Implementation patterns
What a deployment actually looks like
These are patterns rather than named customer stories. We will publish references when customers agree to be named and have verified the figures; until then, this is the honest and more useful version — where the work really falls.
- First phase
- One product group
- Long pole
- Supplier evidence
- Issuing
- Days, not months
Definition
How long does a Digital Product Passport implementation take?
Issuing a first passport takes days. Bringing one product group to a state where every required field has an attributable source usually takes a quarter or more, because the constraint is supplier engagement rather than software. Programmes that sequence supplier work first are the ones that meet their deadlines.
That ratio holds across every category below. The technical work is predictable; the data work depends on parties who gain nothing directly from doing it, which is why it should start on day one rather than after the platform is chosen.
By category
Six patterns
Batteries and EV
- Identity level
- Item level, per pack — often per module
- Binding constraint
- Cell producer data and a live state-of-health feed
- What funds it
- A statutory date: February 2027
Textiles and apparel
- Identity level
- Model or batch, moving to item where resale justifies it
- Binding constraint
- Fibre composition from tier-two mills and spinners
- What funds it
- Resale and repair economics, ahead of the delegated act
Electronics and ICT
- Identity level
- Model, with component-level identity for batteries and boards
- Binding constraint
- Turning service documentation into structured treatment data
- What funds it
- WEEE, RoHS and SCIP obligations that already exist
Luxury goods
- Identity level
- Item level, always
- Binding constraint
- A carrier that does not compromise the object
- What funds it
- Provenance, authentication and the resale market
Furniture and timber
- Identity level
- Batch, tied to timber consignments
- Binding constraint
- Plot geolocation from sawmills three tiers upstream
- What funds it
- EUDR due diligence, in force now
Cosmetics and packaging
- Identity level
- Model, with the pack decomposed into components
- Binding constraint
- Recycled-content evidence from converters
- What funds it
- PPWR recyclability grades and content thresholds
Effort
Where the time actually goes
| Phase | Typically takes | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Choosing a platform | Weeks of attention, little elapsed work | The decision is real, but it does not block anything else |
| Mapping your own data | Days to a couple of weeks | PLM and ERP already hold most fields; this is a mapping exercise |
| Supplier engagement | A quarter or more | It depends on parties who gain nothing directly from participating |
| Issuing and carriers | Days, then per production run | Automated once the identity model is settled |
| Keeping it current | Ongoing, small | Events arrive from systems already emitting them |
Category detail
Read the category page
Batteries and EV
A statutory date: February 2027
Textiles and apparel
Resale and repair economics, ahead of the delegated act
Electronics and ICT
WEEE, RoHS and SCIP obligations that already exist
Luxury goods
Provenance, authentication and the resale market
Furniture and timber
EUDR due diligence, in force now
Cosmetics and packaging
PPWR recyclability grades and content thresholds
Answers
Frequently asked questions
Why does this page describe patterns rather than named customers?
Because we would rather publish something true than something impressive. Named references arrive when customers agree to be named, and we will publish them then, with figures they have verified. Until that point, the honest and still useful thing is the shape a deployment takes and where the effort actually falls.
What is the single biggest driver of timeline?
Supplier data, in every category. Issuing passports is days of work; getting an attributable source behind every required field takes a quarter or more, because it depends on suppliers who gain nothing directly from the exercise. Programmes that sequence supplier engagement first hit their dates.
Should we start at item level or model level?
Model level unless something specifically requires more. Item level costs more at every stage and is justified where resale, service history or authentication depend on identifying the individual object — luxury goods, contract furniture, batteries. Textiles and most electronics start at model or batch level.
How many products should a first phase cover?
One product group, and preferably one with a hard date or a live commercial driver. A first phase spanning several groups multiplies the supplier engagement without improving what you learn, and the thing you are really testing is whether your data can survive the mapping.
Can we see a reference before committing?
Ask us during evaluation. Where a customer has agreed to speak to prospects we will arrange it directly rather than publishing their name here. That is slower than a logo wall and considerably more useful, because you get to ask them the questions we would not have thought to answer.
Next step
Ask to speak to someone running one
Where a customer has agreed to talk to prospects, we will introduce you directly — which is more useful than a page of numbers you cannot interrogate.