Only Relevant Product Information Benefits the Consumer – Digital Product Passport Should Not Produce Information Overload

The study indicates that sustainability information rarely drives purchasing decisions on its own—but when timed correctly, it can play a decisive role in the choice between two products, reinforce an already made decision, or build long-term trust in a brand. Consumers were primarily interested in basic matters such as material quality, responsible manufacturing, and extending a product’s life cycle through maintenance and repair options.

The digital product passport is a product information label currently being developed by the EU. It enables the digital, transparent, and traceable presentation of information about a product’s manufacturing, materials, and sustainability. In the textile and fashion sector, the product passport will in the future be linked to physical products via, for example, a QR code or digital identifier. Its implementation is expected to begin in 2027 as part of the EU’s Ecodesign Regulation.

– Companies cannot assume that a product passport alone will lead to more responsible choices. Transparent product information must be packaged into services and effective communications along different customer journeys in order to generate real competitive advantage, comments Marja-Liisa Permikangas, Managing Director of Finnish Textile & Fashion, on the study results.

Companies share a similar view.

– From an entrepreneur’s perspective, the key concern is how to communicate this expensive and large-scale project to consumers in a clear and engaging way—so that the information is actually used. It is important to consider how the product passport can be leveraged in marketing and customer communication, so that it doesn’t remain just a technical investment without real impact, says Jenni Sundberg, CEO of Nuppu Print.

The study identified three consumer profiles—the rational decision-maker, the ideal self-seeker, and the convenience-lover—whose needs and approaches to using information differ significantly. However, what they all have in common is the expectation that information should be easy to access and effortlessly usable—without extra searching.

The study was conducted in spring 2025 as part of Finnish Textile & Fashion’s Digital Transformation in the Fashion Industry project, funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.