Digital Product Passport
Model, Batch or Item: Choosing DPP Granularity
At which level should a Digital Product Passport be kept? Comparing model, batch and item-level granularity on cost, capability and regulatory requirements.
The most consequential technical decision in a DPP programme is the level at which the passport is kept: one record per model, one per batch, or a unique record per item? That choice drives both the cost and what the passport can ever do.
Three levels
| Level | Records | Typical use | Added cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Model | One per product | Furniture, simple consumer goods | Low |
| Batch / lot | One per production batch | Textiles, non-food FMCG, chemicals | Medium |
| Item / serial | One per unit produced | Batteries, electronics, premium goods | High |
How it looks in the identifier
In a GS1 Digital Link URI, granularity is expressed with application identifiers:
Model: /01/08691234567890
Batch: /01/08691234567890/10/LOT2026A
Item: /01/08691234567890/21/SN00042See GS1 Digital Link and EN 18219.
What you gain and lose
At model level you can only talk about "this product type". Repair history, actual production date or the scrap ratio of a specific batch cannot be carried.
Batch level satisfies most regulatory needs: origin, production date and which supplier's fabric was used are all traceable per batch. It also transforms recalls — you recall one batch rather than an entire product. See product recalls and the DPP.
Item level gives full traceability: warranty, resale authentication, counterfeit detection and dynamic data such as battery state of health are only possible here. See battery state of health and resale and second-hand.
Where the cost comes from
Item-level cost comes not from the passport record but from the physical process: printing a unique code on every unit, adapting the print line for serialisation, verifying code-to-product matching and managing scrap. Label printing is a small per-unit amount, but the line change is an investment. See QR code design and the cost guide.
A decision frame
Ask four questions in order:
- What does the regulation require? Batteries: item. Textiles: most likely model or batch.
- What is your recall exposure? Without batch traceability you recall everything.
- Do you have a commercial goal? Resale, warranty and authenticity need item level.
- What can your line take? Is a serialisation investment feasible?
If the regulation says model but a commercial goal needs item, choose item — raising granularity later is far more expensive.
Frequently asked questions
Can I move from model to item level later?
Technically yes, but already-printed products cannot be serialised retroactively. In practice that means a mixed catalogue and two parallel processes.
Is batch level enough for recalls?
In most cases yes, and it offers the best cost-benefit balance. Item level narrows a recall down to individual customers.
Does a page per item increase hosting cost?
In practice passports are generated as template plus data; millions of item records are unremarkable for a modern database. The real cost sits in printing and process.
