Can I link the digital product passport to my ERP or inventory system?
A coupling is the starting point of the system, not an exception
Yes, a coupling between a product passport and an ERP or inventory system aligns with how the digital product passport is intended. Article 11 of the ESPR (Regulation (EU) 2024/1781) requires that the passport be set up technically so that data can be exchanged via open, interoperable standards between parties in the supply chain. This means that data already held in an ERP or inventory system — article numbers, material data, origin, technical specifications — can in principle be the source from which the passport is populated, rather than everything being manually re-entered. Elektropas.com is the point in that chain where this data is brought together into a passport, hosted, and linked to a QR data carrier. Exactly how that coupling looks technically — which file format, which API, which fields are mandatory — has not yet been established for electronics and ICT equipment, because the delegated act for this product category has not yet been published.
Who this applies to and where the boundary lies
This question is particularly relevant for manufacturers and importers who already maintain their product data in a structured way — in an ERP package, a PIM system or an inventory management system — and who want to avoid the passport becoming a standalone, manual process. For them, a coupling is relevant because it saves double work and reduces the risk of errors.
Where this does not apply: the product passport does not replace the ERP system, and vice versa. The passport is a separate, externally accessible data file that is linked to a physical product via a unique identification and a data carrier, as Article 10 of the ESPR describes. An ERP system remains the company's internal administration; the passport is the layer that discloses information outwards — towards the consumer, the regulator or the next link in the chain. A coupling thus means that data flows from one system to the other, not that both systems merge.
The exact technical standard for electronics is not yet fixed
There is no fixed date yet for when the technical specification for electronics and ICT equipment will be known. According to the ESPR work plan 2025-2030, the delegated acts are being developed per product category, and for electronics this is expected from 2027 onwards. Until that act is published, only the general principles from Articles 10 and 11 apply: the passport must be interoperable, machine-readable and based on open standards. Which standard that will concretely be for electronics — which data format, which interfaces, which mandatory fields — is not yet fixed. As soon as the delegated act for this product category is published, that information will be added here.
How this is tackled in practice
The order in which this is usually tackled looks as follows. First, map out which data already exists in the existing ERP or inventory system and which of that data is likely to be relevant for a product passport — think of material composition, origin, technical documentation and repair information. Next, it is worthwhile to check whether that data is already structured and recorded consistently, because machine readability is one of the principles of Article 11: the cleaner and more unambiguous the source data, the easier a later coupling will be. After that, it is a matter of waiting for the delegated act for electronics, because only then will it become clear which format and which coupling method are required. Once that specification is available, it can be checked whether the existing system can provide an export in that format, or whether an intermediate step is needed. At this point, there is no reason to build a specific technical integration yet, because the standard on which it should be based does not yet exist — that work might then have to be redone.
The legal basis: articles 10 and 11 of the ESPR
That a link with an ERP or inventory system is conceivable and intended follows from two articles. Article 10 of the ESPR describes the requirements that the digital product passport must meet, including the link to a unique product identification and the accessibility of data for the parties involved. Article 11 specifically addresses the technical design and operation of the passport, and determines that this takes place on the basis of open, interoperable standards that enable data exchange throughout the chain. Together, these articles form the basis for why a link between internal company systems and the external passport is not an addition, but part of how the system is designed — although the precise technical implementation for electronics has not yet been published.
If you want to prepare now, it is advisable to put your own product data in order: consistent, structured and complete, so that a later link — once the standard for electronics is known — requires as little additional work as possible. Elektropas.com monitors the publication of the delegated act for electronics and ICT equipment, and will supplement this page as soon as the technical specification is known.
What this is based on
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 (ESPR), Article 11 (technical design and functioning of the digital product passport)
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 (ESPR), Article 10 (requirements for the digital product passport)
The regulation itself is on EUR-Lex. We provide references per statement; you do not have to take our word for it.
What you must concretely do
What is expected of you
Coupling an ERP or inventory system to the digital product passport is the logical route for many companies: the product data is already there, so why not transfer it automatically? The ESPR (Regulation (EU) 2024/1781) does not prescribe how that coupling works technically, but it does specify what requirements the passport itself must meet. These requirements determine in practice what a coupling with your own system may and may not be.
The passport must comply with the technical requirements of Article 11
Article 11 of the ESPR (Regulation (EU) 2024/1781) describes the technical design requirements of the digital product passport: how data must be accessible, in what form and with what link to the unique identification of the product. For a company with 10 to 100 employees, this means that a coupling with the company's own ERP system cannot simply be a non-binding export of an Excel file: the data supplied from the system must align with the technical format required for the passport. Which format exactly applies is elaborated per product category; you can read more about this on the page on the file format of the passport.
The passport must be linked to a unique product identification
Article 10 of the ESPR (Regulation (EU) 2024/1781) sets requirements for the content and structure of the passport, including the link to an identification code per product. An ERP system often already works with article numbers, SKUs or batch codes, but these are not automatically the same as the identification code required by the passport. For a medium-sized company, this means that a translation is needed between the internal product coding and the identification code that is disclosed externally via the QR code. How that unique code per product is set up is described on the page on assigning a unique identification code to each product.
The coupling must keep data current without losing its origin
An ERP system constantly changes: inventory levels shift, articles are phased out, new variants are added. The passport follows a different rhythm — it must remain accessible for a specified period, even if the underlying product is no longer being sold. A coupling that simply passes on "live" what is currently in the ERP system risks overwriting or losing historical passports as soon as a product is removed from the active range. How long a passport must remain available is explained on the page on how long the passport must remain in existence.
Where things go wrong in practice
A few situations come up relatively often among companies that want to couple their ERP system to the product passport.
Automatic sync overwrites active passports. When an article in the ERP system is modified — a new supplier of a component, changed packaging — that change is sometimes transferred directly to the published passport, without clarity on whether this should be a new passport or an update of the existing one.
Article number is confused with product identification. The internal article number from the inventory system is used as the unique identification code for the passport, even though that number may differ per sales channel or region — resulting in one physical product ending up with multiple, mutually divergent passports.
Discontinuation in the ERP system takes the passport offline. As soon as a product is marked as "no longer available" in the inventory system, the coupling stops publishing or maintaining the passport — even though the passport must remain accessible for products already in use with the consumer.
Coupling delivers data in a format that does not align. The ERP system exports data in an internal format (for example a CSV with company-specific field names) that does not correspond one-to-one with the structure required by the passport, meaning an intermediate step proves necessary that was not anticipated.
Packaging levels are getting mixed up. An inventory system often registers at the level of the sales unit, whereas a passport may differ per product variant or per packaging unit — particularly for products supplied in boxes containing multiple devices. How this interaction works is described on the page about how the product passport works for a box with multiple devices.
What you can document
For companies considering linking their ERP or inventory system to the product passport, it is practical to establish a number of matters in writing beforehand:
- An overview of which fields from the ERP system correspond to which fields in the passport, including an explanation of discrepancies between internal article coding and external product identification.
- A procedure for what happens when a product is modified: when does an adjustment in the ERP system lead to a new passport, and when to an update of the existing passport.
- A procedure for phase-out, in which it is established that the passport is independent of the status "active" or "phased out" in the inventory system.
- An agreement on who is responsible for the link — internal IT team, external platform, or a combination — and who checks whether the supplied data actually complies with the required format.
- Documentation of the technical format used, so that in the event of an inspection or audit it can be demonstrated that the link complies with the requirements of Article 11 of the ESPR (Regulation (EU) 2024/1781).
For companies that use a GS1 structure alongside their ERP system for their logistics, it is important to know whether and how that structure aligns with the requirements of the passport; more on this is on the page about what GS1 Digital Link is and whether it is necessary for the product passport. It is also advisable to establish how the link handles the register in which passports must be entered, as explained on the page about the European register of digital product passports.
This is not legal advice. This page provides general information about the regulations that this platform covers. We are not familiar with your situation. If you are in doubt about your own case, consult a lawyer or the competent supervisory authority.
Written with AI based on the sources above, checked by a human on 2026-08-22. Is something incorrect? Let us know — corrections take priority.