How to deal with a "glitch in the matrix"?

We still don't know exactly the fine print of the Digital Product Passports for products sold in the European Union. Therefore we refrain from speculating what they might be.

But, we foresee some interesting cases that we wonder how we are expected to deal with.

What we DO know is:

• that we will be required to collect and share specific data on environmental impact, repairability, circularity and recycling - and responsible production

• that this data should be easy to find and access digitally

• and that there will be standards for the data, adapted to industries and types of products

• and that the data will need to be maintained and verified on an ongoing basis

Thinking of that last bullet, we surely will need to correct the data if there are changes. But, what if the change is insignificant from the purpose of the legislation and only temporary? Just one batch that is a little bit off, but it makes no difference. Neither to function, nor to environmental impact. Do we still need to change it for that single batch, only to change it back for the next?

On one hand, it may show to consumers and authorities that we are on top of the "verification and data maintenance" task. On the other hand it might signal that production is imprecise or unreliable.

We don't have the answer, but are pretty sure that the question will come up, if it hasn't already.

What to you think of it?

Or is it a non-issue?

Insignificant in practice, but maybe in principle? How are we supposed to deal with a "glitch in the matrix" for our DPP data?

Photo by Katarina Bubenikova on Unsplash