Avery Dennison has launched DPP as a Service (DPPaaS) to help brands fully prepare for forthcoming EU legislation on Digital Product Passports (DPPs). Burton Snowboards is the first customer to use the new Avery Dennison on-demand end-to-end service that is a solution comprising consultancy, hardware, software, digital ID technology, physical labels, and support services – providing brands with a holistic approach as they prepare for DPP. DPPaaS is a part of Avery Dennison’s larger digital solutions portfolio, which connects the physical and digital worlds through its intelligent labeling and atma.io connected product cloud platform.
The phased introduction of DPP will be driven by the European Commission’s Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) in key sectors beginning in 2027 including apparel and textiles, batteries, and electronics. As an associate member of the CIRPASS consortium, which is advising the EU on the implementation of the scheme, Avery Dennison has first-hand knowledge of what will be needed in the months ahead and is uniquely positioned to advise brands on the digital solutions required. Additionally, via atma.io, the company currently tracks 30 billion items across the supply chain for global brands, capturing information that will be vital for DPP including carbon footprint data, origins of materials, and re-use instructions.
Burton Snowboards is a purpose-led brand rooted in snowboarding and the outdoors. It already uses digital solutions from Avery Dennison across its business, including RFID to manage products and improve the customer experience. Chris Cunningham, chief product officer, explains, “We’ve partnered with Avery Dennison for the last four years and are proud to be one of the first retailers exploring what DPPaaS is capable of and working to get ahead of the DPP legislation. Piloting DPPaaS will provide us with new ways to showcase our brand values and engage with our customers. For instance, we will help customers learn about our product’s verifiable sustainability stories and share transparency data with them.”
Cunningham continues, “In future seasons, our product collection will feature interactive QR codes that will introduce Digital Care Labels powered by atma.io to provide customers with new insights on how to get the best from their products and also empower them to give products a second life. Longer term, utilizing a combination of on-product digital identities and the atma.io connected product cloud will provide us with the insights we need to take pre-emptive action based on supply chain events and real-time data so we can eliminate waste, promote circularity and boost our sustainability credentials further.”
Jake Hanover, director, digital solutions, Apparel Solutions, Avery Dennison, concludes, “While the introduction of DPPs may seem like a long way off, for a lot of companies it requires a digital transformation, so it’s important brands follow Burton’s lead and start planning now. DPPaaS can accelerate this process by providing organizations with the platform, digital identifications solutions, and expertise they need to capture the key metrics required for compliance, including details on how products can be reused so they can be given a second or third life.”
