Three Pillars of a DPP: ID, Carrier, Record
A Digital Product Passport (DPP) is easier to grasp once you break it into its component parts. Every passport rests on the same three pillars — regardless of the industry or product. This article explains what they are and how they work together.
The three pillars in brief
Every DPP is made of three connected parts: a unique identifier, a data carrier and a digital record. The identifier says which product it is. The carrier lets you reach it. The record holds the actual data.
The three pillars are separable, but without any one of them the system does not work. It helps to understand them individually, because each involves different decisions and a different scope of work.
Pillar 1: the unique identifier
The identifier is the product's digital "number" that recognises it unambiguously. It can point to a model, a batch or a single item — depending on the required level of detail.
Without a stable identifier there is no way to link the physical product to its data. It is the reference point for the whole passport and for any registration in the EU registry.
Pillar 2: the data carrier
The carrier is the physical element placed on the product, packaging or label that leads to the record. Most often it is a QR code, but other technologies, such as NFC tags, are also allowed.
The carrier does not store the whole documentation — it usually holds a short address or identifier pointing to where the data lives. That keeps it small and durable, and lets the data be updated without changing the print. We expand on this in DPP vs QR code.
Pillar 3: the digital record
The record is the passport proper — a structured, machine-readable set of product data. It holds information on identity, composition, compliance, environmental impact and end-of-life handling.
It is the record that determines compliance, not the carrier. The first two pillars merely lead to that data.
How the three pillars work together
The simplest picture is a chain: the carrier is scanned, it passes on the identifier, and the identifier leads to the right record. Each pillar handles a different stage of that path.
Separating the roles has practical effects. You can, for example, change the content of the record without touching the carrier, or serve many languages through the same label.
Levels: model, batch, item
The identifier can work at different levels of detail. A model describes the whole product line, a batch a production run, and an item a single unit. The right level depends on the sector and the regulatory goal.
We cover this distinction in Model, batch, item.
Technology neutrality
ESPR (Regulation 2024/1781) requires an identifier and a carrier, but does not mandate a specific technology or a single standard. What matters is that the carrier leads to a machine-readable record and the identifier is unique and stable.
So when designing a passport it helps to think in terms of roles, not specific products. We cover this in Is GS1 mandatory.
Why it pays to separate the pillars
Blurring the pillars leads to poor decisions. Whoever thinks "the passport is the QR code" focuses on the carrier and skips the hardest part — the data. Whoever thinks only about data may forget the durability of the carrier.
Consciously separating the three pillars helps plan the rollout: identification separately, marking separately and preparing the record separately.
The pillars and registration in the EU registry
The three pillars also have an echo in the EU registry. It is the identifier — the first pillar — that goes into the registry as part of an index. The data itself, the third pillar, stays decentralised, with the company or its service provider.
The registry therefore acts as a verification and search layer, not a warehouse of full passports. This is a deliberate design that limits the risk of a single point of failure.
Where to start building a passport
Organising the work around the three pillars makes it easier to sequence the effort. You usually start by settling the identifier scheme, then collect and tidy the data, and finally design the carrier and its placement.
That order is not accidental. The identifier is the foundation, the data is the most labour-intensive, and the carrier — though visible — is technically the simplest to produce.
Key takeaways
- A DPP rests on three pillars: an identifier, a data carrier and a digital record.
- The identifier points to the product, the carrier leads to it, the record holds the data.
- It is the record that determines compliance — the carrier is only the access route.
- The identifier can work at model, batch or item level.
- ESPR is technology-neutral — the pillars' roles matter, not a specific technology.
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