The battery passport: DPP for batteries under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542
While most of the Digital Product Passport conversation is still about future delegated acts, one category already has a hard, dated obligation: batteries. The battery passport under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 is the first DPP to become mandatory — and a preview of what every other category is heading toward.
What is the battery passport?
The EU Batteries Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2023/1542) requires a digital battery passport for certain batteries — notably LMT (light means of transport), EV and industrial batteries above 2 kWh — placed on the EU market. Each battery gets a unique identifier and a QR code that links to a record of its composition, performance, durability and supply-chain due diligence.
When does it apply?
The headline date is 18 February 2027: from then, the affected batteries must carry a battery passport to be placed on the market. That makes it the earliest concrete DPP deadline — ahead of the textile obligations expected under the ESPR around the same time.
What data does it carry?
- Identity & general info — manufacturer, battery category, unique identifier.
- Composition — materials, hazardous substances, critical raw materials, recycled content.
- Performance & durability — capacity, expected lifetime, state of health over time.
- Carbon footprint and supply-chain due diligence information.
Some of this is public; some is restricted to specific actors (repairers, recyclers, authorities) — a graded-access model that the rest of the DPP world is watching closely.
Why it matters beyond batteries
The battery passport is the proving ground for the whole DPP idea. Berger and colleagues (2022) conceptualised digital battery passports as enablers of circular and sustainable value chains, mapping the use cases — second-life, recycling, due diligence — that depend on trustworthy, shared battery data. The lessons (identity, graded access, lifecycle events) transfer directly to textiles, electronics and every category that follows.
How to prepare
The technical foundations are the same as any DPP: standards-based identity (GS1), lifecycle events via GS1 EPCIS 2.0, and a passport that is portable and readable by authorised actors. If you build on open standards now, the battery passport is not a one-off compliance project but the first instance of an infrastructure you will reuse.
Frequently asked questions
Which batteries need a passport?
Broadly, LMT, EV and industrial batteries above 2 kWh placed on the EU market. Check the regulation for your exact battery category and thresholds.
Is the battery passport the same as the ESPR DPP?
They are aligned in spirit but sit under different regulations. The battery passport comes from the Batteries Regulation (2023/1542); other categories’ passports come from the ESPR. Both are Digital Product Passports.
What happens on 18 February 2027?
From that date, affected batteries must carry a compliant battery passport to be placed on the EU market.
Issue battery passports on open standards
GovGDS distributes standards-based passports designed to scale from batteries to every category.
References
- Berger, K., Schöggl, J.-P., & Baumgartner, R. J. (2022). Digital battery passports to enable circular and sustainable value chains: Conceptualization and use cases. Journal of Cleaner Production, 353, 131492. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.131492
Related reading: What is a Digital Product Passport? · ESPR explained · GS1 EPCIS 2.0 explained
The Batteries Regulation article by article
Closer explainers of the battery passport articles of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542: