I have been following the whole Digital Product Passport discussion in the EU, and the more I read about it, the less convinced I am that it will do what policymakers expect. The idea is that every product will have a scannable record with details like materials, repairs, and ownership history. Supposedly this will help resale and circularity. But if we are being honest, most people do not scan anything, and brands are already treating this like a box they have to tick before the deadline. From what I have seen, resale platforms already have their own ways of verifying and listing items, and they actually work. I am not sure why any of them would bother integrating with a new, untested system that adds another layer of bureaucracy.

Has anyone seen a real example of a traceability or passport system that consumers actually used, or that marketplaces found useful? I am trying to figure out if this is genuinely practical or just another compliance loop that will fade once the press releases stop.