DigiProd Pass Supports Bangladesh Delegation on Digital Product Passport Readiness in Vietnam

DigiProd Pass participated as a technical briefing partner in a National Product Traceability and Digital Product Passport Readiness study visit held in Hanoi, Vietnam, from 26 to 30 July 2026.

The programme brought together a 15-member Bangladesh delegation under the STILE II project, a joint initiative of Bangladesh’s Ministry of Commerce and GIZ, delivered in association with the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).

Sohag Salauddin, Managing Director of DigiProd Pass, and Michael Shea, Chief Operating Officer, represented DigiProd Pass during the programme. Their session focused on Digital Product Passport (DPP) requirements, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), product traceability, data interoperability and export readiness for the EU market.

What Was the Purpose of the Bangladesh Delegation Visit?

The delegation included representatives from the Ministry of Commerce, Export Promotion Bureau, BGMEA, BKMEA, GIZ Bangladesh and BUILD Bangladesh.

The study visit examined how Vietnam is developing national product traceability infrastructure and explored lessons relevant to Bangladesh’s developing National Traceability Strategy.

The programme included a technical briefing from PILA on Vietnam’s national traceability platform, a knowledge exchange with Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade on VeriGoods.vn, discussions with the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association, and a factory visit to Bao Minh Industrial Park.

DigiProd Pass Briefing on ESPR and Digital Product Passports

DigiProd Pass presented what manufacturers and exporters supplying the EU market should prepare for under ESPR and emerging Digital Product Passport requirements.

The session covered product performance, circularity and resource use, and information and transparency requirements, including Digital Product Passports.

For textiles and apparel, preparatory work is progressing towards future product-specific requirements. DigiProd Pass emphasised that manufacturers should not treat the absence of a final enforcement date as a reason to delay preparation.

For sectors such as textiles, where supply-chain data can be fragmented across multiple organisations and systems, achieving DPP readiness requires early attention to data quality, traceability and supplier information.

How Does a Digital Product Passport Work?

DigiProd Pass explained that a Digital Product Passport is more than a QR code.

A DPP is a structured digital record linked to a product and designed to make specified compliance, sustainability and lifecycle information accessible to authorised stakeholders throughout the product lifecycle.

The wider DPP information architecture can include:

• Unique product, batch or item identification
• Verification and update history
• Role-based access controls
• Secure data exchange
• Materials, origin and compliance information
• Lifecycle events such as repair, reuse, ownership changes and recycling

Access to DPP information can differ depending on the user’s role, purpose and legal entitlement.

Protecting Supplier Confidentiality in a DPP Ecosystem

Commercial confidentiality was one of the key topics discussed with Bangladeshi manufacturers.

Participants raised concerns about sharing sourcing information, process data and commercially sensitive supplier records.

DigiProd Pass explained that DPP implementation does not require every stakeholder to see every piece of information.

Consumers, verified partners, recyclers, auditors, customs authorities and market-surveillance authorities can have different levels of access according to their role and applicable requirements.

The principle highlighted during the discussion was:

Data sovereignty does not mean data isolation.

Organisations should retain appropriate responsibility and control over the data they contribute while enabling secure and interoperable information exchange.

DigiProd Pass summarised the approach as:

Minimum necessary disclosure. Maximum trust. Full interoperability.

DigiProd Pass Recommendations for DPP Readiness

DigiProd Pass encouraged manufacturers to begin assessing their data readiness before final product-specific requirements become enforceable.

Key actions discussed included:

• Appointing a DPP or traceability lead
• Establishing a cross-functional readiness team
• Mapping products, materials, suppliers and facilities
• Assessing existing product and supply-chain data
• Identifying data gaps
• Standardising product and supplier identifiers
• Selecting a product family for a pilot
• Developing a phased DPP readiness roadmap

Manufacturers were also encouraged to start treating data quality in the same way they already treat material quality, ensuring supplier information is accurate, complete and linked to the correct products, materials and batches.

Supporting Interoperable Product Traceability

Michael Shea also introduced the UN Transparency Protocol (UNTP) and described it as an interoperability layer rather than a single technology platform.

The discussion highlighted how interoperability can allow organisations using different traceability and DPP systems to exchange structured information without requiring every participant to use the same proprietary platform.

A dedicated follow-up UNTP session was also offered to the delegation.

Building DPP Readiness Through Trusted Data and Interoperability

The visit reinforced a clear message for exporters: DPP readiness starts with trusted data, traceable supply chains and interoperable systems. DigiProd Pass looks forward to supporting continued progress on Digital Product Passport readiness and national traceability initiatives.

Regulation defines what companies must demonstrate. Data readiness determines whether they can demonstrate compliance reliably and at scale.

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