Explainer

Digital Product Passport vs CE marking

A question we hear a lot: my product already carries CE marking — do I still need a Digital Product Passport? Yes. They do different jobs. CE marking says the product meets the rules; the passport carries the data and the evidence behind it.

In one line: CE marking is a conformity claim (a mark); the Digital Product Passport is the data record (the substance). They are complementary — and both apply where their respective rules require them.

What CE marking is

CE marking is the manufacturer's declaration that a product meets the applicable EU requirements — backed by a declaration of conformity and, for some products, third-party testing. It is a mark: a signal that the paperwork exists. It does not, by itself, publish any data about the product.

What the Digital Product Passport is

The DPP is a structured, machine-readable data record — identity, materials, compliance, circularity and footprint — reachable by scanning a carrier on the product and hosted for the product's regulated lifetime. It publishes the substance that CE only points to. See what data a passport carries.

How they relate

They interlock. The passport's compliance section carries the declaration of conformity and CE information among its fields — so the DPP references CE, it does not replace it. CE marking stays exactly as it is; the passport adds the transparency and traceability layer on top.

Do you need both?

Yes, where each applies. Keep CE marking for the product directives that require it; add the Digital Product Passport where ESPR, the Battery Regulation or a sector rule requires it. One is a mark on the product; the other is the record behind it. Not sure which apply to you? The free readiness check maps your products to their regulations in two minutes.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Digital Product Passport the same as CE marking?

No. CE marking is a conformity mark — a declaration that the product meets EU requirements. The DPP is a structured data record that carries the product's information and evidence. They are complementary.

Do I still need CE marking if I have a DPP?

Yes. The passport does not replace CE marking; it references the declaration of conformity and CE information among its fields. Keep CE where the product's directives require it.

Does the DPP replace the declaration of conformity?

No — the declaration of conformity remains, and the passport carries it (and the CE information) within its compliance data.

Which comes first, CE or the DPP?

CE marking and its declaration of conformity come from the product's conformity assessment; the passport then carries that information alongside the rest of the product data.

See where you stand — three ways, all free.

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