Digital technologies are changing the way we understand, track, and manage products throughout their lifecycle. In this context, two key terms are increasingly being mentioned: the Digital Twin and the Digital Product Passport (DPP). Although both concepts are digital representations of physical products, their purpose, level of detail, and mode of use differ significantly — yet they can also complement one another.
A Digital Twin is a virtual representation of a physical product, system, or process that dynamically reflects its real-time behaviour. This twin enables monitoring of condition and performance, predicting failures, and optimizing the product throughout its entire lifecycle.
For example, a manufacturer of industrial machines may create a Digital Twin for each device sold. Through connected sensors, the cloud-based software model of that machine displays all key parameters — from temperature and vibration to the state of consumable parts — and helps users optimize operation and maintenance.
Unlike a digital twin, the DPP is a structured and standardized set of data that follows a product through the stages of design, production, use, and end-of-life. It focuses on information relevant for regulatory requirements, sustainability, safety, and transparency: material composition, recyclability, CO₂ footprint, repair and disposal instructions, origin data, etc.
DPP is not necessarily linked to real-time data but provides reliable, persistent, and transferable documentation about the product. Its application is crucial for compliance with the European ESPR regulation and circular economy requirements.
A Digital Twin is primarily used for product operation optimization, based on real-time data, and serves internal purposes — for example, by engineers and operators. The DPP, on the other hand, is used for communication with external stakeholders — regulators, consumers, and partners — and provides access to key data for transparency and compliance.
While the Digital Twin includes sensor data, software simulations, and advanced product behaviour models, the DPP is a documented, standardized, and semantically structured set of product data. Their technologies differ but they are complementary.
Ideally, the Digital Twin and DPP function in a complementary way:
The Digital Twin can automatically update the DPP with new data (e.g., number of maintenance events, replaced components).
The DPP can serve as a foundational dataset for creating a Digital Twin when the product is put into operation.
In the context of sustainability and ESG reporting, the Digital Twin provides operational insights, while the DPP ensures standardized documentation for external communication and regulatory compliance.
Such integration opens the door to real digital transformation of industry, where each product carries a “digital footprint” — both in terms of operations and information.
While the DPP is becoming a regulatory obligation in the EU for certain product categories, the Digital Twin remains a powerful tool for internal improvement and smart management. Companies that want to stay ahead in digitalisation should explore how to connect these two concepts — because together, they provide a complete view of the product, both inside and out.
At NOS, we support businesses in planning, developing, and implementing Digital Product Passports that are compliant with European regulations, interoperable, and ready for future integration with Digital Twin systems.
If you want to launch your own DPP project, a pilot implementation, or you’re simply curious about how this would look in your context – contact us at info@nos.hr. Our team will be happy to support you at every step of the process.
