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Using Digital Product Passports in Public Procurement: A Practical Guide for Buyers

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Transparency and sustainability is quickly becoming a non-negotiable in public procurement. 

With the EU’s introduction of Digital Product Passports, it’s no longer just about price or availability. Now, buyers need to know where products come from - how they’re sourced, created and what happens to them at the end of their lifetime. 

In this article, we’ll break down what the DPP is, why compliance is key and how buyers can make sure your procurement strategy is both locked in and made for a greener future.

Understanding the Digital Product Passport

- and why it matters for buyers navigating public procurement

As part of one the EU’s new sustainability regulations, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), the Digital Product Passport is about to hold companies even more accountable regarding their sustainability efforts. 

Essentially, the DPP will require EU businesses to provide detailed information about their product’s lifecycle: 

  • Where the materials come from, their origin

  • The technical performance of a product

  • Repairability

  • Environmental impact

  • Recyclability

Overall, the main goal is to create a greener, more transparent selection of products across the entire EU, making sure consumers get better insights as to where products come from; which products are sustainable, and which aren't. 

Why DPP compliance is crucial

Even though buyers themselves aren’t responsible for providing Digital Product Passports, making sure they choose suppliers that comply with DPP regulations is crucial. Here’s why: 

Choosing suppliers without it can lead to regulatory issues, reputational damage, and limited market access in an increasingly sustainability-driven economy. Today, 62% of consumers are willing to change their buying habits for the environment, and 31% say their last purchase was mostly sustainable.

Meaning that having compliance in order is key to mitigate any risks, or face a weaker competitive edge.

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How the Digital Product Passport will transform purchasing for buyers

With the DPP in place, buyers will experience: 

  1. A boost in transparency: With access to detailed product data, including their origin, materials, and environmental impact, it sets the stage for more informed and responsible purchasing decisions. 

  2. Regulatory compliance: The DPP can guarantee that all products distributed across the EU meet the latest sustainability standards. Buyers need to make sure that the products they take in comply, especially when working with global suppliers that might not be fully aware of the new EU regulations​. 

  3. Green benefits: The Digital Product Passport supports the EU’s drive towards a more circular economy. 

Three practical steps to prepare for the Digital Product Passport

As the Digital Product Passport (DPP) will become a significant part of sustainable public procurement, it's key that buyers take the right steps to ensure compliance now, and not later:

Step 1: Evaluating your suppliers: How ready are they for the DPP?

First things first: Find out if your suppliers are ready for the DPP by requesting details on sourcing practices, recyclability metrics, carbon footprint, and certifications.  

Identifying gaps early is key - allowing you to avoid last-minute disruptions. If they’re not ready, ask about their plans to comply, and filter out those who won’t meet sustainability standards.

Step 2: Implement DPP requirements into your tenders and contracts

Next, make sure you embed Digital Product Passport requirements into your contracts and tenders. Your best bet is to upgrade your procurement documents to include DPP compliance as a non-negotiable factor. 

In tenders, ask for specific product lifecycle data: Sourcing methods, where materials come from, carbon impact, and recyclability or reusability. 

Make it a standard that DPP compliance is a key factor when evaluating new suppliers to bring on board. Your contracts should require regular updates on product data plus overall sustainability practices throughout the entire agreement.

Step 3: Continuously monitor for successful DPP compliance

Lastly, establish a structured process that you can use to monitor DPP compliance across your entire supplier network.  

Regularly schedule reviews (say every quarter or bi-annually) where you ask your suppliers to provide their most recent DPP data - f.ex improvements in recyclability, updated carbon emissions, and/or new certifications. 

Leveraging digital tools to automate data collection and provide real-time sustainability compliance tracking can be a game-changer here. They can help you reduce manual oversight and make sure the entire process is streamlined, from start to finish. 

Consistent monitoring keeps non-compliant products out of your supply chain even as regulations come and evolve. 

How Mercell Empowers Buyers to Embrace the Digital Product Passport

Complying with the DPP can be challenging, but platforms like Mercell make it easy, with the right tools: 

Strong and intentional planning is at the forefront of sustainability. With Mercell, you’ll have access to tools that help you integrate Digital Product Passport requirements right into your procurement goals from the get-go. 

Regardless if it’s for individual purchases or entire categories, ensure that each purchasing decision you make reflects your sustainability efforts. 

As Mercell lets you evaluate product life cycles early on, you can easily prioritize items that are all around greener: More recyclable, repairable, or made from sustainable materials. 

Efficiently integrate DPP compliance in your sourcing and tendering processes. 

When you issue a tender, request detailed product lifecycle data, like carbon impact, material sourcing and recyclability - that way you make sure any suppliers you bring on board meet DPP standards. 

Once you’ve secured contracts with Mercell, you’ll have access to tools that make sure that your DPP compliance is ongoing - not just at the point of procurement, but throughout the entire contract lifecycle. 

Easily track product lifecycle updates (including recyclability improvements and carbon footprint reductions) over the entirety of the contract’s duration. 

With Mercell you can also monitor performance against DPP-specific metrics, like emissions reduction and material sourcing transparency. In other words, making sure your suppliers consistently meet EU regulations. 

The result? A clear, comprehensive view of your environmental impact, keeping you in line with the overarching EU goals. 

The key to sustainable public procurement is strong(er) supplier relationships. Thanks to Mercell’s supplier management tools, available in the next-generation Mercell Tendering platform, it is easy to evaluate and assess suppliers based on both cost, and how ready they are to meet the standards of the DPP.  Track supplier performance on crucial DPP metrics like sourcing transparency, lifecycle data and environmental certifications. 

  • Easy Reporting and Transparency: Stay on top of DPP compliance

With all supplier certifications, sustainability data, and lifecycle info centralized in Mercell’s platform, tracking and documenting compliance is made easy.  

Quickly rank your suppliers by how ready they are in terms of the DPP in order to streamline the pre-qualification process and make sure only compliant, sustainable products make it through the cut. 

This level of transparency keeps you up to speed and aligned with the evolving EU regulations, and gives you the insights you need to optimize your procurement strategy.

Conclusion

In order to remain compliant with the Digital Product Passport, avoid risks (and as result stay competitive) buyers need to start prioritizing DPP-ready suppliers: Choosing the ones with products that meet the new EU sustainability standards. 

 With Mercell’s tools, it’s never been easier to integrate DPP compliance at every step. Whether it's about sourcing and tendering, contracting or more efficient supplier management.

The result?
Guarantee ongoing compliance and make those smarter, greener procurement decisions.