between sectors. More in Detergents and the DPP and ESPR delegated acts.
Safety as the axis of a toy passport
For toys, safety is what gives the whole passport its point. The record is meant to make it easier to confirm that a product has passed the required assessments and meets the applicable standards — without digging through paper files.
For market surveillance that means faster access to the information that matters. For honest manufacturers it is a chance to stand out from products of unclear origin that struggle to show compliance.
When a toy is also electronics or a battery
Many modern toys contain electronic parts or batteries. That is a reminder that a single product can fall under several rules at once — and therefore under different passport requirements, introduced at different times.
Batteries already have a confirmed passport obligation, earlier than toys themselves. It is worth analysing the product as a whole and checking which of its components may carry separate duties. We cover the battery case in Battery passport from 2027.
Key takeaways
- A DPP for toys is expected around 2030 — treat the year as indicative.
- The sector is a priority because of child safety.
- The passport gathers compliance, composition and safety data that already exist today.
- Importers are responsible for the passport of non-EU goods — supplier cooperation is key.
- It pays to start preparing data early, especially with a broad range.
See how CyfroPass lets you prepare and publish a Digital Product Passport for toys without writing code. Visit cyfropass.pl and get your data in order before the obligation applies.