Digital product passports for toys: an opportunity to do things right
The digital product passport for toys is the headline change in the EU's new Toy Safety Regulation, and for brands early in their journey it is a real opportunity rather than a burden. A digital product passport is a data record, reached by a QR code or similar, that carries a toy's safety, testing and provenance information for authorities, retailers and parents to check. Every toy placed on the EU market will need one. The best time to build this into your business is now, at the start, while your range is small and your processes are still taking shape.
That timing matters more than it first appears. Every brand has a plan to grow, and as your business grows your range expands. If you have not built digital passports into your process early, reverse-engineering them across a large catalogue later is far harder and more expensive than doing it properly from the outset. Embedding it now is simply doing things the right way, and it becomes part of how you work rather than a scramble to catch up. Here the UK differs slightly, CE-marked toys can still be placed on the Great Britain market for now, but the direction of travel is the same and the leading brands will set the standard long before the law forces everyone's hand.
There is one misconception worth clearing up, because we have heard it from more than one brand recently: you cannot simply create your own passport in-house. The information in a digital product passport has to be verified by a third party, which is exactly why we would not recommend trying to manage it yourself. Work with an established provider who can handle the verification and keep the record trustworthy. Choose the right partner and the passport becomes more than compliance: a growing number of shoppers will use these to make informed decisions, so a well-built, verified passport doubles as a provenance and marketing tool, a way to show your values and talk to your customers about everything you already do well. I am always honest with brands that a passport carries a cost, and that is exactly the point: look at a digital product passport as a marketing tool, not an operational cost. Choose a provider whose passport earns its keep by helping you connect with customers, and doing the right thing starts to pay for itself.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is a digital product passport for toys?
It is a verified digital record, accessed by a QR code or similar, that holds a toy's safety, testing and provenance information so authorities, retailers and parents can check it. Under the EU's new Toy Safety Regulation, every toy placed on the EU market will need one, making how a toy was made and tested transparent at the point of sale.
Can I create my own digital product passport in-house?
No, not on your own. The information in a digital product passport has to be verified by a third party, which is a common misconception among brands. Rather than building one in-house, work with an established provider who can manage the verification and keep the record trustworthy, so the passport stands up to scrutiny and to customers.
Why should a new brand start using digital product passports now?
Because embedding it early is far easier than retrofitting later. Every brand plans to grow, and adding passports across a large, established range is harder and costlier than building the process in from the start. Beginning now means doing things the right way, and it lets the passport become a provenance and marketing tool as well as a compliance step.
If you would like help choosing a verified digital product passport provider, or building the process into how you work, that is something we can guide you through. Just get in touch.
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