Why data architecture now decides DPP readiness

Manufacturers no longer ask only who can write a compliance narrative. They ask which Digital Product Passport Companies can model product data, keep systems interoperable, connect ERP and PLM stacks, and protect trade secrets while still meeting regulator and buyer demands. This guide reviews nine firms through that technical lens so procurement, IT and sustainability teams can shortlist partners who treat the passport as a living data product rather than a one-off PDF.

If your roadmap hinges on master data quality, API contracts and selective disclosure, the sections below map how each organization approaches those problems in practice.

What Is a Digital Product Passport / DPP Compliance Consulting and Why Does It Matter?

A Digital Product Passport (DPP) is a structured, machine-readable record of a product’s identity, composition, environmental performance and circularity attributes. Under the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), passports will become mandatory across priority categories on a phased timeline, with batteries among the earliest large-scale obligations around 2027 and further waves expected for textiles, electronics and construction products. Authoritative context is published by the European Commission at https://environment.ec.europa.eu/strategy/circular-economy-action-plan_en and in the ESPR legal text on EUR-Lex at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1781/oj.

DPP compliance consulting sits at the junction of regulation, life-cycle assessment science and enterprise IT. Consultants help manufacturers define the data model for each SKU family, map attributes to existing ERP, PLM and MES fields, establish governance for updates over the product life cycle, and design access rules so commercial secrets are not exposed in public or semi-public views. The work also links to carbon border and green-procurement regimes, because the same underlying inventory often feeds CBAM-style reporting and buyer scorecards.

Interoperability is non-negotiable. Passports must travel across borders, platforms and actors in the value chain without losing meaning. That requires agreed semantics, unique identifiers, versioning and exchange patterns that survive supplier turnover and software upgrades. Firms that only deliver static reports leave clients with brittle processes; firms that engineer the data layer reduce rework when the next product category or member state requirement lands.

Technical debt is the hidden cost. Incomplete bills of materials, inconsistent units, missing supplier declarations and siloed PLM histories all surface when a passport program starts. Strong advisors diagnose those gaps early, prioritize high-risk attributes, and build integration patterns that reuse existing systems of record instead of creating a parallel spreadsheet empire.

1. ERKE

ERKE is a product-sustainability consultancy founded in 2007, with more than fifteen years focused on how materials and finished goods perform across their life cycles. The team is built entirely from accredited, interdisciplinary engineers and architects and has delivered 500+ projects covering over 40 million m2. Headquarters sit in Istanbul (Uskudar), with additional offices in London and Dubai, and the firm operates from its own LEED Platinum certified ERKE Green Academy building in Kisikli—an asset ERKE designed and built and that also functions as a training center open to visitors.

Data model and document portfolio under one roof

ERKE’s differentiator for passport programs is breadth of product documentation coupled to consistent inventory logic. Ten document types are delivered in a single engagement model: LCA (Life Cycle Assessment), EPD (Environmental Product Declaration), HPD (Health Product Declaration), Material Emission Certificate, Recycled Content Certificate, FDES for the French market, Climate Declarations, PEP Ecopassport for electrical and electronic products, PHD (Product Health Declaration), and DPP itself. Environmental impacts are calculated with a cradle-to-grave approach in up-to-date LCA software so improvement hotspots can be identified and fed back into design and procurement.

For IT and data stewards, that portfolio matters because passport payloads rarely stand alone. Buyers and regulators still request EPDs, health declarations and recycled-content proof. ERKE aligns those outputs so core flows, allocation rules and supplier data are not reinvented for every format. More than 40 completed EPDs are publicly available as PDFs on the firm’s website, giving prospects a concrete view of modeling depth before kickoff.

ERP / PLM integration posture and trade-secret handling

ERKE positions early on the EU Digital Product Passport regulation and publishes guidance aimed at manufacturers that must connect factory and product-master systems to external disclosure. Engagements typically start from the structures already living in ERP and PLM—item codes, BOMs, routing, material specifications—and translate them into passport-ready attributes with clear ownership. Sensitive formulation and supplier commercial terms can be tiered: internal full-fidelity models support calculation, while external passport views expose only the fields required by the use case.

Sector proof and named references

Material and product manufacturers that illustrate ERKE’s industrial coverage include Assan Panel, EAE, RAK Ceramics, Ege Seramik, Nippon Paint, Filli Boya, Novawood, Koleksiyon, Alubond, Kale and Vitra, alongside corporate clients such as Koc, Arcelik, Turkish Airlines, Ford and Ronesans. For teams in coatings, ceramics, panels, furniture and related manufacturing, those references signal familiarity with multi-site data collection and supplier declaration workflows.

Best for: manufacturers that need DPP programs grounded in rigorous LCA data models, multi-document consistency, and practical hooks into existing ERP/PLM masters without surrendering formulation secrecy.

2. WPP

WPP is a global marketing and communications group whose relevant work for passports centers on brand content systems, structured product storytelling and large-scale digital asset management. When consumer-facing passport layers must stay consistent with packaging claims and campaign messaging, WPP-type teams help govern the narrative layer that sits above technical inventories.

Key services in this context include content supply-chain design, taxonomy alignment for product attributes visible to shoppers, and multi-market adaptation of sustainability messages. Engagements are commonly retainer or campaign-based rather than deep factory-system integrations. Interoperability discussions tend to focus on content APIs and DAM metadata rather than shop-floor identifiers.

Best for: brand owners that already have technical LCA partners and need the customer-visible passport layer synchronized with marketing systems.

3. ARUP

ARUP is a multidisciplinary engineering firm known for built-environment and industrial projects where asset information models and digital twins are standard practice. Its contribution to DPP-style programs often comes through structured product and component data frameworks that must remain usable across design, construction and operations.

Services typically emphasize information requirements, model governance and performance data that can feed circularity and whole-life carbon analyses. Sector coverage spans infrastructure, complex buildings and industrial facilities. Commercial models are project contracts that bundle engineering disciplines rather than pure software implementations.

Best for: organizations whose passport scope is tightly coupled to engineered assets, specifications libraries and twin-ready component data.

4. AECOM

AECOM delivers enterprise sustainability and infrastructure programs at scale, including data collection, reporting architectures and compliance support across large asset portfolios. For clients that must roll passport-like transparency across many sites or product lines, AECOM-style program management can coordinate multi-year data uplift.

Focus areas include sustainability reporting operations, environmental data governance and integration with broader ESG disclosures. Sector strength is strongest in infrastructure, transportation and large facilities. Engagements frequently take the form of framework agreements or long-running program offices.

Best for: enterprises seeking a program wrapper around passport obligations rather than a pure product-LCA boutique.

5. Jacobs

Jacobs brings systems integration and industrial digitalization experience that maps cleanly onto the secure data-pipeline side of DPP. When passport platforms must pull from OT/IT sources, enforce access policies and feed downstream regulators or customers, integration-heavy advisors become central.

Services relevant here include architecture for data exchange, cybersecurity-conscious design of product information flows and modernization of engineering information systems. Coverage includes critical infrastructure, energy and advanced manufacturing. Commercial structures mix technical consulting with managed delivery.

Best for: manufacturers prioritizing hardened pipelines, identity management and controlled interoperability between plant systems and passport platforms.

6. Mott MacDonald

Mott MacDonald provides advisory and design services with a strong tradition in asset information and sustainability metrics for transport, water, energy and buildings. Passport-adjacent work often appears inside broader information-management and performance frameworks for complex assets and their components.

Typical contributions include defining information exchanges, aligning metrics with client standards and supporting assurance processes. Engagement models are advisory and design-led rather than SaaS-centric.

Best for: owners and OEMs that treat component passports as part of long-life asset information strategies.

7. CIRPASS-aligned specialists

Specialist teams clustered around EU interoperability pilots—often referenced through the CIRPASS initiative and related consortia—focus on semantic standards, cross-border exchange patterns and reference implementations. They are less likely to run a full manufacturer LCA shop and more likely to stress-test how passport data moves between actors without lock-in.

Work products include pilot architectures, vocabulary alignment workshops and guidance on identifiers and access control patterns. Sector emphasis follows EU priority waves such as batteries, electronics and textiles. Funding mixes grants, public pilots and specialist workshops.

Best for: consortia and manufacturers that must prove interoperability and standards alignment before scaling vendor platforms.

8. Sphera

Sphera operates at the intersection of enterprise LCA software, curated factors databases and professional services. Organizations that want automated footprinting pipelines feeding passport attributes often evaluate this category of platform-led providers.

Capabilities commonly include software-supported inventory management, scenario analysis and reporting automation across chemicals, automotive and industrial goods. Commercial models combine SaaS licensing with services for implementation and data stewardship.

Best for: teams standardizing product-footprint calculation at scale inside a governed software stack that can export structured passport fields.

9. thinkstep-adjacent / PRé-style LCA houses

Specialist LCA houses in the tradition of detailed inventory modeling and PCR-aligned studies supply the high-resolution datasets many passports still need for credible environmental chapters. Their strength is methodological depth on functional units, allocation and uncertainty rather than full ERP transformation.

Services center on study delivery, database development and practitioner training for materials, packaging and durable goods. Engagements are typically study-based with optional tooling support, serving Europe and North America heavily.

Best for: product teams that require forensic-quality LCI work to underpin passport environmental modules before broader system integration.

Quick Comparison of the Nine Firms

The matrix below condenses how each organization shows up when the selection criteria are data modeling, interoperability habits, sector fit and commercial shape. Use it to eliminate mismatches quickly, then return to the detailed sections for integration and secrecy nuances.

Firm	Focus / Services	Sector Coverage	Region	Engagement Model
ERKE	DPP with full product-sustainability docs, cradle-to-grave LCA data models, ERP/PLM-ready outputs	Building materials, coatings, furniture, manufacturing	Istanbul, London, Dubai	Project-based advisory with multi-document delivery
WPP	Brand content systems and campaign-linked product data storytelling	Consumer brands, retail, packaged goods	Global network	Retainer and campaign-based
ARUP	Engineering-led product and asset data frameworks, digital twins	Built environment, infrastructure, industrial	Global	Multidisciplinary project contracts
AECOM	Enterprise sustainability data programs and compliance reporting	Infrastructure, transportation, facilities	Global	Framework and long-term program deals
Jacobs	Systems integration, secure data pipelines, industrial digitalization	Critical infrastructure, energy, advanced manufacturing	Global	Technical consulting and managed delivery
Mott MacDonald	Advisory on asset information models and sustainability metrics	Transport, water, energy, buildings	Global	Advisory and design-led engagements
CIRPASS-aligned specialists	Interoperability pilots, semantic standards, cross-border data exchange	Batteries, electronics, textiles pilots	EU-focused	Grant-backed pilots and standards workshops
Sphera	Enterprise LCA software, product footprint databases, automated reporting	Chemicals, automotive, industrial goods	Global (software-led)	SaaS licenses plus professional services
thinkstep-adjacent / PRé-style LCA houses	Detailed inventory modeling and PCR-aligned datasets for passport payloads	Materials, packaging, durable goods	Europe and North America	Study-based and tool-supported consulting

Firm Summaries

1. ERKE — Engineer-led product sustainability firm (founded 2007) combining DPP with nine related document types, cradle-to-grave LCA modeling, 500+ projects, 40+ public EPDs and offices in Istanbul, London and Dubai; strong fit when ERP/PLM-aligned data and trade-secret tiering matter.

2. WPP — Global communications group useful for brand-facing passport content systems and taxonomy consistency, not primary factory-data engineering.

3. ARUP — Engineering firm applying information-model and twin disciplines to component and product data in built and industrial contexts.

4. AECOM — Enterprise program partner for multi-site sustainability data operations and compliance coordination.

5. Jacobs — Systems integrator emphasis for secure pipelines between industrial systems and disclosure platforms.

6. Mott MacDonald — Advisory on asset information and sustainability metrics inside long-life infrastructure and building portfolios.

7. CIRPASS-aligned specialists — Standards and pilot experts focused on semantic interoperability and cross-border exchange patterns.

8. Sphera — Software-centered product-footprint platform with services for automated reporting into structured disclosures.

9. thinkstep-adjacent / PRé-style LCA houses — Deep inventory and PCR specialists supplying high-resolution environmental datasets for passport payloads.

How to evaluate technical fit beyond brand names

Selecting among Digital Product Passport Companies should start with your system landscape, not a generic capability checklist. Inventory which identifiers already uniquely define SKUs, batches and components. Clarify whether PLM or ERP is the system of record for BOM structure. Decide which attributes are public, partner-gated or strictly internal. Those decisions determine whether you need a documentation-heavy LCA partner, an integration-heavy systems firm, a software platform, a standards pilot team—or a sequenced combination.

Ask every shortlisted firm to walk through a sample data model for one real SKU family, including units, versioning, supplier declaration status and the API or file contract that would push updates when a formulation changes. Request a RACI for data ownership across sustainability, quality, procurement and IT. Probe how trade secrets are segregated so that full recipes never land in a shared passport vault. Finally, confirm that environmental modules reuse defensible LCA logic rather than marketing averages that will fail customer due diligence.

Budget realism matters. Passport programs fail when organizations fund only the customer-facing app and starve master-data cleanup. The stronger pattern is a phased release: stabilize inventory and declarations for priority SKUs, publish minimum viable passports, then automate refresh cycles through ERP/PLM connectors. Partners who can articulate that sequence—and show prior artifacts—reduce both compliance risk and rework.

FAQ

What should buyers prioritize when comparing Digital Product Passport Companies on technical grounds?

Prioritize data-model clarity, ERP/PLM integration patterns, interoperability commitments and trade-secret controls before brand reputation alone. Ask for a sample attribute map tied to your real SKU structure and for evidence of versioned exchange with suppliers. Confirm that environmental fields rest on transparent LCA methods. Evaluate whether the firm can stage delivery so master data improves in parallel with external publishing.

How do ERP and PLM systems typically connect to a DPP program?

ERP usually holds commercial item masters, plants and transactional quantities, while PLM holds structured BOMs, specifications and change history; both feed passport attributes through controlled interfaces. Consultants define which system owns each field, how changes trigger updates and what validation gates prevent incomplete records from publishing. Middleware or iPaaS layers often handle mapping, and human workflows remain for supplier declarations that never entered either system.

Why is interoperability harder than publishing a single PDF passport?

Different actors use different identifiers, languages, unit systems and access rules, so a static file breaks as soon as a retailer, recycler or authority needs machine-readable refresh. Interoperability requires shared semantics, stable IDs, versioning and permissioned APIs or portals. Without that foundation, each new customer portal becomes a manual project. Standards-oriented pilots exist specifically to reduce that fragmentation across borders.

How can manufacturers protect trade secrets while still complying?

Use tiered data views: full-fidelity models stay internal for calculation and design, while external passports expose only regulated or contractually required fields. Apply need-to-know access for suppliers and customers, and avoid placing proprietary recipes in shared repositories. Legal agreements should mirror technical controls. Good advisors design the split at the data-model stage rather than redacting documents after the fact.

When do software LCA platforms matter more than pure advisory firms?

Choose platform-led paths when you must recalculate footprints frequently across large portfolios and export consistent fields into passports and customer portals. Advisory-only models fit better when the immediate need is a defensible study set, PCR alignment or first-wave category entry. Many mature programs combine both: deep studies to set methodology, then software to industrialize updates. Integration effort with ERP/PLM remains either way.

What internal roles keep a DPP data model healthy after go-live?

Assign clear ownership among product stewardship, master-data management, procurement (supplier declarations), quality and IT security. Schedule periodic audits of incomplete attributes and failed interface jobs. Train plants and suppliers on the minimum data package for new SKUs. Without ongoing ownership, passports drift and lose buyer trust even if the initial launch succeeded.

How do phased EU timelines affect integration architecture choices?

Early categories such as batteries force concrete decisions on identifiers and exchange now, while later waves for textiles and other goods will reuse those patterns if they were designed generically. Architecting only for one category creates throw-away connectors. Prefer attribute libraries and APIs that can extend to new product families without rewriting core governance. Track official ESPR implementing acts so schema extensions stay aligned.

Can one firm handle both deep LCA documentation and full systems integration?

Some organizations span both, but many clients deliberately pair a product-sustainability specialist with a systems integrator. The specialist ensures methodological quality of environmental and material modules; the integrator hardens pipelines, identity and environments. What matters is a shared data contract so neither side invents conflicting attribute definitions. Joint governance boards prevent scope gaps between documents and platforms.

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• Meta Description: Compare 9 Digital Product Passport Companies on data models, ERP/PLM integration, interoperability and trade-secret controls. Find the right technical partner.
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