Nanso is piloting a digital product passport to accelerate the collection of product data from its subcontracting chain

The aim of the Digital Product Passport (DPP) project was to speed up the digitization of the fashion industry, prepare for future legislation and develop Nanso's technical and business capabilities. The new legislation will require a comprehensive change in the entire textile industry.

The digital product passport is part of the EU's eco-design regulation, which aims to increase the transparency of product information and promote the circular economy. In the future, the digital product passport can be used to collect information about the different stages of the value chain, as well as the use, maintenance and recycling of products. Responsibility and transparency play a central role in Nanso's operations. To promote these themes, we participated in the Digital Product Passport (DPP) project. The project was implemented together with Adesso Finland, 1001 Lakes and Suomen Tekstiil i Muodi.

From mapping to pilot 

The digital product passport project was implemented in three phases. In the first phase, the general requirements of the textile industry and Nanso's special needs related to the project were mapped. In the second phase, we delved into Nanso's current state, digital capabilities and data maturity in terms of the product passport. We chose the Pocket t-shirt as a pilot application, against which the current state and development needs were evaluated. In the last step, we developed a use case for the Pocket t-shirt, mapped data availability and prepared a DPP roadmap for the years 2024–2026 with development blanks.

Transparency with the help of a digital product passport 

Transparency is an essential part of Nanso's responsibility work. As part of the use case conceptualization, a demo of the Pocket t-shirt's digital product passport was implemented. The QR code enables transparency throughout the entire life cycle of the product and makes the product information available to the consumer with one scan, from the country of origin of the raw material to the certificates. 

"By scanning the QR code, you can view information during the life cycle of the Pocket t-shirt, from the country of origin of the raw material to the country and date of manufacture."

Lessons for the future 

The digital product passport project helped Nanso to map the current situation of digital capabilities, the required work input and the process needs for data collection. 

"Nanso's goal was to prepare for future legislation and build the necessary capabilities for a digital product passport. The goal was to achieve an overall picture of what we need to concretely do to address the issue, and to understand future investment needs, for example, regarding IT systems," Nanso CEO Rita Holmberg says. 

In addition to skills, the project helped to understand the need for cooperation in the entire textile industry for a wider ecosystem cooperation and different solution models . 

"Our understanding of strengthening cooperation and enhancing information sharing with various stakeholders, especially suppliers and partners in the subcontracting chain, has deepened. A new type of business must also be developed for the textile industry around the circular economy," Holmberg summa a. 

Additional information: 

Rita Holmberg, CEO of Nanso Group
rita.holmberg@nansogroup.com