Digital Product Passport: What does it mean for the sealing industry?

The ESA continues to monitor developments and prepare for future requirements

The European Union is moving ahead with the implementation of the Digital Product Passport (DPP) as part of its broader transition towards greater product transparency, sustainability and circularity.

Although mechanical seals are not currently subject to a specific mandatory DPP requirement, developments under the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) indicate that companies in the sealing industry should begin preparing for possible future requirements.

The latest information presented to the ESA DPP Task Force in September 2026 provides an overview of the current situation and highlights the importance of early preparation.

The EU's DPP framework is being introduced progressively. One of the first concrete applications will be the Battery Passport, which is scheduled to become mandatory from 18 February 2027 for batteries falling within the scope of the EU Batteries Regulation.

At the same time, the European Commission has identified a number of product groups as priorities for future DPP requirements under the ESPR. These include:

• Iron and steel
• Aluminium
• Textiles
• Furniture
• Tyres
• Electronics and electrical equipment
• Mattresses

For the sealing industry, the relevance is particularly interesting because mechanical seals can contain steel, stainless steel, special alloys and aluminium components, depending on their design and application. The presentation therefore highlights the potential implications of future DPP requirements for mechanical seal manufacturers, even though no direct DPP obligation currently applies to mechanical seals.

What information could become relevant?

A key message for the sealing industry is that much of the information potentially required by a future DPP is information that manufacturers already collect as part of their existing quality, traceability and product-management systems.

Potentially relevant data categories include:

• Material information – material grades, composition and specifications
• Material certificates and relevant inspection or test reports
• Traceability information – heat numbers, batch numbers and manufacturing lots
• Supplier information – including country of origin and, where applicable, sustainability or due-diligence information
• Product identification – serial numbers, article numbers and type designations
• Repair and maintenance information – service intervals and replacement parts
• Recycling and end-of-life information – including disassembly and material-separation guidance
• Sustainability and CO₂ information, where available

For mechanical seal manufacturers, establishing reliable data structures and traceability systems could therefore be an important preparatory step.

The technical infrastructure is taking shape

Another important development is the establishment of the technical standards required to make the DPP system operational.

The presentation identifies six harmonised standards covering areas such as:

• data exchange protocols;
• unique identifiers;
• data carriers such as QR codes;
• data storage, archiving and persistence;
• APIs for Product Passport lifecycle management and searchability; and
• system interoperability.

In addition, standards addressing access rights, data authentication, reliability, integrity and business confidentiality form an important part of the security and trust framework.

Together, these standards are intended to provide the technical basis for a secure, interoperable and trustworthy DPP ecosystem.

What should the sealing industry do now?

While there is currently no direct DPP requirement for mechanical seals, waiting until legislation becomes mandatory could make implementation more difficult.

The presentation recommends a number of practical preparation steps for manufacturers.

1. Monitor regulatory developments

Companies should follow developments under the ESPR, including delegated acts, implementing measures and relevant harmonised standards.

2. Identify potentially relevant product information

Manufacturers should consider which product, material, sustainability and circularity information they already have, and which information could potentially become relevant to a future DPP.

3. Assess data availability and quality

Existing databases should be reviewed to determine whether information is complete, consistent and sufficiently structured for future digital applications.

4. Strengthen traceability

Material, batch and supplier information should be capable of being linked to individual products or product families in a structured manner.

5. Consider IT systems and interfaces

Companies should assess whether their existing ERP, PLM and other digital systems can support future DPP data requirements and interfaces.

6. Engage with stakeholders

Early dialogue with customers, suppliers, industry associations and standardisation organisations can help avoid duplicated efforts and encourage common approaches.

7. Develop a DPP roadmap

Rather than treating the DPP as a future IT project only, companies may benefit from establishing a roadmap covering data, processes, responsibilities, systems and implementation priorities.

ESA's role: collaboration and industry alignment

The presentation underlines the importance of industry collaboration. The ESA DPP Working Group provides an opportunity for sealing manufacturers to exchange information, identify common requirements and coordinate positions.

Collaboration is also taking place with organisations and initiatives including VDMA, Digital Data Chain, CEN/CENELEC, customers, suppliers and other industry associations and standardisation bodies.

For ESA members, such cooperation could help to:

• exchange experiences across sealing manufacturers;
• identify common data requirements;
• develop practical approaches for mechanical seals;
• avoid unnecessary duplication of work;
• follow developments in standards and regulations; and
• ensure that future requirements take account of the technical characteristics of sealing products.

Conclusion

The implementation of the DPP is a step-by-step process rather than a single regulatory event.

For the sealing industry, the immediate priority is therefore not the implementation of a mandatory DPP for all seals, but preparedness.

ESA will continue to monitor developments and work with its members and relevant stakeholders to assess the potential impact of the DPP on the sealing industry and to support a practical, harmonised approach.

Source: ESA DPP Task Force presentation, “Digital Product Passport and Mechanical Seals / DPP – Next Steps”, 2 September 2026, based on information available as of 1 September 2026.

Chrisantos Rich,
Eagle Burgmann, ESG DPP Task Force Moderator

Sandy Van den Broeck,
ESG Director, ESA