Digital Product Passport and JTC24: Why Standards Determine Future-Proofing
- Spherity
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
In brief: Behind every Digital Product Passport sits a foundation that is not yet fully finished: the technical standards currently being developed by CEN/CLC JTC24, the joint committee of CEN and CENELEC. Until these standards are finalized, part of the technical detail behind the DPP remains in flux. Companies that build on open, cross-sector standards now reduce the risk of having to rebuild their systems later.
What Is JTC24?
CEN/CLC JTC24 is the joint technical committee of CEN and CENELEC developing the standardized frameworks and systems for the Digital Product Passport. JTC24 defines the overarching DPP system and ecosystem, but does not develop sector-specific standards, which remain the responsibility of the relevant technical committees, for example for textiles or batteries.
Why This Matters Even Without Finished Detailed Requirements
For companies preparing for ESPR deadlines, this creates a degree of uncertainty: the core obligation to provide a Digital Product Passport is fixed, but the technical detail behind data formats, interfaces, and interoperability depends on JTC24's ongoing work. Choosing a system architecture tightly bound to provisional or proprietary assumptions risks a costly rebuild once the final standards are published.
How to Reduce This Risk
The most effective protection against this uncertainty is an architecture built on open, already-established standards, rather than betting on assumptions about future JTC24 specifications. W3C DID/VC (Decentralized Identifiers and Verifiable Credentials) is one such widely adopted standard for verifiable digital identities and claims, independent of any particular industry.
How Spherity's VERA Addresses This Risk
VERA, Spherity's platform for digital product passports, is built end to end on W3C DID/VC. Through VERA-X, certified for Catena-X and Manufacturing-X, this foundation can already be integrated into existing industry data spaces today. Once JTC24 publishes its final specifications, they can be layered on top of an already-established, standards-based data infrastructure instead of requiring a new system built from scratch.
Frequently Asked Questions About JTC24 and the Digital Product Passport
Is JTC24 an EU authority? No, JTC24 is a technical committee of the standards organizations CEN and CENELEC, working on a mandate from the European Commission to develop standards for the Digital Product Passport.
Does JTC24 also develop sector-specific standards, for example for textiles? No, JTC24 defines the overarching DPP system and ecosystem. Sector-specific standards remain with the relevant technical committees.
Do I need to wait for the final JTC24 standards before starting DPP preparation? No. A data infrastructure built on open standards such as W3C DID/VC can be established independently of JTC24 and extended once final requirements are published.
