Focus: Digital Label, Digital Product Passport, and Digital Twin
Digital transformation does not stop short of the chemical industry
Sometimes industry pushes for efficiency, and sometimes regulatory bodies pledge for comprehensive product information that cannot be placed on a label and should be available at all times. This focus page outlines the initiatives that bring digital, structured, processible data to the supply chain, to authorities and to end users.
You are prepared with SUMDAT.net
Qualisys will cover Digital Labels and Digital Product Passports (DPP) in SUMDAT.net. Already today, SUMDAT.net can deliver additional documents like Safety Data Sheets in a document management system tailored to chemical products, and provide product specific links that you can use on your product labels. Contact us for more info!
Digital Labels
An electronic copy of printed information - and maybe more
China was first to advance digital labeling across various sectors to enhance transparency, traceability, and consumer engagement. The term refers to a QR code on a paper label which links to a web site with more information. Digital labels for chemicals became mandatory in a stepwise approach, region by region.
The European Union introduced a similar concept of Digital Labels with the revision of CLP, the EU Regulation 1272/2008 on Classification, Labelling and Packaging of chemicals, in December 2025. The code on EU product labels may be represented as a QR code or barcode, and the linked web site must contain all elements of the printed label according to CLP, and may contain additional information.
Digital Product Passport
Comprehensive product data for a circular economy
The Digital Label according to the European Union is meant to become part of a broader effort on information availability. Under the “Green Deal” and its Circular Economy Action Plan, the EU introduces comprehensive digital information requirements as a “Digital Product Passport” or “DPP” with a focus on traceability, eco-design, and reducing waste. The DPP will be introducted for one industry sector after another, starting with batteries. Detergents, textiles and some articles are expected to follow next, specifically aiming at information on SVHC in articles under the new REACH Revision. Other chemical products not covered so far will be addressed at a later stage.
The technical requirements for product passports and their infrastructure are yet to be specified. They should be finalized during Q4/2025. As with Digital Labels, the Digital Product Passport is implemented as a QR code or barcode on a printed label. But unlike the Digital Label, it links to data which is prepared for electronic processing. Depending on the industry sector or product type, it may contain different information and different data formats. For chemicals, eSDScom positions itself as the appropriate standard format for digital product information.
Digital Twins
Lifecycle info beyond the product specification
Digital Labels and DPPs contain data con products in their delivery state, just as the well-known Safety Data Sheet for hazardous chemicals does. With a focus on complex articles, Digital Twins go one step further: They add information on the current state of a product throughout its whole life cycle.
Example: Where the Digital Label for a battery contains warnings and precautionary measures, and the Digital Product Passport adds information on the battery's chemical composition and its capacity, the Digital Twin will also have data on the state of charge.