Imaging Industry eyes transparency with Digital Product Passports
November 14, 2024
David Connett to unveil roadmap for voluntary DPPs at Remanexpo, highlighting collaborative solutions to combat non-compliance on online marketplaces.
The upcoming Remanexpo Academy will host David Connett, MIEEE, partner at Connett & Unland GbR, as he leads a timely discussion on the potential for Digital Product Passports (DPPs) to enhance transparency, sustainability, and accountability within the imaging industry. Connett’s presentation, scheduled for the Academy’s opening day on 7 February, forms part of the Remanexpo / Ambiente show running from 7-9 February in Frankfurt.
Under the title “Digital Product Passports: A Roadmap to Transparency, Trust, and Compliance in the Imaging Industry,” Connett will detail the advantages of a voluntary, industry-led DPP initiative, emphasising its role in tackling non-compliance on online marketplaces. “We’re seeing an increase in non-compliant products flooding the market through online platforms, which compromises safety and fairness,” Connett explains. “A voluntary DPP could serve as a powerful tool to protect consumers, while supporting industry stakeholders committed to responsible practices.”
Drawing on recent survey findings from LightingEurope and ETIRA’s Fake & Fraud survey, Connett highlights the urgency for DPPs as a solution to online non-compliance. A mystery shopping exercise conducted across six EU countries by LightingEurope revealed that a staggering 95% of lighting products sold online failed regulatory standards, often missing crucial safety and environmental certifications. Similarly, ETIRA’s Fake & Fraud survey underscores how non-compliant products are increasingly infiltrating the imaging market, undercutting legitimate players and posing safety risks to consumers. “By establishing DPPs as a collaborative effort, we can introduce standardised verification for product authenticity, reducing the flow of fraudulent goods,” Connett says.
Connett’s presentation will also outline the proposal to establish a Community Interest Company (CIC)-type organisation or to leverage an industry trade body like ETIRA to deliver and manage the DPP system. He emphasises the need for cost-sharing and standardisation to make DPPs accessible to all industry players, regardless of size. The CIC approach, modelled on similar structures in the UK and other EU countries, would enable resources to be pooled and offer access to EU grant funding aimed at digital and sustainable innovations.
As well as supporting compliant businesses, DPPs could provide public procurement bodies with a streamlined compliance verification process, helping to ensure tenders are filled with safe, legally compliant products. By connecting DPPs to EU compliance databases, such as SCIP and ICSMS, authorities could perform real-time checks, creating a unified system that supports the EU’s circular economy goals.
For industry stakeholders attending Remanexpo, Connett’s presentation offers a comprehensive vision of how the imaging industry can safeguard its future by taking a proactive stance on DPPs, addressing current marketplace challenges, and fostering a more transparent, accountable sector.
Categories : World Focus
Tags : Ambiente Compliance Digital Product Passports EU market Remanexpo
