The Digital Product Passport (DPP) is designed to link each product to a unique digital identity and a structured set of data on origin, materials, use and end‑of‑life, with the goal of driving transparency, circularity and new efficiencies across the supply chain. In this context, the barcode represents an immediately available, standardized and highly scalable identification solution, particularly suited to high volumes and low‑cost products.​

The European regulatory framework makes reliable life‑cycle data mandatory, but does not prescribe a single reading technology: the DPP is conceived as a technology‑neutral instrument, within which barcodes stand out for their maturity, low cost and compatibility with existing infrastructures. For many manufacturers, especially in fast‑moving consumer goods and disposable packaging, a paper label with a barcode remains the most economical option, even when billions of items are involved, where differences of just a few cents per unit have a decisive impact on overall costs.​

Standardization is the key prerequisite for the DPP to function on a European scale: only harmonized data formats and processes enable truly circular value chains. In this setting, barcodes benefit from decades of operational experience, established standards and a global installed base of scanners, backend systems and workflows already optimized for optical reading.​

For companies with lower levels of automation or limited digital resources, barcodes provide a pragmatic entry point into the DPP concept, allowing them to comply with regulatory requirements without overhauling infrastructures and processes. At the same time, convergence towards an interoperable digital passport makes it possible to unify identification criteria and processes, while preserving the flexibility to choose the most suitable technology based on production context, product value and automation level.​

In the mass market, barcodes will continue to play a central role going forward: for low‑value items or very high‑volume goods, optical identification remains the most rational choice in terms of cost, implementation simplicity and integration with existing processes. The Digital Product Passport does not replace these technological decisions, but embeds them into a unified, standardized and interoperable framework, in which barcodes remain one of the main enablers of large‑scale automation and traceability.