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# Passports Overview

> What Digital Product Passports are and how content, templates, themes, and localisations combine in tieback to create branded passport experiences.

A Digital Product Passport (DPP) is a structured, publicly accessible record that accompanies a physical product throughout its lifecycle. It presents verified product information, such as materials, origin, sustainability data, and compliance declarations, in a consistent, branded format that consumers and supply chain participants can access by scanning a product's identifier.

**tie*back***

provides the infrastructure to create, manage, publish, localise, and serve Digital Product
Passports at scale.

## Why Passports Matter

Regulatory frameworks, including the EU's Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), are making Digital Product Passports a requirement for an increasing range of product categories. Beyond compliance, passports enable brands to communicate provenance, sustainability credentials, and product-specific information directly to the consumer at the point of interaction.

A well-structured passport:

* satisfies regulatory disclosure requirements
* builds consumer trust through transparency
* provides a durable, scannable record tied to the physical product
* supports supply chain visibility across the product lifecycle
* adapts to local markets with localised content and multilingual support

## Content, Templates, Themes, and Localisations

**tie*back***

passports are built on a clear separation of concerns:

| Layer             | What it controls                                                                      | Learn more                                              |
| ----------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Content**       | The underlying product data, attributes, identifiers, and structured information      | [Products](/product-module/products)                    |
| **Templates**     | Which information is included in the passport, field-level control over what appears  | [Content & Templates](/passports/content-templates)     |
| **Themes**        | How the passport looks, layout, typography, colour, and visual presentation           | [Themes & Presentation](/passports/themes-presentation) |
| **Localisations** | Market-specific formatting, recycling guidance, disclaimers, and multilingual content | [Localisations Overview](/localisations/overview)       |

This separation means brands can:

* adjust what information is disclosed without redesigning the visual experience
* change the visual presentation without altering the content structure
* add market-specific content without modifying the base passport
* satisfy different regulatory requirements through template and localisation configuration
* maintain a consistent, premium consumer experience through curated themes

## What a Passport Contains

Each passport is composed of **content blocks**: structured sections of information that together form the complete passport experience. Blocks cover topics such as:

| Block type                  | Purpose                                                                |
| --------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Product identity**        | Product name, brand, images, and key identifiers                       |
| **Materials & composition** | Raw materials, components, and material declarations                   |
| **Sustainability**          | Environmental impact data, certifications, and circularity information |
| **Compliance**              | Regulatory declarations, conformity marks, and applicable standards    |
| **Care & usage**            | Instructions for use, maintenance, and end-of-life handling            |
| **Supply chain**            | Origin, manufacturing location, and chain-of-custody data              |

The specific blocks and fields available depend on the product's industry classification, the brand's template configuration, and the applicable regulatory requirements.

When a **Market Pack** is linked, the passport is supplemented with market-specific content (recycling guidance, disclaimers, and locale-aware formatting) layered on top of the base content blocks.

## How Passports Fit into **tie*back***

Passports build on the existing product and identity infrastructure:

1. **Products**: the structured catalogue record, including schema-driven attributes and identifiers. See [Products](/product-module/products).
2. **Identifiers**: SKU, GTIN, EAN, and UPC codes that uniquely identify the product. See [Identifiers](/product-module/identifiers).
3. **Resolver**: the permanent scan URL that maps a physical identifier to a product record. See [Resolver & GS1 Digital Link](/product-module/resolver-gs-1-digital-link).
4. **Localisations**: market-specific content and formatting that supplements the passport for each target market. See [Localisations Overview](/localisations/overview).
5. **Minting**: the process that creates verifiable passport tokens tied to production batches. See [Minting Overview](/minting/overview).

Passports sit at the presentation layer: they take the product data, apply the template's content governance, merge any linked Market Pack content, and render the result through the brand's assigned theme into a public, consumer-facing experience.

## Key Concepts

### Template-Governed Content

The passport template determines which product data is included in the passport. Even if a product record contains extensive information, only the fields permitted by the active template appear in the rendered passport. This gives brands precise control over disclosure. See [Content & Templates](/passports/content-templates).

### Themed Presentation

Curated themes control the visual presentation of the passport, layout, typography, colour application, and responsive behaviour. Themes are professionally designed and maintained to ensure enterprise-grade visual quality. See [Themes & Presentation](/passports/themes-presentation).

### Localised Content Layer

When a Market Pack is linked to a passport, the rendered experience includes market-specific supplementary content, such as recycling guidance for the target market, local disclaimers, and locale-appropriate date and number formatting. This content is additive: it enhances the passport without altering the base content structure. See [Market Packs](/localisations/market-packs).

### Published Snapshots

When a passport is published, **tie*back*** captures an immutable snapshot of the content as it exists at the point of publication. This snapshot is what the public sees. Changes to the underlying product data do not automatically update the published passport, a new version must be published explicitly. This protects the integrity of the public record.

### Brand-Consistent Experience

Passports are rendered with the brand's visual identity, including logo, colours, and domain, so that the consumer experience is consistent with the brand's other digital touchpoints.

### Assignment-Driven Delivery

Brands control which passport version is served for each product. Assignments determine the relationship between a published passport version and the products or batches it applies to. This gives brands precise control over what the public sees, and when.

## Current Scope

Passports in **tie*back*** currently support:

* configurable content templates with field-level control
* curated theme-based visual presentation
* market-specific localisation through Market Packs
* multilingual content with automated and manual translation
* publication with immutable version snapshots
* branded consumer-facing rendering
* mobile-first responsive presentation
* integration with the resolver for scan-based access
* custom domain support for passport URLs

Some related capabilities, such as consumer action workflows, digital wallet integration, and per-product theme assignment, are planned for future releases and are not part of the current live feature set.

## Related Docs

* [Content & Templates](/passports/content-templates)
* [Themes & Presentation](/passports/themes-presentation)
* [Localisations Overview](/localisations/overview)
* [Market Packs](/localisations/market-packs)
* [Products](/product-module/products)
* [Identifiers](/product-module/identifiers)
* [Resolver & GS1 Digital Link](/product-module/resolver-gs-1-digital-link)
* [Minting Overview](/minting/overview)
* [Consumer Experience](/passports/consumer-experience)
* [Publication Lifecycle](/passports/publication-lifecycle)
* [Brand Setup & Readiness](/passports/brand-setup-readiness)