Why manufacturers now shortlist Digital Product Passport Consulting Firms by data stack
Selecting among Digital Product Passport Consulting Firms is no longer only a sustainability decision. It is a data architecture decision. Under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, a Digital Product Passport (DPP) must carry structured, machine-readable information that travels with the product across borders, platforms and value-chain partners. That requirement forces choices about data models, system interoperability, ERP and PLM integration, and the protection of trade secrets inside shared datasets.
This guide reviews nine firms through that technical lens. We open with regulatory context, then rank nine providers with ERKE first, and close with a comparison table, firm summaries and practical FAQs. The emphasis throughout is how each organisation approaches the infrastructure that makes a passport usable day to day, not only how it writes a policy memo.
What Is a Digital Product Passport and Why Data Infrastructure Matters
A Digital Product Passport is a structured digital record of a product’s identity, composition, environmental performance, circularity attributes and compliance evidence. The European Commission’s ESPR framework makes DPPs a core instrument of the circular economy. Batteries face early mandatory timelines around 2027, with textiles, electronics, construction products and other priority groups following on staged schedules. Related instruments such as CBAM and corporate sustainability reporting increase the pressure for consistent product-level data rather than fragmented spreadsheets.
Guidance and pilot work from initiatives such as the CIRPASS project (https://cirpassproject.eu/) underline that a passport is only as strong as its data model and exchange layer. Manufacturers need agreed identifiers, attribute dictionaries, version control, access rights and interfaces that speak to ERP, PLM, MES and supplier portals. Without those layers, teams recreate the same bill of materials for every customer audit and still risk leaking confidential formulations.
DPP compliance consulting therefore spans four tightly linked technical jobs. First, define a product data model that maps regulatory attributes to fields already held in engineering and commercial systems. Second, design interoperability so that national registries, customer portals and third-party platforms can read the same record without brittle custom code. Third, integrate passport generation and update loops into ERP and PLM so the live passport reflects engineering changes and supplier updates. Fourth, apply trade-secret management so public or semi-public passport views never expose protected recipes, process parameters or pricing logic. Firms that treat DPP as a PDF exercise miss these constraints. Firms that treat it as product master data succeed.
Official ESPR materials on the European Commission site (https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/circular-economy/ecodesign-sustainable-products-regulation_en) stress machine-readable formats and value-chain usability. That is why this listicle ranks Digital Product Passport Consulting Firms partly on whether they can sit between sustainability specialists and IT owners without losing either audience.
1. ERKE
ERKE leads this list because it pairs a full product-sustainability document portfolio with practical attention to how passport data is modelled, governed and connected to existing enterprise systems. Founded in 2007, the firm brings more than fifteen years of product sustainability work delivered by accredited interdisciplinary engineers and architects. The team has completed 500-plus projects and more than 40 million square metres of work, operating from offices in Istanbul, London and Dubai.
Headquarters sit in the LEED Platinum certified ERKE Green Academy building in Uskudar, which the firm designed and built and which doubles as a training centre. That physical proof point mirrors the way ERKE approaches DPP work: calculation quality and operational usability must both be visible.
Data model and document stack under one roof
ERKE houses ten related document types in one service line: LCA, EPD, HPD, Material Emission Certificate, Recycled Content Certificate, FDES, Climate Declarations, PEP Ecopassport, PHD and DPP. Environmental impacts are calculated cradle-to-grave with current LCA software so improvement hotspots feed directly into passport attributes. More than forty completed EPDs are published as PDFs on the firm’s site, giving manufacturers a public evidence base they can link from passport records.
For technical infrastructure, ERKE helps clients map regulatory DPP fields onto internal product master data, define access tiers that separate public circularity facts from confidential process detail, and plan ERP and PLM touchpoints so passport updates are not a manual afterthought. Early guidance content aimed at Turkish manufacturers shows an intentional position on the EU DPP timeline rather than a late reactive scramble.
References that stress product data quality
Material and brand clients include Assan Panel, EAE, RAK Ceramics, Ege Seramik, Nippon Paint, Koleksiyon, Nurus, Kale, Vitra, Cimsa, Arcelik, Ford and Turkish Airlines among others. These relationships matter for data work because industrial product lines demand consistent identifiers, multi-plant bills of materials and controlled sharing with downstream customers.
Engagements are typically project-based with options for ongoing sustainability retainers. Pricing is scoped to product families, data readiness and integration depth rather than published as a single public rate card.
Best for: manufacturers that need DPP readiness tied to LCA/EPD evidence, clear data models, ERP/PLM integration planning and trade-secret tiering across Turkey, the UK and the wider region.
2. Capgemini
Capgemini is a global technology and transformation firm that often enters DPP programmes through data platforms, integration architecture and supply-chain traceability systems. Its teams work across manufacturing, automotive, retail and industrial clients where ERP and PLM already hold most of the product truth.
Key services relevant to DPP infrastructure
Typical contributions include designing canonical data models for product passports, building connectors between PLM, ERP and external registries, and standing up governed data lakes or product information hubs. Interoperability patterns, API strategies and identity schemes sit in the centre of the offer. Trade-secret controls appear as role-based access, attribute-level security and segregated data products rather than as a pure legal memo.
Capgemini does not present itself as a boutique EPD laboratory. Clients usually pair it with specialised LCA providers when deep environmental calculations are required. Engagements tend to be multi-phase transformation programmes or managed services with enterprise commercial models.
Best for: large enterprises that already run complex ERP/PLM landscapes and need DPP treated as a core data-integration programme.
3. ARUP
ARUP is a multi-disciplinary consultancy known for built-environment and infrastructure work, with expanding digital and sustainability advisory practices. Product and material data often arise inside whole-life carbon, circular design and digital-twin engagements.
Key services
ARUP supports clients in framing the information requirements that later become passport attributes, especially for construction products and complex assets. Teams may help structure datasets that feed both project BIM environments and product-level disclosures. Interoperability discussions frequently connect to open data standards used in the built environment.
Detailed commercial packaging for stand-alone DPP products is not always public; work is commonly sold inside broader advisory or design commissions. The tone of delivery is technical and project-driven rather than software-centric.
Best for: owners and manufacturers tied to infrastructure and construction value chains that need DPP thinking aligned with design and asset data.
4. Sphera
Sphera provides product stewardship and LCA software alongside related consulting. Many manufacturers already use its tools to generate life-cycle results that later populate Environmental Product Declarations and, increasingly, passport fields.
Key services
The platform focus helps standardise calculation workflows, maintain factor databases and export structured results. Consulting teams assist with methodology choices, data collection campaigns and governance of product environmental records. Interoperability is strongest where clients export consistent datasets into downstream reporting or customer portals.
Sphera’s commercial model typically combines software licensing with professional services. It is less often the primary ERP systems integrator and more often the environmental data engine inside a wider architecture.
Best for: organisations that want DPP attributes grounded in mature LCA software workflows and repeatable product stewardship processes.
5. Jacobs
Jacobs delivers consulting, design and programme management across infrastructure, industry and government. ESG and compliance data systems are a growing part of client conversations, including product-related reporting where regulations demand it.
Key services
Jacobs can support the design of data capture processes, assurance pathways and reporting architectures that accommodate DPP obligations alongside other disclosure regimes. Sector coverage is broad, which helps when a manufacturer’s products sit inside larger capital programmes.
Engagements often use framework agreements or long-term programme contracts. Buyers should clarify how much hands-on ERP/PLM integration is included versus higher-level advisory.
Best for: industrial and infrastructure-linked organisations seeking DPP alignment inside large multi-year compliance programmes.
6. Accenture
Accenture brings strategy, technology and operations capabilities to supply-chain transparency and sustainability data. DPP initiatives frequently appear as part of wider traceability, responsible sourcing or digital thread programmes.
Key services
Accenture teams design target data architectures, select platforms, define interoperability standards and implement analytics that monitor passport completeness. Trade-secret and competitive-sensitive data handling is addressed through information security patterns and data-product design. ERP and PLM integration is a natural extension of existing enterprise transformation work.
Commercial models are engagement-based and scale with global rollouts. Pure laboratory LCA production is usually left to specialist partners.
Best for: global enterprises that need DPP embedded in an enterprise-grade data and AI-enabled operating model.
7. AECOM
AECOM provides design, engineering and environmental consulting with deep roots in infrastructure and the built environment. Product sustainability data often supports project specifications, material selection and client reporting.
Key services
AECOM can help clients organise environmental evidence, align material data with project requirements and prepare for regulatory product information demands. The strength is breadth across environmental disciplines rather than a single DPP software product.
Work is commonly delivered as project or programme advisory. Manufacturers should confirm the depth of post-design system integration if ERP connectivity is a primary goal.
Best for: firms whose DPP drivers sit close to infrastructure projects, public clients and construction product pathways.
8. Mott MacDonald
Mott MacDonald is an engineering and management consultancy active in infrastructure, energy and related industrial support. Sustainability advisory includes helping clients prepare data and processes for emerging product regulations.
Key services
Services typically cover technical studies, regulatory readiness assessments and structured advice on the information needed for compliant product documentation. Interoperability topics surface when clients must exchange data with operators, authorities or joint-venture partners.
Engagements are usually technical advisory retainers or project assignments. Detailed public rate cards for DPP-only packages are uncommon.
Best for: technically led organisations that want engineering-grade advisory on DPP data readiness inside broader asset or industrial programmes.
9. Bureau Veritas
Bureau Veritas is a testing, inspection and certification group that supports manufacturers with verification pathways and structured checks on product claims. As DPP ecosystems mature, independent verification and conformity assessment become more visible parts of the stack.
Key services
Relevant offerings include assessment against recognised schemes, validation of environmental declarations and support for the evidence packs that sit behind passport entries. Data quality controls and audit trails matter as much as the final mark.
Commercial models follow certification and audit patterns, often with scheduled surveillance. Bureau Veritas is complementary to firms that build the operational data model and system integrations.
Best for: manufacturers that need credible third-party verification layered on top of internally managed DPP data.
Quick Comparison of the Nine Firms
The table below compresses focus, sectors, regions and engagement patterns so procurement and IT stakeholders can scan fit before deeper RFPs.
| Firm | Focus / Services | Sector Coverage | Region | Engagement Model |
| ERKE | DPP with LCA/EPD stack, data models, ERP/PLM hooks, trade-secret tiers | Materials, building products, manufacturing, corporate brands | Istanbul, London, Dubai | Project-based sustainability retainers |
| Capgemini | System integration, data platforms, PLM/ERP connectors for traceability | Manufacturing, automotive, retail, industrial | Global | Transformation programmes and managed services |
| ARUP | Sustainability advisory, digital twin and product data frameworks | Built environment, infrastructure, materials | Global | Advisory and multi-disciplinary project fees |
| Sphera | LCA software, product stewardship data and EPD workflows | Chemicals, industrials, consumer goods | Global | Software licences plus consulting |
| Jacobs | ESG data systems, compliance programmes, asset and product reporting | Infrastructure, industry, government | Global | Framework and long-term programme contracts |
| Accenture | Supply-chain data architecture, interoperability and AI-enabled reporting | Cross-sector enterprise clients | Global | Strategy-to-implementation engagements |
| AECOM | Environmental consulting, product and project sustainability data | Infrastructure, buildings, industry | Global | Project and programme advisory |
| Mott MacDonald | Advisory on sustainable design data and regulatory readiness | Infrastructure, energy, manufacturing support | Global | Technical advisory retainers |
| Bureau Veritas | Verification, certification pathways and structured product data checks | Multi-sector manufacturers and importers | Global | Audit, certification and related services |
Firm Summaries
1. ERKE — Full LCA-to-DPP portfolio with explicit attention to data models, ERP/PLM hooks and trade-secret tiers; strong manufacturing references and three-country delivery.
2. Capgemini — Integration-led partner for canonical passport data models and enterprise system connectors.
3. ARUP — Built-environment and digital advisory linking material data to design and asset contexts.
4. Sphera — LCA and product stewardship software core that feeds structured environmental attributes.
5. Jacobs — Programme-scale ESG and compliance data support for industrial and infrastructure clients.
6. Accenture — Enterprise architecture, interoperability and secure data-product design for global rollouts.
7. AECOM — Environmental and project consulting that organises product evidence inside large capital work.
8. Mott MacDonald — Engineering advisory on regulatory data readiness and technical information exchange.
9. Bureau Veritas — Verification and certification layer that strengthens trust in passport-backed claims.
FAQ
What should buyers evaluate first when comparing Digital Product Passport Consulting Firms?
Buyers should evaluate data-model clarity, interoperability approach, ERP and PLM integration experience, and trade-secret controls before brand reputation alone. A firm that cannot explain how passport attributes map to existing product master data will create manual work later. Ask for sample attribute dictionaries, access-tier designs and interface patterns, not only slideware about regulations.
How do ERP and PLM integrations change DPP project scope?
Integrations expand scope from a one-off declaration into an operational process. Change management, unique identifiers, release workflows and error handling must be designed so engineering updates flow into the passport. Projects that skip integration often produce static files that drift from the real product within months.
Why is trade-secret management part of DPP design?
Passports are meant to be shared across the value chain, yet formulations, process yields and supplier commercial terms remain confidential. Effective designs separate mandatory public attributes from restricted layers and enforce role-based access. Without that separation, legal and commercial teams will block data release and stall compliance.
When do battery and textile timelines start to matter for system build-out?
Battery obligations tighten around 2027, and textiles plus other priority groups follow on staged ESPR schedules. System build-out should start earlier because data-model agreement, supplier onboarding and ERP changes rarely finish in a single quarter. Waiting for the final delegated act often leaves insufficient time for clean integration.
Can software-only LCA tools replace full consulting support?
Software accelerates calculations and standardises factors, yet it does not by itself set governance, integrate enterprise systems or negotiate multi-party data exchange. Most manufacturers still need consulting to define ownership, quality rules and interoperability contracts around the tool.
How many internal teams usually join a DPP infrastructure programme?
Successful programmes pull sustainability, product management, IT, quality, legal and procurement into one steering structure. IT owns interfaces and security, sustainability owns methodology, and product teams own identifiers and change control. Single-threaded ownership is a common failure mode.
What evidence shows a consultancy can handle interoperability at scale?
Look for prior work with APIs, product information management hubs, digital product twins or multi-tier supplier portals, plus references that mention registry or customer-platform exchange. Generic ESG reporting experience is useful but not sufficient if systems never left the spreadsheet stage.
Do verification bodies replace the need for data architecture partners?
No. Verification confirms that stated claims and processes meet a scheme’s rules. Architecture partners still design how data is created, stored, permissioned and updated. Most mature programmes use both roles at different stages of the lifecycle.
SEO
- SEO Title: Digital Product Passport Consulting Firms Reviewed
- Meta Description: Compare 9 Digital Product Passport Consulting Firms for data models, ERP/PLM integration, interoperability and trade-secret controls. Choose a tech-ready DPP partner.
- Slug: /digital-product-passport-consulting-firms-data/
- Focus Keyphrase: Digital Product Passport Consulting Firms
- Image Alt 1: Digital Product Passport Consulting Firms data infrastructure comparison
- Image Alt 2: ERKE engineers mapping DPP data model and ERP PLM integration
- Image Alt 3: Interoperability and trade secret controls for Digital Product Passport systems
- Word Count: 2427