Furniture
Furniture DPP Data Fields and the JRC Study
Furniture DPP data fields: the JRC preparatory study, likely fields drawn from EU Ecolabel and green procurement criteria, evidence documents and status
The ESPR Working Plan expects the furniture delegated act, indicatively, in 2028, with mattresses following in 2029. The Joint Research Centre's (JRC) preparatory study is under way and there is no final list of data fields yet. That does not mean "wait": the EU Ecolabel and green public procurement criteria defined most of the likely fields years ago.
Digital Product Passport for furniture drew the general picture. This article goes field by field: which are near-certain thanks to the Ecolabel, which are expectations, and which document proves each.
What the JRC study produces
Before every ESPR delegated act the JRC runs a technical preparatory study covering scope and definitions, market analysis, technologies, environmental assessment and policy options. One output is a set of data-point proposals that later become information requirements. For textiles that process produced the list in textile DPP data points; a similar list is expected for furniture.
How the study works and how to take part is covered in what is a JRC preparatory study; how to read the draft once published, in how to read a draft delegated act.
Known versus expected
The EU Ecolabel furniture criteria are voluntary but comprehensive: legal and sustainable sourcing of wood, cork, bamboo and rattan; hazardous substances (formaldehyde emissions, VOC in coatings, flame retardants, plasticisers); separate criteria for textile, leather, foam, metal and plastic components; fitness for use; design for disassembly and repair; extended guarantee; packaging; consumer information. The green procurement criteria share the same core.
The delegated act is expected to turn a subset of these into mandatory information requirements. The table shows each field's status and evidence document.
| Data field | Evidence document | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Material composition by weight | Bill of materials, supplier material declaration | Ecolabel criterion; expected |
| Timber origin and legality | EUDR due diligence statement, forest certification chain of custody | Already required because of EUDR |
| Formaldehyde emission class | EN 717-1 test report (E1) | Ecolabel criterion; expected |
| Chemical declarations (coating VOC, flame retardants) | SDS and declaration from the varnish and foam suppliers | Ecolabel criterion; expected |
| Durability | EN 1728 and EN 12520 test report (seating) | Ecolabel fitness-for-use criterion; expected |
| Disassembly and spare parts | Disassembly guide, parts list, availability period | Ecolabel criterion; expected |
| Recycled content | Certificate, post-consumer share | Expected |
Packaging composition is absent because PPWR regulates it separately. For how chemical fields are structured see DPP for chemicals, REACH and SCIP.
Evidence document versus data field
A PDF test report is evidence; the passport field is structured data. For formaldehyde the field holds the method (EN 717-1), result and class (E1), laboratory, date, validity and the component the report covers. That last point is critical: the formaldehyde class belongs to the panel material, not the product. If a wardrobe's carcass is one supplier's MDF and its back panel another's fibreboard, two reports and two fields are needed.
Durability, by contrast, is measured at model level: EN 1728 defines strength and durability test methods for seating, EN 12520 the requirements for domestic seating. The result holds for a product family until the design changes. See DPP data fields for the general structure.
Component or product?
In practice the furniture passport is two-layered. At model level: durability, disassembly and spare-part information. At component level: the panel lot's formaldehyde class, the timber's origin and the coating's chemical declaration. Composition by weight is aggregated from the bill of materials. Merging timber origin with EUDR is explained in the EUDR deforestation regulation, and why mattresses are a separate group in DPP for mattresses and foam.
Preparing in İnegöl and Kayseri
- Obtain the EN 717-1 report and formaldehyde class from every panel supplier per lot and bind it to the part number.
- Collect the timber origin and legality declaration in one process together with the EUDR work.
- For seating, archive EN 1728 and EN 12520 reports per model and renew them on design changes.
- Make the disassembly guide and the spare-parts list a mandatory output of product development.
- Register on the JRC study's stakeholder platform and compare its interim data-point lists with your own.
For collecting documents from suppliers see collecting data from suppliers; for structuring the fields, the data model guide.
Frequently asked questions
Which data fields will be mandatory in the furniture DPP?
The definitive list comes with the delegated act (indicative 2028). Judging by the Ecolabel criteria, material composition, timber origin, formaldehyde and chemical declarations, durability and disassembly will lead.
How is the formaldehyde E1 class shown in a passport?
Method (EN 717-1), result and class, laboratory, date and the panel component covered are held as one structured field, with the report attached as evidence.
How can I follow the JRC furniture study?
Register on the study's stakeholder platform to follow task reports and data-point proposals, and comment through your sector association.
