Building in the Open

OpenEPCIS shares early. The DPP standardization landscape is rapidly evolving—multiple EU initiatives, standardization bodies, and industry pilots are converging toward common requirements. Rather than waiting for all standards to finalize, we provide:

• Early implementation of emerging requirements from ESPR, CIRPASS2, and CEN/CENELEC JTC 24
• Open-source vocabulary that evolves alongside the standards
• Practical examples that help the community understand how DPP data actually works
• Bridge contexts for interoperability with other initiatives (BatteryPass, UNTP, etc.)

This approach lets implementers start building today while standards mature. As JTC 24 finalizes its specifications, we commit to aligning OpenEPCIS accordingly.

What is ESPR?

The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) 2024/1781 is a cornerstone of the EU's Circular Economy Action Plan. It replaces and significantly expands the previous Ecodesign Directive 2009/125/EC.

Key Objectives

1. Improve product sustainability - Set requirements for durability, repairability, recyclability
2. Enable informed choices - Provide consumers with reliable product information
3. Create level playing field - Harmonize requirements across the EU single market
4. Support circular economy - Reduce waste and promote resource efficiency
5. Combat greenwashing - Standardize environmental claims

Digital Product Passport (DPP)

ESPR introduces the Digital Product Passport as a mandatory requirement for products covered by delegated acts. The DPP is a structured data set that:

• Provides product information throughout its lifecycle
• Is accessible via a data carrier (QR code, NFC, RFID)
• Contains both public and restricted information
• Is interoperable across the EU
• Supports market surveillance and customs

ESPR Key Requirements

The OpenEPCIS DPP framework provides classes and properties aligned with key ESPR articles:

European Standardization: CEN/CENELEC JTC 24

CEN/CENELEC JTC 24 is the official European standardization body for Digital Product Passports under ESPR. Established in 2023, JTC 24 develops the technical standards defining how DPPs work across the EU.

Standards Landscape

How We Track JTC 24

1. CIRPASS/CIRPASS2 - These EU projects feed requirements directly into JTC 24. Our CIRPASS2 coverage anticipates prEN 17957 requirements.
2. Direct ESPR alignment - JTC 24 standards implement ESPR. Our Article 7/8/9/77 coverage means we're building toward the same target.
3. Methodology standards - EN 45552-45555 define how to measure durability, repairability, etc. Our vocabulary provides where to store these assessment results.

Why Not Wait for Final Standards?

The EU Battery Regulation requires DPPs starting February 2027. Other product categories follow shortly after. Industry needs to:

• Build IT systems now
• Train supply chain partners
• Pilot data exchange with trading partners
• Integrate with existing GS1/EPCIS infrastructure

OpenEPCIS provides a feature-complete vocabulary (pre-release), built on stable foundations (GS1, EPCIS 2.0) that can remain valid by providing final mapping, regardless of how prEN 17957 finalizes.

ESPR-Aligned Classes

Performance & Durability (Article 7)

Products must provide information about their expected lifespan and performance characteristics:

{
  "@type": "dpp:PerformanceInfo",
  "dpp:expectedLifespan": {
    "@type": "gs1:QuantitativeValue",
    "value": "10",
    "unitCode": "ANN"
  },
  "dpp:usageCycles": 3000,
  "dpp:performanceClass": "A"
}

Repairability (Article 7)

Products must disclose repairability information including spare parts availability:

{
  "@type": "dpp:RepairabilityInfo",
  "dpp:repairabilityScore": 7.5,
  "dpp:repairabilityClass": "B",
  "dpp:sparePartsAvailability": {
    "@type": "gs1:QuantitativeValue",
    "value": "10",
    "unitCode": "ANN"
  },
  "dpp:diyRepairPossible": true
}

Substances of Concern (Article 8)

Products must track hazardous substances per ECHA SCIP database alignment:

{
  "type": "SubstanceOfConcern",
  "name": "Lead",
  "casNumber": "7439-92-1",
  "scipId": "SCIP-12345678",
  "substanceLocation": "Battery electrodes",
  "safeUseInstructions": "Avoid contact"
}

Access Control (Article 9)

ESPR defines three access levels for DPP data:

{
  "@type": "dpp:AccessRights",
  "dpp:accessLevel": { "@id": "dpp:Public" }
}

Economic Operator Registration (Article 77)

ESPR establishes a single EU-wide registry for economic operators with the Economic Operator ID (EOID):

{
  "@type": "dpp:OperatorInformation",
  "dpp:economicOperatorId": "EOID-DE-2025-123456",
  "dpp:eoriNumber": "DE123456789012345",
  "operatorRole": { "@id": "dpp:Manufacturer" },
  "partyGLN": "9521234000006"
}

Priority Product Categories

ESPR establishes priority sectors for DPP implementation:

GS1-Extensions HTTP Header

All OpenEPCIS DPP extensions are first-class EPCIS 2.0 extensions per Section 12.3. Declare them in HTTP requests:

POST /capture HTTP/1.1
Content-Type: application/ld+json
GS1-Extensions: dpp=https://ref.openepcis.io/extensions/common/core/

With product-specific extensions:

GS1-Extensions: dpp=https://ref.openepcis.io/extensions/common/core/, battery=https://ref.openepcis.io/extensions/eu/battery/

Optional: GS1 Shortcuts Context

For cleaner JSON-LD syntax with GS1 RegulationTypeCode values, include the optional shortcuts context:

Without shortcuts (standard GS1 syntax):

"regulationType": { "@id": "gs1:RegulationTypeCode-BATTERY_DIRECTIVE" }

With shortcuts (include gs1-shortcuts-context.jsonld):

{
  "@context": [
    "https://ref.openepcis.io/extensions/common/core/dpp-core-context.jsonld",
    "https://ref.openepcis.io/extensions/common/core/gs1-shortcuts-context.jsonld"
  ],
  "regulatoryInformation": {
    "regulationType": "BATTERY_DIRECTIVE",
    "regulatoryAct": "EU 2023/1542"
  }
}

Available shortcuts: BATTERY_DIRECTIVE, DEFORESTATION_REGULATION, ROHS_DIRECTIVE, WEEE_DIRECTIVE, REACH, CE_MARKING, CE, E_MARK, ECODESIGN_DIRECTIVE, LVD_DIRECTIVE, and more.

How OpenEPCIS covers ESPR

ESPR article coverage

Built on existing infrastructure

ESPR requires "a data carrier on the product" — typically a QR code or RFID tag. OpenEPCIS uses GS1 Digital Link, which is already issued by GS1 member organisations and resolved by existing GS1 Digital Link resolvers. No parallel identifier scheme or new resolver infrastructure is required.

Supply-chain traceability via EPCIS 2.0

The DPP is not only a product description — ESPR expects traceability across the lifecycle. OpenEPCIS captures lifecycle steps as EPCIS 2.0 events:

• Commissioning — the product comes into existence
• Shipping — movement between supply-chain locations
• Transformation — manufacturing, assembly, recycling
• Inspection — quality checks, certifications, State of Health

Identifiers reference the resolver; events stay lean (see the DPP intro page for the masterdata / events split).

Multi-regulation overlays

Products often fall under more than one regulation. OpenEPCIS composes module contexts so a single product description can satisfy several:

OpenEPCIS DPP Modules

The OpenEPCIS DPP framework implements ESPR requirements through modular vocabularies:

Core Module

Provides shared ESPR-aligned patterns used across all product categories:

• Namespace: https://ref.openepcis.io/extensions/common/core/
• Browse: ref.openepcis.io/extensions/common/core/

Product-Specific Modules

Implementation Timeline

Resources

OpenEPCIS Documentation

• Battery DPP Implementation Guide
• EUDR Implementation Guide
• Textile DPP Implementation Guide
• Electronics DPP Implementation Guide
• OpenEPCIS DPP-Ready Repository

Vocabulary Browsers

• Core DPP Vocabulary
• Battery Vocabulary
• EUDR Vocabulary
• Textile Vocabulary
• Electronics Vocabulary

External References

EU Regulation & Standards

• ESPR Regulation 2024/1781
• CEN/CENELEC JTC 24 - European DPP standardization
• EN 45552-45555 - Durability, repairability, recyclability methodology standards

Industry Initiatives

• GS1 DPP Standards
• CIRPASS Project - EU DPP pilot requirements
• UN Transparency Protocol - Global DPP interoperability

Regulatory Databases

• ECHA SCIP Database - Substances of Concern
• EU EPREL - Energy Product Registry