(Berlin/Frankfurt, April 20, 2026) The German Institute for Standardization (DIN) and the German Commission for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies (DKE) have launched the new ISO/IEC Joint Technical Committee 5 (JTC 5) to develop international standards for the Digital Product Passport (DPP). The DPP is a central element of the EU Battery Regulation and the EU Ecodesign Regulation (ESPR) and is also expected to play an important role in the European Product Act (EPA) in the future.
The goal is to establish a common foundation so that product data can be efficiently utilized throughout global supply chains. Without internationally harmonized standards, national siloed solutions will emerge, and the DPP will lose its central value for global value chains.
DIN will serve as the secretariat for ISO/IEC JTC 5, coordinating the work of an international expert panel. This work is supported by ISO and IEC, which have over 170 national standards organizations as members
Making digital product information internationally interoperable
The Digital Product Passport consolidates product-related information—such as details on safety, reparability, or conformity—that is currently often stored in disparate systems, and makes it available via a new digital layer associated with each product. In the future, this layer will be accessible worldwide via a QR code or RFID chip attached to the product.
International standards provide the foundation for this:
- Companies can efficiently exchange product data worldwide—including for imports and exports.
- Authorities can verify mandatory data digitally and automatically.
- Consumers can access comparable information and new services worldwide.
Christoph Winterhalter, Chairman of the DIN Board: “The Digital Product Passport is the foundation for automated data exchange in value chains and an essential tool for drastically reducing the bureaucratic burden associated with reporting obligations. However, a DPP is only as valuable as the standards on which it is based. If these are only harmonized retrospectively, friction losses in supply chains and system breaks will arise, jeopardizing trust in the DPP and its added value for the economy. By leading ISO/IEC JTC 5, DIN is taking responsibility for ensuring that a practical, internationally recognized tool is created and that such friction losses are avoided.”
“The DPP is an opportunity for the digitalization of industrial value chains. It builds on technologies that have emerged, among other things, from concrete industrial applications. The concepts of the Industry 4.0 platform that have been incorporated into electrotechnical standardization demonstrated early on that digital product information can be used in a standardized manner throughout the entire lifecycle. On this basis, we at DKE are now supporting international standardization within ISO/IEC JTC 5 and linking the work of the new committee with the existing and future work of the IEC,” adds DKE Managing Director Michael Teigeler.
Digital Product Passport to Become a Standard
The Digital Product Passport is part of a broader development: The EU Battery Regulation contains the first concrete requirements, stipulating the use of a DPP for batteries used in electric mobility. With ESPR, this concept is being extended to other product groups such as textiles. In the long term, the Digital Product Passport is set to become the standard for a wide range of products.
The DPP system is already being addressed in standardization at the national and European levels. Six European standards on topics such as interfaces, interoperability, and data exchange will be published shortly. However, to ensure that the Digital Product Passport functions beyond the European single market and so that companies do not have to set up different systems for each market, internationally coordinated standards are necessary. ISO/IEC JTC 5 builds on existing standardization work and is developing a common framework. While previous committees have addressed individual components or sector-specific requirements, JTC 5 takes a holistic view of the Digital Product Passport. The goal is to create a DPP ecosystem in which specific solutions can be interconnected.
The committee will begin its work in the third quarter of 2026; initial results are expected starting in 2028.
