> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL. > For a complete documentation index, see https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/llms.txt. > For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://tieback.io/docs/_mcp/server. # tieback Knowledge Hub > The entry point to the tieback Knowledge Base: vendor-neutral education on Digital Product Passports, regulations, standards, enterprise product data and implementation, organised by pillar, learning path and role. Vendor-neutral education for Digital Product Passports, enterprise product data, regulations, standards and implementation. Nothing in this library recommends a vendor, including tieback. Every canonical article is grounded in primary sources, introduces one original framework, and ends in practical guidance. Start with the Knowledge Journey below if the subject is new, choose a learning path if you know where your gap is, or go straight to the [glossary](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/overview) to check a term. ## The Knowledge Journey The library is ordered, and the order matters. Each pillar answers a question the previous pillar raises, and depends on the understanding the previous pillar establishes. **The Digital Product Passport Knowledge Model** sets out that order. Seven pillars, in learning order Each pillar builds on the one above Read in sequence or enter at your level [01 Digital Product Passports Concept](/docs/knowledge-base/digital-product-passports/overview) What a passport is, who is responsible for it, what it contains and how it resolves from a physical product. Establishes the vocabulary every later pillar uses. [02 Regulations Obligation](/docs/knowledge-base/regulations/overview) The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, delegated acts, product scope and timing. Converts a concept into a dated obligation attached to named economic operators. [03 Standards & Technology Mechanism](/docs/knowledge-base/standards-and-technology/overview) Identifiers, GS1 Digital Link, data carriers, event standards and the movement of product data between parties. Explains the mechanics that make a regulated claim resolvable. [04 Enterprise Systems & Data Architecture Source](/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/overview) Master data, the division of responsibility between PLM, ERP, PIM and MES, governance and the maturity of the underlying data foundation. The pillar most programmes underestimate. [05 Implementation Delivery](/docs/knowledge-base/implementation/overview) Preparation, sequencing, scoping and the operating model that keeps a passport estate accurate after launch. Turns architecture into a plan with owners and dates. [06 Industry Guides Context](/docs/knowledge-base/industry-guides/overview) Sector-specific application: textiles, electronics, batteries, construction products and others, where obligations, data availability and supply chain structure differ materially. 07 AI & Product Intelligence In preparation What becomes possible when product information is governed, connected and machine readable. This pillar will appear in the navigation when its first canonical article is published. Read downward to learn the subject. Read upward to diagnose a problem: an implementation failure is usually a data architecture gap, which is usually a standards misunderstanding, which is usually an unclear reading of the obligation. ## Learning Paths Each path is sequenced so that terminology introduced early is assumed later. Counts and first articles are derived from the published library. [6 articles New to Digital Product Passports](/docs/knowledge-base/digital-product-passports/what-is-a-digital-product-passport) Start from the concept itself: what a passport is, who owns it, what it holds and how it is reached from a physical product. Start with: What is a Digital Product Passport? Start this path [7 articles Understand the Regulations](/docs/knowledge-base/regulations/what-is-the-ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation-espr) Establish what applies to your products, from when, and on whose legal authority. Start with: What is the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR)? Start this path [10 articles Standards & Technology](/docs/knowledge-base/standards-and-technology/the-digital-product-passport-standards-landscape) Identification, carriers, resolution and event data: the mechanics that make a regulated claim resolvable. Start with: The Digital Product Passport Standards Landscape Start this path [11 articles Enterprise Architecture](/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/what-is-product-master-data) Where published information actually comes from, and what must be true of it before publication. Start with: What is Product Master Data? Start this path [8 articles Implementation](/docs/knowledge-base/implementation/how-should-organisations-prepare-for-digital-product-passports) Preparing an organisation, sequencing the work and operating a passport estate after launch. Start with: How Should Organisations Prepare for Digital Product Passports? Start this path #### Reading a path in order Readers who sample articles out of order should keep the [glossary](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/overview) open, because definitions of record live there rather than being restated in every article. ## Browse by Role Each role links to the path that answers its first question. None are exclusive, and most readers eventually need two of them. Compliance Officer What applies, to which products, from when, and what evidence an authority can request. * [What is the ESPR?](/docs/knowledge-base/regulations/what-is-the-ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation-espr) * [What Are Delegated Acts?](/docs/knowledge-base/regulations/what-are-delegated-acts) * [When Will Passports Become Mandatory?](/docs/knowledge-base/regulations/when-will-digital-product-passports-become-mandatory) [Start the Regulations path](#learning-paths) Enterprise Architect Which system owns which attribute, where the integration layer sits, and where lineage is retained. * [ERP vs PIM vs PLM](/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/erp-vs-pim-vs-plm) * [How Enterprise Systems Support Passports](/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/how-enterprise-systems-support-digital-product-passports) * [What is Product Master Data?](/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/what-is-product-master-data) [Start the Enterprise path](#learning-paths) CIO / IT Leader Sizing the work honestly: maturity, the gap between a pilot and a capability, and standing cost. * [How to Build a Trusted Data Foundation](/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/how-to-build-a-trusted-product-data-foundation) * [What is Product Data Governance?](/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/what-is-product-data-governance) * [How Should Organisations Prepare?](/docs/knowledge-base/implementation/how-should-organisations-prepare-for-digital-product-passports) [Start the Enterprise path](#learning-paths) Product Manager What a passport presents to a customer, what it commits the organisation to, and what it constrains. * [What is a Digital Product Passport?](/docs/knowledge-base/digital-product-passports/what-is-a-digital-product-passport) * [What Information Does It Contain?](/docs/knowledge-base/digital-product-passports/what-information-does-a-digital-product-passport-contain) * [What Are the Benefits?](/docs/knowledge-base/digital-product-passports/what-are-the-benefits-of-a-digital-product-passport) [Start the introductory path](#learning-paths) Manufacturer The obligations that attach to the manufacturer, and the data that must exist before publication. * [Who Needs a Digital Product Passport?](/docs/knowledge-base/digital-product-passports/who-needs-a-digital-product-passport) * [Which Products Will Require One?](/docs/knowledge-base/regulations/which-products-will-require-a-digital-product-passport) * [What is Product Master Data?](/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/what-is-product-master-data) [Start the introductory path](#learning-paths) Retailer What may be placed on the market, how carriers behave in store and online, and what to require of suppliers. * [How Does a Passport Work?](/docs/knowledge-base/digital-product-passports/how-does-a-digital-product-passport-work) * [What is a Data Carrier?](/docs/knowledge-base/standards-and-technology/what-is-a-data-carrier) * [QR Codes vs GS1 Digital Link](/docs/knowledge-base/standards-and-technology/qr-codes-vs-gs1-digital-link) [Start the Standards path](#learning-paths) Sustainability Lead Connecting disclosure obligations to the attributes and evidence that make claims defensible. * [What is the ESPR?](/docs/knowledge-base/regulations/what-is-the-ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation-espr) * [What Information Does a Passport Contain?](/docs/knowledge-base/digital-product-passports/what-information-does-a-digital-product-passport-contain) * [What is Product Data Governance?](/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/what-is-product-data-governance) [Start the Regulations path](#learning-paths) Supply Chain Leader Following identifiers and events across trading partners, and specifying supplier data. * [What is GS1?](/docs/knowledge-base/standards-and-technology/what-is-gs1) * [What is EPCIS?](/docs/knowledge-base/standards-and-technology/what-is-epcis) * [How Product Data Moves Through the Supply Chain](/docs/knowledge-base/standards-and-technology/how-product-data-moves-through-the-supply-chain) [Start the Standards path](#learning-paths) ## Browse by Pillar Counts are derived from the published navigation. Section overviews and glossary entries are not counted. [In preparation Getting Started](/docs/knowledge-base/getting-started/overview) How the library is organised and where to begin, depending on prior knowledge. [6 articles Digital Product Passports](/docs/knowledge-base/digital-product-passports/overview) Definition, responsibility, content, resolution mechanics and the benefits claimed for them. [7 articles Regulations](/docs/knowledge-base/regulations/overview) ESPR, delegated acts, product scope and the timeline that turns policy into a dated obligation. [10 articles Standards & Technology](/docs/knowledge-base/standards-and-technology/overview) Identification, GS1 Digital Link, carriers, event standards and data movement between partners. [11 articles Enterprise Systems & Data Architecture](/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/overview) Master data, system responsibilities, integration, governance and data foundation maturity. [8 articles Implementation](/docs/knowledge-base/implementation/overview) Preparing an organisation, sequencing the work and operating a passport estate after launch. [1 article Governance & Assurance](/docs/knowledge-base/compliance-frameworks/overview) Who is responsible, who decides, what evidence can be trusted and how the passport stays controlled. [6 articles Industry Guides](/docs/knowledge-base/industry-guides/overview) Sector-specific application for textiles, electronics, batteries and other regulated categories. ## Framework Library In this library, a framework is an original conceptual model created to make a subject navigable: a named set of ordered components that explains how something works, what depends on what, and where an organisation currently sits. Every canonical article introduces exactly one framework, and every framework carries a permanent identifier in the form `TBF-001`. The [tieback Framework Library](/docs/knowledge-base/frameworks/overview) is the authoritative registry of the full set, with the identifier, the model it names and the article that introduces it. The selection below links straight to those source articles. [Four Layers of a Digital Product Passport](/docs/knowledge-base/digital-product-passports/what-is-a-digital-product-passport) [Digital Product Passport Responsibility Model](/docs/knowledge-base/digital-product-passports/who-needs-a-digital-product-passport) [Product Information Readiness Model](/docs/knowledge-base/digital-product-passports/what-information-does-a-digital-product-passport-contain) [Digital Product Passport Data Flow](/docs/knowledge-base/digital-product-passports/how-does-a-digital-product-passport-work) [ESPR Implementation Journey](/docs/knowledge-base/regulations/what-is-the-ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation-espr) [EU Product Regulation Lifecycle](/docs/knowledge-base/regulations/what-are-delegated-acts) [Global Product Identification Framework](/docs/knowledge-base/standards-and-technology/what-is-gs1) [Connected Product Identity Model](/docs/knowledge-base/standards-and-technology/what-is-gs1-digital-link) [Product Data Foundation Model](/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/what-is-product-master-data) [Enterprise Product Data Landscape](/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/erp-vs-pim-vs-plm) [Enterprise Integration Model](/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/how-enterprise-systems-support-digital-product-passports) [Trusted Product Data Governance Framework](/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/what-is-product-data-governance) [Product Data Maturity Model](/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/how-to-build-a-trusted-product-data-foundation) Further frameworks are introduced across the [Standards & Technology](/docs/knowledge-base/standards-and-technology/overview) pillar, including the Product Identity Stack, the Product Identity Hierarchy, the Product Information Delivery Model and the Product Event Lifecycle. [Browse the Framework Library](/docs/knowledge-base/frameworks/overview) for the complete registry, including every framework identifier and its source article. ## Glossary [47 terms, A to Z The Digital Product Passport Glossary](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/overview) The canonical terminology reference for the Knowledge Base. Each entry states what a term means, where the definition comes from and how it differs from the terms it is confused with. Canonical articles link to the glossary rather than restating definitions, so a correction is made once. Browse the glossary A to Z ## Latest Canonical Articles * [From DPP Readiness to Defensible Supplier Evidence: A Worked Manufacturer Example](/docs/knowledge-base/examples/readiness-to-evidence-manufacturer-example) * [DPP Governance: Who Owns What?](/docs/knowledge-base/compliance-frameworks/dpp-governance-who-owns-what) * [DPP Readiness Assessment](/docs/knowledge-base/templates/dpp-readiness-assessment) * [Passport Data Origin Worksheet](/docs/knowledge-base/templates/passport-data-origin-worksheet) * [Supplier Evidence Register](/docs/knowledge-base/templates/supplier-evidence-register) * [Building an Enterprise Digital Product Passport Architecture](/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/building-an-enterprise-digital-product-passport-architecture) ## Featured Learning Resources [Start here Digital Product Passport Guide](/docs/knowledge-base/digital-product-passports/what-is-a-digital-product-passport) What a passport is, what it is not, and the four layers that make one work. [Pillar Regulations](/docs/knowledge-base/regulations/overview) ESPR, delegated acts, scope and timing, read from the Official Journal rather than from secondary summaries. [Pillar Standards & Technology](/docs/knowledge-base/standards-and-technology/overview) Identifiers, carriers, resolution and event data: the mechanics behind a working passport. [Pillar Enterprise Systems & Data Architecture](/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/overview) Where the information in a passport comes from, and what must be true before it is published. [Reference Glossary](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/overview) Definitions of record for the terminology used across every pillar, with sources and distinctions. ## About tieback Knowledge tieback Knowledge is a permanent reference library for practitioners who make decisions with legal and financial consequences. It exists so that a reader arriving with any level of prior knowledge can find a defensible answer, and so that the relationship between the pillars is explicit rather than implied by a menu. It avoids marketing language, avoids predicting outcomes that legislation has not fixed, and states clearly when something is not yet determined. #### Editorial Principles * **Vendor neutral.** No article recommends a product or platform, including tieback's. Where a capability is described, it is described as a capability, so the reader can evaluate any implementation of it against the same criteria. * **Primary-source grounded.** Regulatory statements are taken from the Official Journal of the European Union, standards statements from ISO, GS1 and equivalent bodies. Every article lists its sources, and secondary commentary is not treated as authority. * **Original educational frameworks.** Each canonical article introduces one framework that makes its subject navigable and reusable, rather than restating material available elsewhere. * **Practical implementation guidance.** Articles end where the reader has to act: what to do, in what order, and what commonly goes wrong. * **Continuously maintained.** Regulation, delegated acts and standards move. Every page carries a last reviewed date and a scheduled review date, and material change triggers revision rather than a new post. > **Entering in the middle** > > Readers with existing expertise should enter at the pillar that matches their gap rather than > starting at pillar one. The Knowledge Model describes dependency, not a required reading order for > specialists. ## About This Article About This Article
Last Reviewed
2026-08-08
Next Scheduled Review
2027-08-08
Article Version
1.1
tieback Knowledge is a continuously maintained reference library covering Digital Product Passports, product traceability, product compliance and related regulations. Articles are reviewed regularly as legislation, standards and implementation guidance evolve. ## Related Docs * [Getting Started](/docs/knowledge-base/getting-started/overview) * [Digital Product Passports](/docs/knowledge-base/digital-product-passports/overview) * [Regulations](/docs/knowledge-base/regulations/overview) * [Standards & Technology](/docs/knowledge-base/standards-and-technology/overview) * [Enterprise Systems & Data Architecture](/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/overview) * [Implementation](/docs/knowledge-base/implementation/overview) * [Glossary](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/overview) > The entry point to the tieback Knowledge Base: vendor-neutral education on Digital Product Passports, regulations, standards, enterprise product data and implementation, organised by pillar, learning path and role. ## Docs - [Getting Started](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/getting-started/overview.md): An introduction to tieback Knowledge: what the Knowledge Base contains, who it is for and the recommended reading path for Digital Product Passports and EU product compliance. - [Digital Product Passports](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/digital-product-passports/overview.md): A chapter introduction to Digital Product Passports: what they are, why they exist, and the reading order to follow in this section. - [What is a Digital Product Passport?](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/digital-product-passports/what-is-a-digital-product-passport.md): A practical, authoritative introduction to Digital Product Passports: what they are, why the EU is introducing them, what data they carry, who is affected, and how they work. - [Who Needs a Digital Product Passport?](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/digital-product-passports/who-needs-a-digital-product-passport.md): Who is affected by Digital Product Passports: the six responsibility groups across the value chain, which products are in scope, and who should prepare now. - [What Information Does a Digital Product Passport Contain?](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/digital-product-passports/what-information-does-a-digital-product-passport-contain.md): The six categories of information a Digital Product Passport carries, what is confirmed in law today, and how to assess whether your product data is ready. - [How Does a Digital Product Passport Work?](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/digital-product-passports/how-does-a-digital-product-passport-work.md): How a Digital Product Passport actually operates end to end, from product creation to end of life, including identifiers, data carriers, where data lives, access rights and APIs. - [What Are the Benefits of a Digital Product Passport?](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/digital-product-passports/what-are-the-benefits-of-a-digital-product-passport.md): A practical account of the compliance, operational, supply chain, customer and sustainability benefits of Digital Product Passports, and how the value compounds from regulatory compliance upwards. - [What Data Goes in a Digital Product Passport, and Where Does It Come From?](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/digital-product-passports/what-data-goes-in-a-digital-product-passport.md): A plain explanation of what information a Digital Product Passport can carry and where that information actually originates: product identity and reference data, composition and materials, manufacturing data, supplier submissions, compliance and conformity information, certificates and evidence, sustainability information, lifecycle events, repair information and end-of-life information, each mapped to the systems, organisations and records they typically come from, including how small organisations do this without enterprise software. - [Regulations](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/regulations/overview.md): A section overview of the EU legislation that creates Digital Product Passport obligations, and how those obligations arrive over time. - [What is the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR)?](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/regulations/what-is-the-ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation-espr.md): What the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation is, why it exists, how it works through delegated acts, and where the Digital Product Passport fits within it. - [What Are Delegated Acts?](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/regulations/what-are-delegated-acts.md): What EU delegated acts are, why they exist, who creates them, what they can and cannot change, and why they decide when Digital Product Passport obligations become real. - [Which Products Will Require a Digital Product Passport?](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/regulations/which-products-will-require-a-digital-product-passport.md): How the European Commission decides which product groups need a Digital Product Passport, which categories are covered today, which are prioritised next, and which remain undecided. - [When Will Digital Product Passports Become Mandatory?](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/regulations/when-will-digital-product-passports-become-mandatory.md): Why there is no single Digital Product Passport start date, which dates are already fixed in EU law, which depend on future delegated acts, and what to do in the meantime. - [How Digital Product Passports Will Be Enforced](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/regulations/how-digital-product-passports-will-be-enforced.md): How Digital Product Passport obligations move from an applicable legal requirement through market surveillance, checks, findings, operator response, corrective or restrictive measures and penalties, why enforcement sits substantially with Member State authorities, and what enforcement readiness means in practice. - [Who Is Legally Responsible for a Digital Product Passport?](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/regulations/who-is-legally-responsible-for-a-digital-product-passport.md): How legal responsibility for Digital Product Passport obligations is allocated between manufacturers, importers, distributors, authorised representatives, online marketplaces, fulfilment service providers, suppliers and technology providers, why legal accountability is not the same as data contribution, contractual allocation, operational ownership or internal data ownership, and how to map economic operator roles per product, market and obligation. - [How Conformity Assessment Works for Digital Product Passports](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/regulations/how-conformity-assessment-works-for-digital-product-passports.md): What conformity assessment is, where product requirements come from, how assessment procedures differ between self-assessment and third-party involvement, what notified bodies do, how technical documentation, declarations, standards, harmonised standards and presumption of conformity fit together, and how the resulting compliance environment relates to the information published through a Digital Product Passport. - [Standards & Technology](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/standards-and-technology/overview.md): A section overview of the identifier, data carrier, resolution and event data standards that can support a Digital Product Passport, and where the boundary with legal obligation sits. - [The Digital Product Passport Standards Landscape](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/standards-and-technology/the-digital-product-passport-standards-landscape.md): A map of the Digital Product Passport standards landscape: who makes EU law, who develops European standards, what a standardisation request is, what CEN, CENELEC, ETSI, ISO, IEC and GS1 each do, where the CEN and CENELEC JTC 24 Digital Product Passport standards fit, what the technical standardisation domains cover, and how legal effect differs between binding law, product-specific requirements, harmonised standards, other standards and implementation choices. - [What is GS1?](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/standards-and-technology/what-is-gs1.md): A vendor neutral explanation of GS1: what the organisation is, how its standards are developed, which standards matter, and how identification, capture and exchange standards underpin Digital Product Passports. - [What is GS1 Digital Link?](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/standards-and-technology/what-is-gs1-digital-link.md): A vendor neutral explanation of GS1 Digital Link: why it was created, how it differs from a traditional barcode or printed URL, how one product identifier resolves to many trusted destinations, and why it underpins Digital Product Passport implementations. - [QR Codes vs GS1 Digital Link: What's the Difference?](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/standards-and-technology/qr-codes-vs-gs1-digital-link.md): A vendor neutral explanation of how QR codes, GS1 QR codes, GS1 Digital Link, GTINs, URLs and Digital Product Passports relate to each other, why they are constantly confused, and which of them is actually the standard. - [What is a Product Identifier?](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/standards-and-technology/what-is-a-product-identifier.md): A vendor neutral explanation of product identifiers: what they are, why every product needs a trusted identity, how identity differs from description, and why identification is the foundation of every Digital Product Passport. - [What is a GTIN?](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/standards-and-technology/what-is-a-gtin.md): A vendor neutral explanation of the Global Trade Item Number: what a GTIN is, why it exists, how company prefixes and item references make it globally unique, how GTIN-8, GTIN-12, GTIN-13 and GTIN-14 differ, and how GTINs underpin Digital Product Passports. - [What is a Data Carrier?](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/standards-and-technology/what-is-a-data-carrier.md): A vendor neutral explanation of data carriers: what they are, why they exist, how they differ from identifiers, and how linear barcodes, QR codes, Data Matrix, RFID, NFC and digital carriers deliver the same product identity to different audiences and Digital Product Passports. - [What is EPCIS?](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/standards-and-technology/what-is-epcis.md): A vendor neutral explanation of EPCIS: the GS1 standard for recording and sharing product event data, how it differs from identifiers and ERP systems, its four event types, and why it matters for product traceability and Digital Product Passports. - [How Product Data Moves Through the Supply Chain](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/standards-and-technology/how-product-data-moves-through-the-supply-chain.md): A vendor neutral explanation of how product identity, business events, enterprise master data and Digital Product Passports work together as a product moves from raw materials to recycling. - [How Will Digital Product Passports Change Product Compliance?](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/standards-and-technology/how-will-digital-product-passports-change-product-compliance.md): How Digital Product Passports turn compliance from static documents held in silos into connected, continuously available product information, and what that changes for each party. - [Enterprise Systems & Data Architecture](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/overview.md): A section overview of the enterprise systems and data layers that produce trusted product information, and how they relate to Digital Product Passports. - [What is Product Master Data?](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/what-is-product-master-data.md): A vendor neutral explanation of product master data: what it is, how it differs from reference, transactional and event data, who owns it, and why Digital Product Passports depend on it without ever replacing it. - [ERP vs PIM vs PLM: What's the Difference?](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/erp-vs-pim-vs-plm.md): A vendor neutral explanation of ERP, PIM, PLM and MDM: what each system owns, what it does not own, how they work together, and how Digital Product Passport programmes should draw on each of them. - [How Enterprise Systems Support Digital Product Passports](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/how-enterprise-systems-support-digital-product-passports.md): A vendor neutral explanation of how ERP, PLM, PIM, MES and supplier systems feed a Digital Product Passport through an integration layer, and what each layer is responsible for. - [What is Product Data Governance?](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/what-is-product-data-governance.md): A vendor neutral explanation of product data governance covering ownership, quality, policies, stewardship, lifecycle and compliance, and why governance matters more than technology for trusted Digital Product Passports. - [How to Build a Trusted Product Data Foundation](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/how-to-build-a-trusted-product-data-foundation.md): A vendor neutral, practical roadmap for building Digital Product Passport capability, using the Product Data Maturity Model: collection, quality, governance, integration, automation and continuous improvement. - [What is Product Data Quality?](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/what-is-product-data-quality.md): A vendor neutral explanation of product data quality across completeness, accuracy, consistency, validity, timeliness and traceability, why valid data is not automatically trustworthy data, and how Digital Product Passports expose existing product data weaknesses. - [What is Product Data Stewardship?](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/what-is-product-data-stewardship.md): A vendor neutral explanation of product data stewardship: how business ownership, data ownership, stewardship, custody and consumption divide responsibility for product information, and why trusted product data is an organisational capability rather than a software feature. - [What is a System of Record?](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/what-is-a-system-of-record.md): A vendor neutral explanation of systems of record: what makes a system authoritative, why one product can have several authoritative systems, how systems of record differ from systems of engagement and systems of insight, and why a Digital Product Passport consumes authoritative information rather than replacing it. - [What is Master Data Management (MDM)?](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/what-is-master-data-management.md): A vendor neutral explanation of Master Data Management: what MDM is, why organisations implement it, how it differs from product master data, PIM, ERP and PLM, and why MDM coordinates trusted master data between enterprise systems rather than replacing them. - [What is a Golden Record?](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/what-is-a-golden-record.md): A vendor neutral explanation of the Golden Record: how trusted product information is assembled from multiple authoritative sources through identity resolution, validation and survivorship rules, and how it differs from a system of record, master data and MDM. - [Building an Enterprise Digital Product Passport Architecture](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/building-an-enterprise-digital-product-passport-architecture.md): A vendor neutral reference architecture for Digital Product Passports: seven layers from source systems to consumers, the cross-cutting capabilities that span them, and how master, lifecycle and evidence data flow without turning the passport into a new master database. - [Implementation](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/implementation/overview.md): A section overview of how to plan, build and scale a Digital Product Passport programme, from data readiness to rollout. - [How Should Organisations Prepare for Digital Product Passports?](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/implementation/how-should-organisations-prepare-for-digital-product-passports.md): A vendor neutral guide to organisational readiness for Digital Product Passports, covering products, data, systems, governance, suppliers, teams and roadmap, before product-specific requirements apply. - [How to Build a Digital Product Passport Implementation Roadmap](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/implementation/how-to-build-a-digital-product-passport-implementation-roadmap.md): A vendor neutral, stage gated roadmap for turning Digital Product Passport requirements into an executable programme: nine stages from regulatory scope to operating capability, explicit exit gates, eight parallel workstreams and the feedback loops real implementations depend on. - [How to Prepare Suppliers for Digital Product Passports](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/implementation/how-to-prepare-suppliers-for-digital-product-passports.md): A vendor neutral model for supplier readiness in a Digital Product Passport programme: eight stages from supplier scope and segmentation through requirements, capability, exchange, validation, remediation and continuous monitoring, with proportional control rather than one process for every supplier. - [How to Validate Digital Product Passport Data](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/implementation/how-to-validate-digital-product-passport-data.md): A vendor neutral control model for Digital Product Passport data validation: four governed states from submitted to publishable, an explicit exception and remediation route, thirteen validation control classes, a validation rule catalogue, governed severity, and the difference between validation, verification, acceptance and publication control. - [How to Manage Evidence for Digital Product Passports](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/implementation/how-to-manage-evidence-for-digital-product-passports.md): A vendor neutral evidence governance model for Digital Product Passports: nine evidence lifecycle stages, a distinct evidence state model, claim to evidence relationships, provenance, validity and supersession, access control, an evidence register, and the architectural separation between evidence repositories and passport publication. - [How to Test and Assure a Digital Product Passport](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/implementation/how-to-test-and-assure-a-digital-product-passport.md): A vendor neutral end to end testing and assurance model for Digital Product Passports: eight assurance domains, a seven step assurance cycle, three governed readiness decision states, an assurance decision record, requirements traceability, failure path testing and proportional reassurance. - [How to Operate a Digital Product Passport Programme](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/implementation/how-to-operate-a-digital-product-passport-programme.md): A vendor neutral operating model for Digital Product Passports after go-live: eight operating capabilities, seven operational event types, an eight step operational control cycle, cross-cutting governance, an operational event record and the project to operations transition. - [How to Govern a Digital Product Passport Programme](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/implementation/how-to-govern-a-digital-product-passport-programme.md): A vendor neutral programme governance model for Digital Product Passports: five governance levels, seven decision domains, a governed decision cycle, decision rights, a decision rights matrix, escalation, risk and exception governance, scope control, organisational change and adoption. - [Governance & Assurance](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/compliance-frameworks/overview.md): Who is responsible, who can decide, what evidence can be trusted, and how an organisation keeps Digital Product Passport information controlled over time. - [DPP Governance: Who Owns What?](https://tieback.io/docs/dpp-governance-who-owns-what.md): A practical governance article separating legal responsibility, accountability, data ownership, evidence ownership, system ownership and process responsibility for Digital Product Passport work. - [Industry Guides](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/industry-guides/overview.md): A section overview of sector specific interpretation of Digital Product Passport obligations, from textiles to electronics and construction. - [Digital Product Passports for Batteries: What Companies Need to Know](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/industry-guides/digital-product-passports-for-batteries.md): A practical, legally disciplined guide to the EU battery passport under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542: which battery categories are covered, the 18 February 2027 date, who carries the duty, what Annex XIII requires and who may see each part of it, where the data actually comes from, how supplier evidence works across multiple tiers, and how to run the programme from first assessment through publication to lifecycle operation. - [Digital Product Passports for Construction Products: What Companies Need to Know](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/industry-guides/digital-product-passports-for-construction-products.md): A practical, legally disciplined guide to the construction digital product passport under Regulation (EU) 2024/3110: how the new Construction Products Regulation replaces Regulation (EU) No 305/2011, why no universal product-level passport date can currently be stated, how the passport is built on the declaration of performance and conformity rather than replacing it, where the data and evidence actually come from, and how manufacturers of every size should prepare. - [Digital Product Passports for Textiles and Apparel: What Companies Need to Know](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/industry-guides/digital-product-passports-for-textiles-and-apparel.md): A practical, legally disciplined guide to the textile digital product passport under Regulation (EU) 2024/1781: why no textile passport date exists yet, what the ESPR working plan actually commits the Commission to, which obligations already bite today including the ban on destroying unsold apparel from 19 July 2026, what a textile passport is likely to have to carry, and how brands, mills and small manufacturers should prepare across a multi-tier supply chain they do not own. - [Digital Product Passports for Electronics: What Companies Need to Know](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/industry-guides/digital-product-passports-for-electronics.md): A practical, legally disciplined guide to Digital Product Passports for electronics: why no electronics passport date exists under Regulation (EU) 2024/1781, how the 2025-2030 working plan treats ICT through two horizontal measures rather than a sector act, what RoHS, WEEE, energy labelling and existing ecodesign rules already require, and how to prepare bill of materials, component, supplier and evidence data before product-specific requirements arrive. - [Digital Product Passports for Furniture: What Companies Need to Know](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/industry-guides/digital-product-passports-for-furniture.md): A practical, legally disciplined guide to Digital Product Passports for furniture and mattresses: why no furniture passport date exists under Regulation (EU) 2024/1781, what the 2025-2030 working plan actually commits the Commission to, which obligations already bite today including deforestation due diligence for wood and general product safety traceability, what a furniture passport is likely to have to carry, and how manufacturers, retailers and small workshops should prepare across variant-heavy, made-to-order product ranges. - [Digital Product Passports for Steel and Aluminium: What Companies Need to Know](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/industry-guides/digital-product-passports-for-steel-and-aluminium.md): A legally disciplined guide to Digital Product Passports for iron, steel and aluminium: why these two groups sit first on the statutory priority list in Article 18(5) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1781, what it means that they are intermediate products rather than finished goods, why no product-specific passport obligation or data field list yet exists, how the carbon border adjustment mechanism already forces embedded emissions accounting on the same materials, and what producers, service centres, fabricators and buyers should build now. - [Templates](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/templates/overview.md): Practical tools that apply the tieback Knowledge estate and TBF frameworks: readiness assessments, worksheets, maps and registers you can use directly. - [DPP Readiness Assessment](https://tieback.io/docs/dpp-readiness-assessment.md): A vendor neutral ten dimension assessment that scores how prepared an organisation is for Digital Product Passport implementation and shows where the gaps are. - [Passport Data Origin Worksheet](https://tieback.io/docs/passport-data-origin-worksheet.md): A vendor neutral worksheet that maps every item of passport information to its origin, its authoritative source and the evidence behind it, and shows where the gaps are. - [Supplier Evidence Register](https://tieback.io/docs/supplier-evidence-register.md): A vendor neutral register for tracking supplier-held information, the evidence expected behind it, its state, its validity and the action required to close the gaps. - [Examples](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/examples/overview.md): A section overview of worked examples showing how Digital Product Passport concepts apply to real products and data. - [From DPP Readiness to Defensible Supplier Evidence: A Worked Manufacturer Example](https://tieback.io/docs/readiness-to-evidence-manufacturer-example.md): A fictional lighting manufacturer works through the DPP Readiness Assessment, the Passport Data Origin Worksheet and the Supplier Evidence Register on one product family, and ends with a defensible evidence position and an owned action list. - [FAQs](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/faqs/overview.md): A section overview of direct answers to the Digital Product Passport questions asked most often by manufacturers and compliance teams. - [tieback Framework Library](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/frameworks/overview.md): The authoritative registry of original tieback educational frameworks, each with a permanent framework identifier and a link to the canonical article that introduces it. - [Glossary](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/overview.md): The tieback Knowledge glossary: precise, vendor neutral definitions of the legal, supply chain and technical terms used across Digital Product Passport and EU product compliance work. - [Authorised Representative](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/authorised-representative.md): A person established in the Union appointed in writing by a manufacturer to perform specified tasks on behalf of the manufacturer. - [Authoritative Source](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/authoritative-source.md): The source whose value for a given attribute is accepted as correct because it is closest to the process that creates the information and is accountable for maintaining it. - [Battery Passport](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/battery-passport.md): The electronic record required by Article 77 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 for LMT batteries, industrial batteries above 2 kWh and electric vehicle batteries placed on the EU market from 18 February 2027. - [Circular Economy](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/circular-economy.md): An economic model that keeps products, components and materials in use at their highest value for as long as possible, reducing waste and demand for primary resources. - [Conformity Assessment](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/conformity-assessment.md): The process of demonstrating that a product meets the applicable legal requirements before it is placed on the market, through defined modules that may involve a notified body. - [Corrective Action](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/corrective-action.md): The action an economic operator must take to bring a non-compliant product into conformity, or otherwise to remove the non-compliance, when required by law or by an authority. - [Data Architecture](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/data-architecture.md): The structural design describing what data an organisation holds, where it originates, how it is modelled, how it moves between systems and how it is governed and consumed. - [Data Carrier](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/data-carrier.md): The physical or digital medium, such as a QR code, data matrix or RFID tag, that carries a product identifier and provides access to a Digital Product Passport. - [Declaration of Performance and Conformity](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/declaration-of-performance-and-conformity.md): The declaration required by Articles 13 to 16 of Regulation (EU) 2024/3110, in which a construction product manufacturer states the product performance in relation to essential characteristics and its conformity with applicable requirements, using the model in Annex V. - [Delegated Act](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/delegated-act.md): A legally binding act adopted by the European Commission under powers granted by a framework regulation, used to set the detailed product specific requirements of the ESPR. - [Digital Product Passport](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/digital-product-passport.md): A structured, machine readable set of product data made accessible through a data carrier on the product, its packaging or its documentation, under EU product legislation. - [Economic Operator](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/economic-operator.md): The legal term for the parties that place products on the EU market or make them available, including manufacturers, authorised representatives, importers, distributors and fulfilment service providers. - [Entry into Force](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/entry-into-force.md): The date on which an EU legal act becomes part of Union law, which is usually not the date its obligations start to apply. - [EPCIS](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/epcis.md): A GS1 standard for sharing supply chain event data: what happened to which object, when, where and in what business context. - [ESPR](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/espr.md): The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2024/1781, the framework law that introduces ecodesign requirements and the Digital Product Passport in the European Union. - [EU Declaration of Conformity](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/eu-declaration-of-conformity.md): The formal document in which the manufacturer states, on its sole responsibility, that a product meets the requirements of the applicable Union legislation. - [Extended Producer Responsibility](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/extended-producer-responsibility.md): A policy mechanism under which producers bear financial or operational responsibility for the treatment of their products once they become waste, implemented in the EU through Directive 2008/98/EC as amended and through national transposition. - [Golden Record](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/golden-record.md): The governed, reconciled representation of a product produced by matching records from several systems and resolving conflicts under defined rules. - [GS1](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/gs1.md): A global not for profit standards organisation that issues unique identification keys and defines barcode, data capture and data exchange standards used across supply chains. - [GS1 Digital Link](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/gs1-digital-link.md): A GS1 standard that expresses identification keys as structured web addresses, so a single scan can resolve to different destinations for different audiences. - [GTIN](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/gtin.md): The Global Trade Item Number: a GS1 identification key that identifies a trade item type, not an individual physical item. - [Harmonised Standard](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/harmonised-standard.md): A European standard adopted following a Commission request in support of Union legislation, whose reference is published in the Official Journal. - [Harmonised Technical Specification](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/harmonised-technical-specification.md): The umbrella term used in Regulation (EU) 2024/3110 for the technical instruments that set essential characteristics, assessment methods and requirements for construction products, comprising harmonised standards drafted under Article 5 and other harmonised technical specifications adopted under Article 6. - [Market Surveillance](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/market-surveillance.md): The activities carried out by national authorities to check that products on the EU market comply with applicable law, and the powers they hold to act when products do not. - [Market Surveillance Authority](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/market-surveillance-authority.md): The national authority designated by a Member State to check that products on its market comply with EU law, and to require corrective action when they do not. - [Master Data Management](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/master-data-management.md): The management discipline that defines, governs and maintains an organisation shared core data, supported where useful by technology, so that key entities are described consistently across systems. - [Notified Body](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/notified-body.md): A conformity assessment body designated by a Member State and notified to the Commission to carry out third-party assessment tasks under specific Union legislation. - [Presumption of Conformity](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/presumption-of-conformity.md): The legal effect by which a product conforming to a cited harmonised standard is presumed to meet the corresponding legal requirements. - [Product Data](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/product-data.md): The structured information that describes a product, its identity, attributes, composition, documentation and compliance evidence, across the systems that hold it. - [Product Data Governance](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/data-governance.md): The framework of decision rights, accountabilities, policies and controls that determines who may define, change and approve product data, and how those decisions are recorded. - [Product Data Quality](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/data-quality.md): The degree to which product data is fit for its intended use, assessed across dimensions such as completeness, accuracy, consistency, timeliness, validity and uniqueness. - [Product Data Stewardship](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/data-stewardship.md): The operational role of maintaining product data to agreed standards day to day, applying governance rules, resolving exceptions and monitoring quality. - [Product Identifier](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/product-identifier.md): A unique code that distinguishes a product model, batch or individual item, and that anchors the identity of a Digital Product Passport over its entire lifetime. - [Product Lifecycle](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/product-lifecycle.md): The sequence of stages a product passes through, from raw material extraction and manufacture to distribution, use, repair and end of life treatment. - [Product Master Data](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/product-master-data.md): The stable, shared core data that identifies and describes a product across the systems that use it, as distinct from transactional or event data about individual movements and orders. - [Product Traceability](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/product-traceability.md): The ability to follow the movement, composition and history of a product or its materials through the stages of production, distribution and use. - [QR Code](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/qr-code.md): A two dimensional matrix barcode standardised as ISO/IEC 18004, widely used as the data carrier that links a physical product to its Digital Product Passport. - [Recall](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/recall.md): A measure aimed at achieving the return of a product that has already been made available to the end user. - [Resolver](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/resolver.md): A service that answers a request for an identifier-bearing address and returns the linked resource appropriate to the requester. - [Source of Truth](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/source-of-truth.md): The agreed answer an organisation uses for a given piece of information, whether that answer comes directly from an authoritative system or from a reconciled record built from several systems. - [State of Health](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/state-of-health.md): A measure of the condition of an individual battery relative to its original condition, required under Article 14 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 for certain batteries and reported at individual battery level in the battery passport. - [Supply Chain Tier](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/supply-chain-tier.md): A position in a supply chain measured by distance from the organisation placing a product on the market, where tier 1 is a direct supplier and higher tiers are progressively more remote, used to describe where product passport data originates and where contractual reach ends. - [Sustainability Data](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/sustainability-data.md): Product information describing environmental and social characteristics, such as material composition, recycled content, durability, reparability and carbon footprint. - [System of Record](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/system-of-record.md): The system formally designated as authoritative for a defined data element or business domain, so that its value is the one relied upon when systems disagree. - [Technical Documentation](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/technical-documentation.md): The file an economic operator must compile to demonstrate that a product meets the applicable legal requirements, and must make available to authorities on request. - [Withdrawal](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/withdrawal.md): A measure that prevents a product in the supply chain from being made available on the market, without seeking its return from end users. - [Working Plan](https://tieback.io/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/working-plan.md): The Commission plan that sets out which product groups are prioritised for ecodesign requirements, and in what order they will be addressed.