Hendrik Bauer in Lebensmittelzeitung: A product without a Digital Product Passport may never reach the market.
- Lioba Galliet
- Jul 11
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 20
The Digital Product Passport in retail: Compliance with consequences
A manufacturer who develops a new product today without considering the Digital Product Passport from the start risks never bringing it to market.
Hendrik Bauer, COO at Narravero, quoted in Lebensmittel Zeitung, July 11, 2025
That’s a bold statement. And yet, it’s not an exaggeration. Hendrik Bauer isn’t being alarmist—he’s simply stating a reality that many haven’t fully grasped: the rules have changed. And the Digital Product Passport (DPP) is quietly redrawing the playing field—especially in retail. The Lebensmittel Zeitung, a leading German industry publication, reports on this shift in clear terms. And while food products aren’t yet officially in scope, many experts believe it’s only a matter of time.
In other words: the DPP is on its way to becoming a listing criterion. Products that don’t comply may soon not be considered for distribution at all.
Because the DPP isn’t just another data label to slap on a product later. It’s becoming a prerequisite for entering the market. Those who fail to account for it early on risk delays, lost revenue—or quite simply: a product that never makes it to the shelf.
Why the Digital Product Passport matters in retail
With the EU’s new Ecodesign Regulation, the DPP will become mandatory across most product categories by 2030.And while manufacturers are directly affected, retailers will be the gatekeepers. That’s because the DPP must be accessible before purchase—both online and in-store.
That means:
The DPP needs to be available at the point of sale
It must provide relevant, accurate product data—for consumers, auditors, partners
It must be up-to-date, traceable, and easy to access
In short: products without a DPP? They won’t belong on the shelf much longer.
The common mistake: Thinking a DPP can be added later
Here’s where many companies go wrong: they treat the DPP as a technical add-on—something to handle just before launch.But that’s a dangerous assumption.
The DPP is interwoven with the entire product lifecycle: from R&D and sourcing to logistics, communication, and retail readiness. If it’s missing—or not properly thought through—it can trigger significant fallout:
Listing refusals
Last-minute product withdrawals
Erosion of trust—among consumers and partners alike
The truth is: having a DPP isn’t enough. It has to work—flawlessly.
From Duty to Beauty” – and why that’s more than a tagline
At Narravero, the DPP has never been just about compliance. It’s a strategic opportunity. A way for products to speak—literally—with the people who use, sell, and regulate them.
As CEO Thomas Rödding puts it:
The Digital Product Passport is your ticket to market. If you see it as a hurdle, you’re missing its true strategic potential.
Used the right way, a DPP can:
Reduce strain on service teams
Streamline returns and complaints
Enable cross-selling at the right time
Build lasting consumer trust—directly via the product
And all this through a simple QR code or NFC tag.No app. No login. No friction.
Put simply: the Digital Product Passport could become your best salesperson in retail—if you let it.
What matters now: Asking the hard questions—before it’s too late
If you work in product development, sourcing, or retail, now is the time to take a critical look. Because “wait and see” isn’t a strategy anymore.
Have we factored the DPP into our next product launch?
Are our data structures retail- and consumer-ready?
Do we know how the DPP will be handled on the shop floor—or needs to be?
Do we have a partner who understands not just the tech, but the user experience?
Conclusion: The DPP is coming. Not as an option—but as a condition
The Digital Product Passport is becoming mandatory—especially in retail.But those who only see the legal requirement miss the real opportunity:The DPP is far more than a regulatory checkbox.
It is:
A communication channel
A service platform
A trust builder
But only if it’s built in early, and built to serve.Because in the end, it’s not about having a DPP. It’s about what it can do, and who it’s built for.
