From the Sector

Identiv, Inc. a global leader in RFID- and BLE-enabled Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, announced today that it has entered into a partnership with Narravero GmbH., a global Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform for Digital Product Passports (DPPs) and supply chain transparency. This collaboration expects to accelerate the commercialization of integrated solutions for EU-compliant DPP deployments. By combining Identiv's NFC inlays for dynamic product data with Narravero's robust data management platform, this partnership offers a comprehensive, integrated solution that streamlines DPP deployment for companies.

Driving DPP Innovation Ahead of EU Regulations
Both Identiv and Narravero are pioneers in connecting physical products with the digital world. Narravero’s core offering allows businesses to create and manage DPPs that provide comprehensive product lifecycle information, including origin, sustainability data, and end-of-life instructions. Beginning in 2027, these DPPs will be required under new European Union sustainability rules. DPPs also present a significant opportunity for enhanced supply chain efficiency and customer engagement. Narravero's platform has already seen substantial growth, reaching 135 million visits as of February 2025.

"We are thrilled about our agreement with Narravero and working collaboratively on the DPP solutions we're bringing to market," said Kirsten Newquist, CEO at Identiv. "This partnership will help companies comply with EU regulations and empower them with new opportunities for sustainability, transparency, and consumer engagement." 

Thomas Rödding, CEO of Narravero, said, "Our partnership with Identiv is a significant step forward in making DPPs accessible and actionable for businesses globally. Identiv's expertise in secure, connected physical identities complements our robust DPP platform, creating a powerful, end-to-end solution.”

This partnership positions Identiv and Narravero at the forefront of DPP innovation, providing a full-circle integrated solution to meet EU regulatory demands and empower businesses with enhanced supply chain transparency, sustainability, and customer engagement.

Textile producers in the EU will soon be required to integrate Digital Product Passports (DPPs) into their operations under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), which came into effect in 2024. These passports are set to become mandatory across certain product categories, starting with batteries in February 2027 and textiles later that year.

The ESPR is a cornerstone of the EU's strategy to promote a circular economy and enhance sustainability across the product value chain, particularly in sectors that are resource intensive and have significant potential for circularity, such as textiles.

DPPs will digitally record essential information about a product's lifecycle including material composition, weights, volumes, place of manufacture, carbon data, maintenance, ownership, care instructions and documentation. This requirement will apply to any products sold within the EU, regardless of where they are manufactured.

While detailed category-specific requirements are still being finalised, given the length and complexity of procurement processes, producers are encouraged to act now, piloting solutions to assess data readiness and bridge gaps early.

Reconomy has partnered with Fabacus to deliver a robust, data-driven solution. This ensures compliance while enabling scalability and unlocking new opportunities for producers through DPP technology.

This latest offering will form part of Reconomy’s broader end-to-end textile EPR solution launched in April 2024 to help producers understand and meet their global legislative requirements and the timescales of different EPR schemes. This comprehensive one-stop shop offering includes regulatory monitoring, consultancy, data management, environmental compliance, material returns and end of life treatment.

Green Threads DPP, the Hampshire-based supplier of Digital Product Passports (DPP) to the uniform, workwear, and outdoor apparel industries, is officially launching to help brands fight greenwashing, create value chain transparency, and stay ahead of pending EU Green Deal DPP mandates.

Working directly with universities, textile suppliers, brands, governmental agencies, and manufacturing facilities around the world, Green Threads will help companies quickly and effectively navigate the DPP landscape, engage consumers, and bring in the next era of product transparency.

By 2030, all apparel sold in the EU will require some form of DPP. Scannable at all points along the value chain, DPPs will come in the form of a QR code, RFID tag, or NFC chip. Anyone from brand representatives to compliance officers to consumers will soon have access to a wide range of product information at their fingertips, including a product’s origin, carbon footprint, water consumption, materials composition, credentials, and end of life considerations.

Once a brand’s supply chain has been audited and a range of DPP have been created for the garments being produced, Green Threads will actively identify areas for sustainability improvements and make recommendations through the use of tailored Carbon Reduction Plans which are designed to help factories and suppliers set and reach decarbonization goals.

The use of a DPP comes with several benefits:

• Comply with Green Deal regulations for the sale of footwear and apparel in the EU
• Eliminate Greenwashing
• Set and communicate sustainability goals to buyers
• Showcase Ethical and Sustainability credentials
• Provides quantifiable / actionable data with which to make future sourcing decisions
• Market brand messaging directly to the end consumer by creating another touch point for engagement.

Beyond simple compliance with EU regulations, anyone using DPPs will be able to showcase sustainability credentials, differentiate themselves from the competition, and incorporate next-level marketing directly to consumers, all while making “greenwashing” a thing of the past.

“Between pending regulations and concerns around greenwashing, brands have a lot to gain from adopting a Green Threads DPP solution,” said Iain Kettleband, CEO of Green Threads. “By working with our clients and partners, we audit and measure the various elements throughout the entire product journey, facilitating continuous improvement and accountability. We add value by empowering consumers and businesses through easy to access data by which to make informed buying decisions. Most critically our solution goes above and beyond legislation and delivers complete environmental supply chain transparency as well as a dynamic platform through which to showcase a wealth of information related to recycling, care instructions, corporate objectives and ethical certifications”.

Digital Product Passports can now be processed at TEXAID’s largest sorting facility, thanks to circular.fashion’s intelligent sorting stations, which use RFID and NFC technology to improve the quality and consistency of manual sorting.

Digital Product Passports (DPP) have been recognised by the EU as an enabler for circular fashion and textiles. Technology company circular.fashion has been a leader in this effort, releasing the circularity.ID in 2018 and developing Intelligent Sorting Stations to bring ID based sorting to the textile reuse and recycling industry.

ID based sorting optimises the manual sorting process for reuse and recycling by giving sorters data to make decisions more accurately and consistently. TEXAID has, by adopting this technology, increased Europe’s capacity to process DPPs.

The installation and testing of TEXAID’s new Intelligent Sorting Stations was completed successfully shortly before the holiday period. Initial test results indicate that ID based sorting can make sorting decisions more reliable and more consistent. The team also sees a potential for ID based sorting to reduce training costs for new employees and maximise the value of their sorting decisions. This advancement was made through the CIRTEX project, funded through the KMU Innovativ funding programme from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

The Intelligent Sorting Stations at TEXAID are now operational, and brands and retailers have the ability to adopt the circularity.ID as a Digital Product Passport and have textile products returned to TEXAID for ID based sorting.