Digital Product Passport
Hannover Messe
Digital Product Passport
Which exhibitors showed DPP solutions, which events took place, and what does that mean for manufacturers before the next edition? A look back from Hannover with an outlook to 2027.
20 to 24 April 2026·HannoverWhy the DPP has arrived at Hannover Messe
From 18 February 2027 every electric vehicle battery in the EU needs a battery passport. The same holds for every LMT battery and every industrial battery above 2 kWh. The EU Battery Regulation makes it mandatory. The ESPR brings the digital product passport for further product groups after that.
At the 2026 edition the task became tangible for the first time: live demonstrators, standardisation forums and concrete software solutions, from enterprise systems to self-service tools. The next edition runs from 5 to 8 April 2027 with Spain as partner country, which places it roughly six weeks after the passport deadline.
What the 2026 edition showed, and what 2027 brings
The 2026 edition took place in April. It moved the digital product passport from the standards debate onto the exhibition floor. There were live demonstrators instead of slides, and software you could touch for the first time. What no stage solved was the question of the data itself. Exhibitors showed tools. Collecting along the supply chain stayed the manufacturers' job.
For the first time the talk there will not be about preparation but about passports actually delivered: the battery passport cut-off of 18 February 2027 will already be behind the sector. A mere concept will stand out there by then.
DPP Exhibitors & Solutions
Who showed what on the digital product passport and battery passport at the 2026 edition. The stand details refer to that edition.
IDTA: Plattform Industrie 4.0
Hall 13, Booth C24
30 exhibits around the Asset Administration Shell as a basis for DPP 4.0. They demonstrated standardized data exchange across the product life cycle. The administration shell, as it is called in German, is the standardized digital representation of an asset under IEC 63278-1:2023. It is not mandated for the battery passport.
HEITEC Battery Pass
Hall 15, Booth D36
Battery passport based on IDX middleware and Neoception AAS. Automated recording of all relevant production and lifecycle data in accordance with the EU Battery Regulation.
TÜV NORD & Additive Marking
Masterclass Program
Masterclass on PASS-X.EU: the Digital Product Passport as a holistic platform solution. Focus on paperless processes, AI-driven data migration, and value beyond compliance.
Dataciders
Hall 27, B24/4 & Hall 17, H24
DPP applications with AI, digital homologation, and PLM/ERP integration. Showing how product passports integrate into existing system landscapes.
Construct-X
Hall 13, Booth C24
DPP for the construction industry with a physical demonstrator: wall section with product data accessible via QR code. 34 project partners, funded by BMWK.
Fraunhofer FFB
Hall 26, Booth G44/28
Battery Use Case Showcase: networked value chain from battery cell manufacturing through production to recycling. With six partner companies.
DPP Events & Conferences
Talks, forums and masterclasses on the digital product passport at the 2026 edition.
CircularTech Forum
April 22, 3:00 to 7:00 PM
Official side event for DPP standardization and market adoption. Regulatory updates, CEN/CENELEC JTC 24 progress, and the launch of the Global DPP Award.
DPP Masterclass: PASS-X.EU
Masterclass Program
Hands-on session by TÜV NORD and Additive Marking: how the Digital Product Passport turns from regulatory obligation into a strategic advantage.
EU Booth: Regulation & Funding
Hall 12, Booth E46
Talks and panel discussions on ESPR, simplification, investments, and the regulatory framework for the Digital Product Passport.
The Regulatory Framework
What the EU Battery Regulation and the ESPR mean for manufacturers, and why the preparation should be finished before 18 February 2027.
EU Battery Regulation
Mandatory from 18 February 2027 for traction batteries, e-two-wheeler batteries and industrial batteries above 2 kWh. Material origin, recyclability and performance data have to be documented. The carbon footprint entries are not to be filled in by that date: the Commission guidance of 15 August 2026 (version 2.0) lists them as “Not to be filled/displayed as of February 2027”, because the methodology and format acts are missing.
ESPR: Ecodesign Regulation
The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) extends the DPP to additional product categories, from electronics to textiles.
DIN SPEC 99100
The German standard for battery passport data structure. 7 data clusters from master data to labeling, the technical foundation for compliant product passports.
DPP Hero
DPP Hero: Battery Passport Software from Hannover
DPP Hero is pure self-service and ready in minutes. The software comes from the same city as the fair.
Data structure based on DIN SPEC 99100
Seven guided steps along DIN SPEC 99100. They run from master data through the carbon footprint to labeling.
Ready to use immediately
No IT project, no setup, no demo call. Create an account, enter data, publish your battery passport.
QR code, PDF & JSON
Every published product gets a public URL, a QR code, and is exportable as PDF and JSON.
GS1 Solution Partner
Listed on the GS1 PINE B2B marketplace. Compatible with GTIN, GLN, and EORI numbers.
How DPP Hero Works
This is how a battery passport is built: fill in seven steps, bring suppliers in by link, publish. All in one interface, without an IT project.
View sample battery passportProducts›EV Battery Pro 48V
Complete all 7 steps to publish your product
Progress
0/7
Identification
Basic data, manufacturer & identification numbers
Materials
Chemistry, composition & hazardous substances
Carbon Footprint
Total CO₂ balance & lifecycle stages
Due Diligence
Due diligence report per EU regulation
Circularity
Recycling, spare parts & end-of-life
Performance
Energy, voltage, lifetime & temperature
Labeling
Declaration of conformity, test report & labels
Products›EV Battery Pro 48V
Complete all 7 steps to publish your product
Progress
0/7
Identification
Basic data, manufacturer & identification numbers
Materials
Chemistry, composition & hazardous substances
Carbon Footprint
Total CO₂ balance & lifecycle stages
Due Diligence
Due diligence report per EU regulation
Circularity
Recycling, spare parts & end-of-life
Performance
Energy, voltage, lifetime & temperature
Labeling
Declaration of conformity, test report & labels
Products›EV Battery Pro 48V
Complete all 7 steps to publish your product
Progress
0/7
Identification
Basic data, manufacturer & identification numbers
Materials
Chemistry, composition & hazardous substances
Carbon Footprint
Total CO₂ balance & lifecycle stages
Due Diligence
Due diligence report per EU regulation
Circularity
Recycling, spare parts & end-of-life
Performance
Energy, voltage, lifetime & temperature
Labeling
Declaration of conformity, test report & labels
Frequently asked questions about the fair and the product passport
We are exhibiting our batteries at the fair. Do they already need a battery passport?
No. Exhibiting at a fair is not yet making available on the market: the regulation defines that as any supply of a battery for distribution or use on the Union market in the course of a commercial activity, whether for payment or free of charge, and placing on the market is the first making available on the Union market. An exhibit is shown, not supplied. What matters is the day you actually supply the battery: if that is on or after 18 February 2027, it needs the passport.
When is the next edition, and what will be different about it?
The next Hannover Messe runs from 5 to 8 April 2027, around six weeks after the battery passport deadline. That shifts the subject: in 2026 the question was how a passport might be produced, in 2027 you will see delivered passports on the stands and be asked about yours.
We were not there in 2026. Did we miss anything we need for compliance?
Nothing that affects the obligation. What you have to fulfill is set out in the regulation, not at a trade fair. The value of the 2026 edition was comparison: seeing live demonstrators side by side makes it quicker to tell which route fits your own range. You can make that comparison yourself at any time by running one model all the way through.
There was a lot of talk about certification on the stands. Is there a seal for battery passport software?
No. There is so far no list of verified service providers and no formal recognition process; the European Commission confirmed that to us in writing on 4 August 2026. Beyond that we have found no seal for battery passport software in any source, and no certification against the relevant standards; that is our own research, not a statement by the Commission. The honest formulation is that a system is built to the standards, with evidence in detail.
Is it enough to look for a provider at the fair in April 2027?
Not for the obligation itself, because the deadline falls six weeks earlier. Anyone still searching in April 2027 is already shipping without a passport. The sensible order is the other way round: run one model all the way through now, measure your own gaps, and use the fair to compare notes.
Does the digital product passport only apply to batteries?
It is only the start. The battery is the first product group with a fixed date. The Ecodesign Regulation extends the passport to further categories after that. Solve the battery cleanly and the data routes for the next group are already built.
From the trade fair floor to your first passport
Capture product data, export as PDF or JSON, and share via QR code, in minutes, no IT project needed.