Digital Product Passport: Brands Without a Voice? Why Products Will Soon Speak for Themselves

Why words are no longer enough – and what brands need to learn now

“Sustainable”, “innovative”, “exclusive” – brands have become masters at dressing themselves in big, shiny words. But in the language of the future, it’s no longer about promises. It’s about proof. And anyone who wants to keep up will have to give their brand a new kind of voice – from within the product itself.

From Black Box to Dialogue Partner

For years, products have mostly been one thing: black boxes. Visible, yes – but silent.

What they’re made of, where they come from, how they’re built – that information was hidden in PDFs, buried in websites, or printed in fine print on the back of a package.

With the Digital Product Passport (DPP), that’s changing. For the first time, essential information travels with the product itself – structured, verifiable, and accessible.

But this also raises the key challenge: How can brands translate raw data into something people understand and trust?

The New Language of Products

In her latest article for Marke41, Inga presents a radical new way of thinking about what language can do inside a product:

The Digital Product Passport isn’t just a data set. It’s a linguistic turning point.

Because in a world where platforms dictate the rules of communication (Amazon = catalog, Google = ontology, TikTok = trend), the DPP offers a counter-movement. It gives brands a chance to reclaim their own semantics.

Not “We are sustainable,” but:

• What is the product made of?

• Where does it come from?

• Can it be repaired, returned, recycled?

In this future, products won’t just be described, they will speak for themselves. Not in slogans, but in specifics. Not louder, but more truthfully.

Between Obligation and Opportunity

One thing is certain: the DPP will become mandatory. Starting in 2027 with batteries, followed by textiles, furniture, electronics and gradually, almost every physical product sold in the EU.

But as with so many things, doing the bare minimum just won’t cut it. The true value lies not in compliance, but in communication.

The Digital Product Passport provides the syntax. It’s up to the brand to turn that into a resonant, distinctive, and trusted voice.

Dr. Inga Ellen Kastens

Digital Product Passport: From Data Sheet to Brand Voice

Digital Product Passport: The most compelling brands of the future won’t be the loudest but the ones with the clearest language.

Not marketing campaigns will earn trust, but:

• Transparent materials

• Verifiable origins

• Intelligent services embedded in the product

  
  

A brand’s voice will no longer be crafted only in advertising –but in the product itself.

Curious? Take a look at the full article in Marke41, issue 05 / 2025 (p. 80 ff.; in German).

Read now