Supplier data gap threatens digital product passports

Provenant has published research showing that 77% of businesses lack the supplier data needed to make Digital Product Passports effective. The findings highlight a readiness gap as companies prepare for EU rules under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation.

The survey of 61 business managers found that many companies have made more progress with internal systems than with supply chain data collection. While 71% said they had internal product data systems such as ERP or PLM in place, only 23% were collecting comprehensive data from suppliers.

Another 22% said they were collecting no supplier data at all. This suggests many businesses have begun work on Digital Product Passports, or DPPs, without assembling the information needed from the wider supply chain.

The regulation applies to businesses placing products on the EU market in priority industries, with product-specific rules expected through delegated acts. DPPs are intended to hold information on product sustainability, circularity and compliance, drawing on both internal records and supplier-provided data.

Compliance pressure

Regulatory compliance remains the main reason companies are pursuing DPPs, with 89% of respondents identifying compliance with the ESPR as their primary motivation.

Yet the data also showed broader aims taking shape. Overall, 56% of respondents cited more than one reason for adopting DPPs, indicating that businesses are linking the work to wider operational and sustainability goals.

Sustainability rose sharply as a stated motivation over the research period. The share of respondents citing it increased from 25% in the second quarter of 2025 to 73% in the fourth quarter.

Supply chain transparency also gained ground, rising from 38% in the second quarter of 2025 to 55% in the fourth quarter.

The figures suggest companies increasingly see DPPs as more than a compliance exercise, even if regulation remains the main trigger for investment. They also highlight a practical challenge: businesses may have systems within their own operations but still struggle to gather consistent information from suppliers.

Supplier gap

The findings come as businesses in sectors ranging from textiles and apparel to electronics, furniture, automotive, packaging and chemicals prepare for tighter scrutiny of product data in Europe. According to the methodology accompanying the research, respondents came from 11 sectors.

For many companies, that means reconciling long-established internal product records with fragmented supplier information. Collecting that data can be difficult when supply chains stretch across multiple tiers, geographies and reporting standards.

Matthew Ekholm, DPP & Circularity Specialist at Provenant, said: "With the ESPR deadlines becoming a nearing reality, European and global businesses alike are confronting their processes and how they are best set up for DPP population and compliance. We have been working with businesses across industries for years, both those preparing for ESPR compliance and those already leveraging DPPs to unlock sustainability and supply chain benefits. The findings reflect what we are seeing in practice, those two groups are increasingly becoming one."

His comments suggest a market in which early compliance work is overlapping with broader efforts to improve product traceability and sustainability reporting. That overlap could shape how companies prioritise spending on data collection, supplier engagement and digital tools.

Businesses that treat DPP work as a narrow regulatory task may find that approach difficult to sustain if supplier data remains incomplete. By contrast, companies that tie DPP implementation to transparency or sustainability targets may be better placed to justify the operational effort involved.

Provenant, which focuses on Digital Product Passport software and consulting, said the supplier data gap now stands out as the next major issue for companies that already have compliance high on their agenda. It also indicated that firms are looking for ways to source, collate and organise product data within a DPP structure rather than simply store what they already hold internally.

Ekholm said: "The data shows that strategic priorities are shifting rapidly and sustainability and supply chain transparency are no longer secondary considerations. The supplier data gap is the next pressing priority for those who have compliance as a key focus. We at Provenant are actively developing our solution to soon help companies source, collate and organise product data within the DPP itself. As more businesses are looking beyond just compliance as a benefit of DPP implementation, this will bring them several steps closer to unlocking broader business opportunities."