Open Access

The German federal authorities responsible for human and environmental safety, and metrology – the German Environment Agency (UBA), the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA), the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), and the National Metrology Institute (Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, PTB) - are accompanying the rapid pace of innovation of advanced materials with a long term research strategy focusing on safety research needs from a regulatory perspective. The strategy builds on former joint research strategies on nanomaterials and advanced materials and highlights current research priorities to enable regulatory preparedness for material innovations and better connect safety research with innovation research.

EU e‑commerce imports are surging, overwhelming authorities and allowing many unsafe or non‑compliant products to enter the market. Major reforms and digital tools—especially Digital Product Passports—are expected to help, but their exact role still needs clarification.

The implementation of the Digital Product Passport (DPP) under the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) aims to enhance transparency, traceability, and sustainability within the value chain. While the DPP promises substantial benefits, its adoption poses significant challenges – especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). These firms, which make up 99% of non-financial enterprises in the EU, often face resource constraints that hinder technology implementation. Given the impending mandatory application of DPPs across almost all products groups, SMEs risk market exclusion unless they can successfully build the required capabilities. This research identifies determinants influencing SMEs adoption of DPPs by leveraging the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework. Specifically, it assesses technological readiness, organizational factors, and external environmental conditions as primary drivers of capability development necessary for effective DPP adoption. Employing a quantitative approach adapted from Mikalef et al. (2022), the study utilizes a survey and structural equation modeling to empirically evaluate how these determinants interact to shape SMEs’ DPP capabilities. This represents the first quantitative application of the TOE framework explicitly addressing capability formation in the context of DPP adoption. Findings from this research will reveal specific technological, organizational, and environmental factors which are instrumental in enabling SMEs to comply with regulatory mandates and effectively manage product data in a DPP context. Practical implications include the identification of capability gaps and targeted policy recommendations to support SMEs. The study aims to foster digital transformation, enhance supply chain sustainability, and ensure broad compliance with emerging EU sustainability regulations.

This presentation contains information for industry and the scientific communitiy about the new digital product passport and the demands from the EU. Furthermore a short overview is given about the different supporting activities which are currently under developement by BAM.

Mit der im Januar 2025 in Kraft getretenen Bauproduktenverordnung (BauPVO) wurde auch ein digitaler Produktpass (DPP) für Bauprodukte neu etabliert. Dieser wird in den kommenden Jahren für alle Bauprodukte in Europa, die unter die neu geschaffene "harmonisierte Zone" fallen, verpflichtend werden. In dem Vortrag wird ein allgemeiner Überblick über Zweck und Funktionsweise des DPP nach BauPVO gegeben. Danach werden einzelne Aspekte wie Zeithorizont und Inhalt erläutert.