KARCEM provides the supplier data required for the EU Digital Product Passport (DPP) from one coordinated source as a tier-1/tier-2 data partner: fibre/material composition and recycled/certified input percentage, main production processes such as dyeing and finishing along with the country of origin per stage, core environmental indicators (climate, water, energy), REACH and restricted-substance compliance, tier-1/tier-2 traceability, and durability/repairability/recyclability information. Yarn goes in, knitted greige comes out; because we knit in-house and coordinate dyeing, printing and finishing through our vetted contract network under a single point of contact, the bulk of the chain is gathered under a single auditable record. This page summarises, in data-sheet logic, which fields will come from KARCEM and with which source to feed a brand's DPP.
What is a DPP and why is the data burden shifting to the supplier?
The Digital Product Passport is a record introduced by the EU under its ESPR (Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation) framework that carries a product's material, production, environmental and compliance information in digital, machine-readable form. The consumer and auditor access this record via a data carrier (QR, NFC or RFID) on the product. The key change the DPP brings is where the information comes from: although the party publishing the passport is the brand or importer, the raw data that fills the fields largely resides with the supplier doing the manufacturing. The burden therefore shifts, in practice, upstream to the fabric and dyeing/finishing manufacturer. A brand can only fill the passport if its supplier can provide this data in a consistent and documented form; otherwise the DPP remains incomplete or unverifiable. At this point KARCEM, as a DPP-ready supplier, stands as the data provider feeding the bulk of the fields.
What data is expected from the supplier for a DPP?
The expected data set is gathered under six main headings spanning from material to compliance: (1) fibre/material composition and the percentage of recycled or certified input; (2) main production processes (especially dyeing and finishing) and the country of origin of each stage; (3) core environmental indicators, namely climate (greenhouse gas), water and energy; (4) REACH and restricted-substance compliance; (5) tier-1 and tier-2 traceability; (6) durability, repairability, recyclability and care information. Industry studies (Trace4Value) refer to roughly 126 data points for textiles; about 25-30 of these are visible to the consumer, while the rest are held under tiered access for auditors and chain partners. The data is linked at product level via GS1 serialisation and is accessible through QR/NFC/RFID carriers. The bulk of these six headings originate from a single coordinated record across in-house knitting and a vetted contract network — managed by a single point of contact.
| Field | Description | KARCEM source |
|---|---|---|
| Fibre / material composition | The fibre types and ratios making up the fabric (e.g. cotton, polyester, elastane); blend structure | Yarn input record and knitting recipe; fibre/yarn and elastane composition data |
| Recycled / certified input % | The percentage by weight of recycled or certified fibres | Chain-of-custody documents (CCS/GRS); certified input records under GOTS/RCS |
| Main production processes | Definition and sequence of stages such as knitting, dyeing, printing and finishing | Dyeing/printing and finishing process records coordinated across the vetted contract network under one point of contact |
| Country of origin per stage | Where each production step is performed (including dyeing and finishing) | Knitting in-house and dyeing/finishing at vetted, geographically close contract partners; origin is declared from a single point of contact |
| Dyeing method / dye class | The dyeing process used and the dyestuff class (reactive, disperse, etc.) | Reactive/disperse dyeing recipe and process records |
| Colour / colour precision | Approved colour reference and within-batch deviation tolerance | Colour control target <1 ΔE; Delta E and lab-dip approval record |
| Climate indicator (greenhouse gas) | Climate impact indicator at product/process level | Environmental indicator record for the production stage (dyeing + finishing combined) |
| Water indicator | Indicator regarding process water use | Dyeing/finishing process water data |
| Energy indicator | Indicator regarding process energy use | Facility process energy record |
| REACH / restricted-substance compliance | Compliance declaration for banned/restricted chemicals | REACH/SVHC/OEKO-TEX and ZDHC compliance documents |
| Tier-1 / tier-2 traceability | Linking of the direct and one-tier-up supply stages | KARCEM tier-1 manufacturer; yarn sourcing is linked as tier-2 via traceable records |
| Durability / dimensional stability | Indicators of service life and behaviour in washing | Dimensional stability/spirality and quality test results |
| Colour / wash fastness | Colour fastness test values | ISO/AATCC fastness test records |
| Recyclability / care | The product's recyclability and care-instruction input | Care/end-of-life input derived from composition and finishing data |
| Weight / structural properties | m² weight and knit structure | Weight/GSM measurement and knit structure record (single jersey/interlock, etc.) |
| Product-level identifier | The identity linking the product to the passport via GS1 serialisation | Production record linkable to batch/product identity (matches the brand's GS1 scheme) |
Why is KARCEM a DPP-ready tier-1/tier-2 data partner?
In a fragmented supply chain, the brand has to gather composition from one supplier, dyeing origin from another and finishing data from a third; with each handover, traceability weakens and the origin-stage match breaks down. Because KARCEM knits greige in-house and coordinates dyeing, printing and finishing through a vetted, geographically close contract network under a single point of contact, it can provide the country of origin of the dyeing and finishing stages, the process environmental indicators and the colour/compliance records from one auditable source. As the direct manufacturer, KARCEM provides tier-1 data first-hand; it also carries the tier-2 link of yarn sourcing into the passport with traceable records. On the chain-of-custody side, CCS/GRS documents make the recycled/certified input percentage verifiable. For how to evaluate these criteria in supplier selection, see the ESPR/DPP supplier selection guide.
When will the DPP become mandatory and what should a brand prepare now?
The delegated regulation that will set the details of the DPP for textiles is expected to be clarified around 2027, while mandatory compliance is expected to come into force in roughly the 2028-2029 period. This is a narrow window for brands to build their data infrastructure starting today: about 25-30 of the roughly 126 data points are visible to the consumer, while the rest are held under tiered access for auditors and chain partners; the entire set is linked at product level via GS1 serialisation and read through QR/NFC/RFID. The practical preparation is to proceed via a field-based data sheet: mapping each DPP field to a supplier source, identifying gaps early, and keeping chain-of-custody documents up to date. For the broader regulatory context, see the sustainability/regulation guide and CBAM/EPR/CSDDD pages; for concept definitions, see the Glossary.