Electronics
The Digital Product Passport for Home Appliances
DPPs for white goods and appliances — the relationship with energy labels, repairability scoring, spare part duties and the transfer into ESPR.
Appliances have lived with ecodesign legislation longer than any other sector: energy labels, minimum efficiency thresholds and spare part obligations have applied for years. With ESPR the focus shifts from energy to circularity.
Energy label versus passport
| Energy label | DPP | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Show the consumer an energy class | Full lifecycle data |
| Scope | Energy, water, noise | Identity, materials, circularity, compliance |
| Carrier | Physical label + EPREL | Data carrier + passport service |
| Access | Public | Tiered |
The two coexist; the passport does not replace the label. See from the Ecodesign Directive to ESPR.
Repairability scoring
One of the Working Plan's horizontal measures is a product-group-independent repairability score for electronics and small appliances, typically covering:
- Ease of disassembly and tools required
- Spare part availability and price
- Access to repair manuals
- Software and update support duration
All of these will be carried in the passport. See ESPR ecodesign performance requirements and the Right to Repair Directive.
Spare part data
Existing ecodesign measures already require spare part availability and delivery times for certain products. The passport presents this in structured form: parts list, availability period, ordering link, disassembly steps.
In practice that also reduces aftersales service cost. See business benefits of a DPP.
WEEE and recycling
Appliances fall under WEEE, where collection and recovery targets impose cost on producers. The passport's separation information makes the recycler's job easier. See WEEE, RoHS and REACH.
Preparation steps
- Map your EPREL records onto the passport data model.
- Turn your spare parts catalogue into structured data.
- Document disassembly steps and required tools.
- Record material composition at module level.
Frequently asked questions
Does my EPREL registration replace the passport?
No. EPREL is the database of the energy labelling regime; the passport has a different scope and access model — though data can be shared between them.
Are small appliances in scope?
The horizontal repairability measure targets small appliances too, and product-specific measures arrive in stages.
For how many years must I supply spare parts?
It varies by product group and is written into the relevant ecodesign measure; the passport requires you to declare that period.
