Making It Real: What the GermanFashion Info Day Revealed About the Digital Product Passport in Practice

Between Obligation and Opportunity: What the GermanFashion Info Day Revealed

The Digital Product Passport (DPP) has been a hot topic in panels, trade media, and political debates for months. But real clarity only emerges where theory meets practice.

That moment arrived on December 9 in Cologne, at the GermanFashion Info Day — a day where companies didn’t just listen, but began to truly understand how the DPP plays out in real processes, real teams, and real products.

From the outset, it was clear this wasn’t just another regulatory update. It was a forum for questions, hands-on examples, and honest conversation — at a time when product development, commerce, and brand strategy are being fundamentally reshaped.

Digital Product Passport: Regulation Sets the Rules — Practice Shows the Potential

Thomas Lange, CEO of GermanFashion Modeverband Deutschland, set the tone early in the day:

The DPP represents a paradigm shift.

Not just another compliance requirement, but a structural transformation in how clothing will carry information, and how brands will communicate with their customers.

The DPP is the digital identity of every item and a cornerstone of the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR).

What that actually means for businesses became clear through the day’s expert contributions.

The Real Bottleneck: Data — and Why That’s a Good Thing

For most companies, the challenge with the DPP doesn’t lie in the passport itself, but in the underlying data. Details about materials, repairability, or sourcing are often scattered across systems, spreadsheets, and documents — a setup that works today but isn’t future-ready.

The DPP shines a light on these structures and shows where modernization must begin: with clean data models, consistent processes, and a shared language across teams.

What may first seem like added effort actually unlocks enormous potential: Only structured, reliable data can power more efficient operations, smarter compliance, circular models — and a trustworthy product experience.

The DPP doesn’t just demand this transformation — it enables it.

Why Standards Determine What’s Scalable

Structured data is critical but shared standards are what make the DPP work across the entire value chain. Each product must be uniquely identifiable and machine-readable, regardless of brand, retailer, or system. Standards like the GS1 Digital Link make this possible, ensuring that product data stays consistent wherever it’s accessed.

What sounds technical is actually strategic: Interoperable product identities are the key to unlocking the DPP’s impact — in retail, logistics, customer service, recycling, and tomorrow’s digital touchpoints.

Standards aren’t a detail. They’re the foundation for scaling the entire model.

The DPP Delivers Value Long Before It’s Mandatory

For Dagmar and Jens, the DPP is far more than a regulatory to-do list. When set up right, it becomes a strategic asset that:

• Lowers costs, by reducing returns and support requests

• Boosts revenue and customer lifetime value, by turning products into active digital touchpoints

• Enhances differentiation, by making brands visible at the moment of decision

• Prepares for AI-driven commerce, by making assortments machine-readable and agent-ready

  
  

The DPP lays the foundation for product truth, operational efficiency, growth, and brand relevance. In a commerce world shaped by AI and agents, it helps brands stay preferred — not replaceable.

Dagmar Zoder, CRO Narravero

Looking Ahead: The Practical Guide by GermanFashion & Narravero

One highlight of the day was a first look at the upcoming Practical Guide, developed jointly by GermanFashion and Narravero. This guide uses real-world examples to show how the DPP creates impact where it matters most —at the shelf, on the product detail page, or even at home in the wardrobe.

Available from January 2026, it will be shared exclusively with association members and aims to help companies see the DPP not as a compliance burden, but as a strategic tool for assortment planning and brand leadership.

A Day That Shows Where the Industry Is Headed

The Info Day made one thing clear: Perfection isn’t the starting point of the DPP, it’s the outcome. The industry knows the DPP is coming. The real question is: Who will lead the way and with what kind of impact?

The DPP supports the fashion industry’s sustainability agenda, but it also opens up new value in customer experience and brand storytelling.

The DPP is becoming real. Now it’s practice that will shape its success.