Provenant Research Shows 77% of Businesses Lack Supplier Data as They Prepare for ESPR Digital Product Passport Requirements

‍23rd July, Amsterdam, Netherlands - Specialist Digital Product Passport (DPP) platform provider Provenant has today released new research revealing that while businesses are making meaningful progress on internal data infrastructure, 77% still lack the comprehensive supplier data needed to make their DPPs effective in the lead up to the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) deadlines. 

Announced in 2024, the ESPR is the European Commission’s effort to encourage the creation of a more circular economy. Applying to any business placing products within the EU market within a set of priority industries outlined, delegated acts (rules for each industry) are expected to be announced from this year. The regulation mandates the use of DPPs to ”support products’ sustainability, promote their circularity and strengthen legal compliance”. Practically this means populating the digital record with data pertaining to the sustainability credentials of applicable products, which can include existing internal data, and data from the broader supply chain.  

Surveying over 60 leaders over 12 months about their DPP readiness, the research - conducted from April 2025 to March 2026 - revealed that while 71% have internal product data systems such as ERP or PLM systems in place, only 23% of overall respondents are collecting comprehensive data from their suppliers. At the same time, 22% of respondents cited that they are collecting nothing at all, signalling that compliance ambition is outpacing readiness. 

While regulatory compliance with the ESPR is driving the vast majority of businesses towards DPP implementation at 89%, the research also revealed that businesses are increasingly looking to DPP implementation to support broader business priorities, notably sustainability goals and supply chain transparency. 

Data over the course of 12 months revealed that sustainability is climbing as a focus with the percentage of respondents citing it as motivation for DPP implementation growing from 25% in Q2 2025 to 73% in Q4. Similarly, results also saw supply chain transparency rise as a motivation, with the percentage of respondents citing it as a motivation for DPP implementation rising from 38% in Q2 2025 to 55% in Q4. 56% of respondents overall also cited more than one motivation for DPP implementation, reflecting a broader strategic vision that goes beyond regulatory compliance alone. 

Matthew Ekholm, DPP & Circularity Specialist at Provenant commented: “With the ESPR deadlines becoming a nearing reality, European and global businesses alike are confronting their processes and how they are best set up for DPP population and compliance. We have been working with businesses across industries for years, both those preparing for ESPR compliance and those already leveraging DPPs to unlock sustainability and supply chain benefits. The findings reflect what we are seeing in practice, those two groups are increasingly becoming one."

“The data shows that strategic priorities are shifting rapidly and sustainability and supply chain transparency are no longer secondary considerations. The supplier data gap is the next pressing priority for those who have compliance as a key focus. We at Provenant are actively developing our solution to soon help companies source, collate and organise product data within the DPP itself. As more businesses are looking beyond just compliance as a benefit of DPP implementation, this will bring them several steps closer to unlocking broader business opportunities.”  

‍

For businesses looking to evaluate their DPP readiness, visit: https://www.provenant.com/services

‍

About Provenant

Provenant helps organisations prepare for EU Digital Product Passports. Provenant provides a specialist Digital Product Passport platform and related consulting services, purpose-built to help organisations prepare for compliance with upcoming EU DPP mandates. Our solutions are fully aligned with the European Commission’s ESPR framework, enabling companies to demonstrate the sustainability and circularity of their products at scale.

Our purpose-built DPP platform enables early adopters to both launch pilot projects across their product portfolio to work towards regulatory compliance and to implement future-proof solutions that deliver on sustainability and circularity objectives now. 

To find out more about how Provenant can help your business visit Provenant.com/contact to book a demo or discuss how to get started with a pilot.     

‍

Methodology 

Research findings are based on 61 business managers responding to Provenant and its parent company Protokol’s DPP Readiness Calculator, collected between April 2025 and March 2026. Respondents span 11 sectors including textiles & apparel, consumer goods, electronics, manufacturing, furniture, automotive, packaging, chemicals. 

‍

Media contact

Amita Belmont 

Marketbridge 

Email: abelmont@marketbridge.com 

‍