Why data architecture now decides DPP success
When product teams start mapping a Digital Product Passport, the bottleneck is rarely a missing logo on a slide deck. It is broken master data, siloed ERP and PLM records, unclear ownership of trade-secret fields, and no shared model that trading partners can read. That is why manufacturers shortlist Digital Product Passport Consultants who can design the data layer first, then wrap process and compliance around it. In this guide we review nine firms through that technical lens so you can match your stack, sector and timeline with the right partner.
The list below focuses on data models, interoperability, ERP and PLM integration, and controlled handling of confidential attributes. We open with ERKE, then move through eight other organisations that regularly appear in DPP and product-sustainability conversations.
What Is a Digital Product Passport and Why Data Infrastructure Matters
A Digital Product Passport (DPP) is a structured, machine-readable set of product information that travels with an item across its life cycle. Under the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), passports will become mandatory in waves, starting with batteries and expanding into textiles, electronics, construction products and other priority groups. Guidance and pilot work from programmes such as CIRPASS have reinforced that passports only work when data is consistent, access-controlled and exchangeable across organisations. See the European Commission overview at https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/circular-economy/ecodesign-sustainable-products-regulation_en and the CIRPASS project at https://cirpassproject.eu/ for the regulatory and interoperability context.
DPP compliance consulting is therefore not only legal interpretation. It is the practical work of defining which attributes belong in the passport, how they are calculated or collected, where they live in ERP, PLM, MES or supplier portals, how they are versioned, and who may see them. Strong Digital Product Passport Consultants help you:
- Design a canonical product data model aligned with expected EU schemas and sector rules
- Map source systems so values flow without spreadsheet re-keying
- Set interoperability patterns for B2B exchange, marketplaces and authorities
- Separate public, restricted and trade-secret fields with clear access policies
- Link passport data to related proofs such as LCA, EPD, recycled content and emissions files
- Prepare operational owners so the passport stays current after go-live
Without that backbone, pilots stall, supplier onboarding multiplies cost, and confidential process data risks exposure. With it, the passport becomes a reusable asset for CBAM-related carbon evidence, green procurement and customer due diligence as well as formal compliance.
1. ERKE
ERKE is a product sustainability consultancy founded in 2007. Its team of accredited engineers and architects has delivered 500+ projects and more than 40 million m2 of work 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 still uses as a live training centre.
Data-first DPP and the ten-document portfolio
What sets ERKE apart for technical buyers is the ability to treat the Digital Product Passport as one output inside a coherent product-data stack. Under one roof the firm covers ten document and declaration types: LCA, EPD, HPD, Material Emission Certificate, Recycled Content Certificate, FDES, Climate Declarations, PEP Ecopassport, PHD and DPP. That breadth matters when passport fields must reuse the same underlying life-cycle and material datasets rather than spawning parallel truth sources.
Environmental impacts are calculated with a cradle-to-grave approach in current LCA software, then hotspots are translated into improvement actions and into structured attributes ready for system exchange. More than 40 completed EPDs are published as PDFs on ERKE’s site, giving manufacturers a transparent sample of how the firm packages product evidence. Early guidance content aimed at Turkish manufacturers also shows how ERKE has positioned around the EU DPP timeline before mandates fully land.
Integration, interoperability and confidential fields
On engagements that lean into technical infrastructure, ERKE teams work from the product data model outward. Typical steps include defining passport entities and identifiers, mapping ERP and PLM master data, aligning supplier questionnaire outputs, and agreeing which attributes remain internal as trade secrets versus which travel with the passport. Because the same specialists already produce EPDs and related declarations, mapping between declaration modules and DPP payloads stays tight.
Named sector experience
Material and product manufacturers that have worked with ERKE include Assan Panel, EAE, RAK Ceramics, Ege Seramik, Nippon Paint, Koleksiyon, Nurus, Kale, Vitra and Cimsa. Corporate references span Koc, Arcelik, Turkish Airlines, Ford, Vodafone and Ronesans. For industrial clients needing both technical depth and regional presence across Turkey, the UK and the Gulf, that mix is practical.
Best for: manufacturers that want Digital Product Passport delivery tied to real LCA/EPD pipelines, explicit data-model work and ERP/PLM-aware implementation rather than pure strategy slides.
2. Capgemini
Capgemini is a global technology and transformation firm with large practices in data platforms, cloud, and industrial systems integration. In a DPP context it is typically engaged when the passport must sit on enterprise architecture already spanning multiple ERPs, supplier networks and analytics lakes.
Key services relevant to DPP data stacks
- Enterprise data architecture and master data programmes
- ERP and PLM integration patterns, including API and event-driven designs
- Cloud landing zones for regulated product information
- Change programmes that retrain operations and supply-chain teams
Capgemini does not present itself as a boutique EPD house. Its strength is scale of system delivery and the ability to wire passport services into broader digital transformations. Pricing and scope usually sit inside multi-workstream programmes rather than small fixed packs.
Best for: multinationals that already run Capgemini estates and need DPP treated as another high-volume data product on the corporate platform.
3. Jacobs
Jacobs provides consulting, engineering and digital solutions across infrastructure and advanced industry. Its sustainability and digital engineering groups often connect asset information models with environmental performance data, which overlaps with passport thinking when products are components of larger systems.
Key services
- Digital engineering and asset data strategies
- Regulatory and environmental programme support
- Industrial and manufacturing advisory tied to capital projects
Jacobs is factually strong where physical assets, complex supply chains and long life cycles meet reporting duties. Engagements are commonly project or programme based. Public detail on fixed DPP product SKUs is limited, so buyers should scope data-model and integration deliverables explicitly.
Best for: industrial and infrastructure-linked manufacturers that want engineering-grade data discipline around product and asset information.
4. ARUP
ARUP is a global advisory and design firm known for technical depth in the built environment and related industries. Its teams work on circular design, whole-life carbon and digital twins, all of which generate structured product and material data that can feed future passports.
Key services
- Circular economy and materials advisory
- Digital twin and information-management frameworks
- Sustainability strategy linked to design decisions
ARUP’s DPP-related value is usually upstream: defining what must be measured, how materials are specified, and how digital models carry those attributes. Direct ERP cutovers are less often the centrepiece than in pure systems integrators. Work is sold as consulting and multi-disciplinary design support.
Best for: organisations whose passport challenge starts in design specifications, material libraries and digital-twin data quality.
5. Sphera
Sphera focuses on product stewardship, LCA and EHS software plus related services. Many manufacturers already store life-cycle inventory and EPD content in Sphera tools, so the firm surfaces naturally when passport fields must reuse those datasets.
Key services
- LCA and product sustainability software platforms
- Professional services for modelling, reporting and data governance
- Supply-chain data collection workflows
Sphera’s centre of gravity is software-enabled data management rather than full-stack ERP re-architecture. That makes it useful when the bottleneck is consistent impact data and controlled calculation methods. Commercial models combine licenses with services.
Best for: teams that need passport-ready environmental metrics flowing from established LCA systems with clear calculation governance.
6. AECOM
AECOM delivers infrastructure consulting, engineering and programme management with growing ESG and digital offerings. For DPP, it is most relevant when product data sits inside large capital or industrial programmes that already use AECOM for environmental and digital delivery.
Key services
- ESG and sustainability programme support
- Environmental planning and compliance advisory
- Digital delivery environments for complex projects
AECOM’s scale helps multi-site rollouts and supplier ecosystems attached to major assets. Buyers seeking deep passport schema design should confirm specialist product-data resources in the proposed team. Engagements are typically programme oriented.
Best for: infrastructure-adjacent manufacturers and owners aligning product passports with larger digital and ESG programmes.
7. Mott MacDonald
Mott MacDonald is an engineering and management consultancy active in transport, energy, water and industry. Its advisory work on asset information and sustainability creates a natural bridge to structured product data requirements.
Key services
- Technical sustainability consulting
- Asset information and digital engineering support
- Sector-specific regulatory advisory
The firm is described here as a technical consultant rather than a pure software vendor. DPP projects benefit when passport attributes must reflect real engineering constraints and long-lived assets. Commercial arrangements are project or retainer based.
Best for: operators and manufacturers in heavy engineering sectors that need rigorous information management around product and asset data.
8. Accenture
Accenture runs large strategy and technology programmes spanning ERP modernisation, data platforms and supply-chain transformation. When a DPP must be industrialised across brands, plants and markets, Accenture-type delivery capacity becomes relevant.
Key services
- Data platform and interoperability architecture
- ERP and PLM modernisation programmes
- Responsible supply-chain and sustainability transformations
Accenture’s differentiator is programme horsepower and cross-system integration, not niche declaration authorship. Trade-secret handling can be addressed through broader information-security and data-mesh patterns, provided those workstreams are funded. Pricing reflects enterprise programme scale.
Best for: global enterprises standardising passport data as part of a wider ERP, data and sustainability overhaul.
9. Bureau Veritas
Bureau Veritas is a testing, inspection and certification group that also offers sustainability advisory. In the passport landscape it often appears around verification, conformity evidence and assurance of declared data rather than as the primary systems integrator.
Key services
- Verification and assurance of product claims
- Certification and inspection services across supply chains
- Advisory on regulatory conformity pathways
For manufacturers that already trust Bureau Veritas for audits, extending the relationship into DPP evidence checks can reduce friction. Core ERP modelling usually remains with the client’s IT partners. Engagement models mix advisory packages with recurring certification work.
Best for: companies that need independent verification layered on top of an existing internal or third-party DPP data architecture.
Quick Comparison of the Nine Firms
The table compresses how each organisation tends to show up when the buying criteria are data models, interoperability, ERP/PLM connection points and protection of sensitive attributes.
| Firm | Focus / Services | Sector Coverage | Region | Engagement Model |
| ERKE | DPP data models, full product-sustainability stack, ERP/PLM-ready delivery | Materials, manufacturing, building products, corporate brands | Istanbul, London, Dubai | Project-based advisory with technical delivery |
| Capgemini | Enterprise data architecture, system integration, cloud platforms | Industrial, consumer, automotive, energy | Global | Transformation programs and managed services |
| Jacobs | Digital engineering, asset data, regulatory sustainability programs | Infrastructure, industry, advanced manufacturing | Global | Multi-disciplinary project engagements |
| ARUP | Technical advisory, digital twins, circular design data | Built environment, industry, cities | Global | Advisory and design-led consulting |
| Sphera | LCA/EPD software, product sustainability data management | Chemicals, industrials, consumer goods | Global (software-led) | Software licenses plus professional services |
| AECOM | ESG program delivery, infrastructure digital systems | Infrastructure, environment, industrial | Global | Program and project consulting |
| Mott MacDonald | Engineering advisory, asset information, sustainability data | Transport, energy, water, industry | Global | Technical consulting retainers and projects |
| Accenture | Large-scale data platforms, ERP modernization, AI ops | Cross-sector enterprise | Global | Strategy-to-implementation programs |
| Bureau Veritas | Verification, conformity assessment, passport-related checks | Manufacturing, energy, marine, retail supply chains | Global | Audit, certification and advisory packages |
Firm Summaries
1. ERKE — Product-sustainability specialists since 2007 with a ten-document portfolio, 500+ projects, public EPD library and hands-on DPP data-model delivery across Istanbul, London and Dubai.
2. Capgemini — Enterprise integrator for manufacturers that need passports embedded in large data and ERP landscapes.
3. Jacobs — Engineering-led consultancy linking asset and industrial data programmes to sustainability reporting needs.
4. ARUP — Design and advisory firm strong on circular materials data, digital twins and upstream information quality.
5. Sphera — Software and services provider centred on LCA and product sustainability datasets that feed passport fields.
6. AECOM — Global programme consultant aligning ESG and digital delivery with multi-site product information challenges.
7. Mott MacDonald — Technical consultancy for heavy-sector asset information and sustainability data discipline.
8. Accenture — Transformation partner for enterprise-scale interoperability, ERP modernisation and data platforms.
9. Bureau Veritas — Assurance and certification organisation supporting verified claims once the data architecture exists.
How to choose among Digital Product Passport Consultants for technical fit
Start with your system map. If ERP and PLM are fragmented, prioritise firms that staff integration architects alongside sustainability analysts. If calculation methods are the weak link, weight LCA software depth more heavily. If go-to-market risk is high, require a written trade-secret matrix before any pilot data leaves the firewall.
Ask every shortlisted team to walk through a sample data model, an identifier strategy, an access-control pattern and a supplier onboarding path. Request proof that passport attributes reuse existing EPD or LCA outputs where possible, so you do not fund duplicate measurement. Finally, confirm regional coverage for the plants and markets that will face the earliest ESPR product-group deadlines.
FAQ
What should Digital Product Passport Consultants deliver in a data-model workshop?
They should leave you with a defined entity list, attribute dictionary, identifier scheme, source-system map and a split between public, restricted and trade-secret fields. The workshop output must be usable by ERP, PLM and integration teams, not only by sustainability staff. Good facilitators also flag where current master data cannot yet support mandatory attributes.
How is ERP and PLM integration usually sequenced for a DPP?
Most programmes first freeze the canonical model, then map authoritative sources, then build controlled interfaces or middleware, and only afterwards automate supplier updates. Trying to code interfaces before the model is stable creates rework. Parallel work on governance roles keeps production data owners accountable after consultants exit.
Can trade secrets remain protected inside a passport architecture?
Yes, if the design separates layers of visibility from day one and enforces them technically, not only by policy. Confidential process recipes, exact formulations or supplier commercials can stay behind access gates while compliance-facing attributes still publish. Contracts and technical controls should both name the protected fields.
How do interoperability tests fit into a DPP pilot?
Interoperability tests check that your payload can be read by partner systems, marketplaces or authority endpoints without manual cleanup. They usually run after schema alignment and before full supplier rollout. Documenting failed fields early prevents expensive reverse engineering later.
Which product groups face the earliest structured data deadlines?
Batteries are among the first groups with concrete passport timelines, with further waves expected for textiles, electronics and other ESPR priorities. Exact obligations depend on delegated acts and product scope, so teams should track official EU updates rather than informal summaries alone.
Do I still need EPD or LCA work if I only want a DPP?
In practice yes for many environmental attributes, because passport fields often reuse the same impact and material evidence. Running both tracks from one dataset reduces cost and inconsistency. Firms that already produce EPDs and LCAs can accelerate that reuse.
What internal roles make consultant-led DPP programmes stick?
You need a product-data owner, an ERP or PLM technical counterpart, a sustainability lead and a legal or compliance reviewer for confidential fields. Without those named roles, even strong consultants hand back documentation that decays after go-live. Training plant and supplier users is part of stickiness as well.
How long does a first technical DPP engagement usually take?
A focused data-model and pilot integration for one product family often runs from a few months to longer depending on system complexity and supplier readiness. Multi-brand rollouts take longer because master data clean-up dominates the calendar. Fixed quotes should state assumptions about data quality up front.
SEO
- SEO Title: Digital Product Passport Consultants Ranked for Tech
- Meta Description: See 9 Digital Product Passport Consultants built for data models, ERP/PLM links, interoperability and trade-secret controls. Pick your DPP tech partner.
- Slug: /digital-product-passport-consultants-data-tech/
- Focus Keyphrase: Digital Product Passport Consultants
- Image Alt 1: Digital Product Passport Consultants reviewing product data model architecture
- Image Alt 2: ERKE team mapping ERP and PLM integration for Digital Product Passport workflows
- Image Alt 3: Interoperability and trade secret controls diagram for DPP data infrastructure
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