DeSL DPP Inside PLM vs SME DPP-First | Hoken Pass

WWD reported this week that DeSL launched Digital Product Passport software built natively on its PLM. For brands already running DeSL, that is a strong fit. For most SMEs selling textiles into the EU, the right starting point is the opposite: a standalone, DPP-first approach that is registry ready without requiring enterprise PLM.

This article compares both paths, explains what DeSL actually announced, and shows how SMEs can create a compliant passport with light governance, qualified eIDAS timestamps and blockchain auditability.

What DeSL actually launched

On 2 September 2026 in New York, DeSL announced that its Digital Product Passport module generates passports directly from the product, supplier, quality and certification information already managed in DeSL PLM. WWD covered it on 8 September as Tech Tuesday: DeSL Offers DPP Solution.

The passport draws on styles, SKUs, bills of materials, composition, specifications, colourways, imagery and care and repair information. Version control, approval workflows and audit history apply to each field. The solution works alongside PLM, Total Quality Management, Supplier Relationship Management and Product Information Management, or as a standalone module. Passports are generated dynamically at the point of access and made available through QR codes, portals, retail systems and open APIs. Different audiences see different views from the same governed record.

DeSL frames it as Govern it. Evidence it. Publish it. The value sits in governed data behind the QR code, not in the code itself. That aligns with what regulators actually check. A 2026 European Commission campaign found 37 percent of garments carried incorrect fibre composition labels, rising to 64 percent for natural and synthetic blends. The error originates at the bill of materials and certificate batch level, where DeSL governs composition and validates certificates.

DeSL is part of Textile Solutions Group, which connects PLM, ERP, MES and CAD across the textile value chain. Brands that also own manufacturing can extend passport readiness beyond development.

Why PLM-native makes sense for enterprise, not for most SMEs

If you already run DeSL PLM, much of the passport foundation is in place. Supplier collaboration, quality and certification management and AI document intelligence are already there. Invoices, purchase orders, bills of lading and certificates are read and matched against product records. That shortens the path considerably.

Many SMEs do not operate like that. They manage products in spreadsheets, a small ERP or an external tech pack tool. Requiring enterprise PLM to get a passport turns a compliance obligation into a system migration. For a company with ten suppliers and fifty SKUs, that cost and timeline do not hold.

The ESPR framework does not require PLM. It requires structured, verifiable product information accessible through a QR code (or other data carrier the delegated act requires) and registered by the economic operator in the EU DPP Registry, which is live since 20/07/2026 for testing. What matters is not where you author the data, but whether the record is complete, legally verifiable and updatable.

The SME path: DPP-first, registry ready

1. Digital Product Passport Software for SMEs that starts with one product

Do not try to passport the whole collection at once. Pick one product, map its actual suppliers for fibre, chemistry and trims, and create one structured passport. That gives you a real record to validate against the EU DPP Registry test environment and a template for the rest.

This is the entry point for digital product passport software for SMEs. It is self-service, pilot based and priced for SMEs, not enterprise rollout. The goal is to prove the chain for one product, then scale.

2. EU ESPR compliance platform without buying PLM

A compliance platform for ESPR should do three things without forcing a PLM purchase:

Govern product, supplier and certification data in one place with clear owners and version history
Produce a structured passport format that matches evolving delegated act fields
Make the passport accessible via a QR code (or other data carrier the delegated act requires) and export the EU DPP Registry batch file for you to upload when required

Hoken Pass covers the passport side of that as a DPP-first platform. You create the passport from the data you have in a guided template per product group, publish it as a hosted, versioned page with a QR code, add a qualified eIDAS timestamp so every published version is legally verifiable, keep auditability on blockchain from the Base plan, and export EU DPP Registry batch files in JSON and XML ready to upload, all without buying PLM.

3. eIDAS timestamp plus blockchain, not blockchain alone

The trust layer that holds up legally is eIDAS. A qualified electronic timestamp proves when the record existed and that it has not changed since. Blockchain adds immutability and an auditable trail across parties. Together they give eIDAS for legal validity, blockchain for immutability. That is how we handle verification at Hoken Pass, and it avoids the debate about why blockchain at all.

What SMEs should do before the textile delegated act lands

ESPR entered into force in July 2024. The textile delegated act is expected around 2027, with detailed requirements still being written. That is not a reason to wait. DeSL's phased roadmap is useful even if you are not a DeSL customer:

Assess your systems and map product and supplier records, gaps and owners
Choose authoritative sources, standardize identifiers, define validation workflows
Connect what you have, integrate supplier, quality and certification data
Link documents to products and batches, separate verified from declared data
Define audience views, select carriers, test representative products
Extend upstream visibility and add repair, reuse and recycling use cases as regulation develops

You can run these phases with light tooling. The registry is already live for testing. Validating one passport there now is cheaper than fixing one hundred later.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Digital Product Passport for textiles? A Digital Product Passport for textiles is a structured digital record for a textile product that contains product, material, supplier and compliance information required under ESPR. It is accessed through a QR code (or other data carrier the delegated act requires), and the economic operator registers it in the EU DPP Registry.

Is a QR code the same as a Digital Product Passport? No. A QR code is only the carrier that links the physical product to its passport. The passport itself is the governed product data behind it. A QR code alone does not make a product compliant.

Do I need PLM to create a Digital Product Passport? No. PLM helps if you already use it, as DeSL shows with its native PLM foundation. SMEs can create a passport without enterprise PLM using DPP-first software that governs product and supplier data and generates the passport directly.

When will textiles require a Digital Product Passport? Textiles are identified among the first product groups under ESPR delegated acts, with detailed requirements expected around 2027. The EU DPP Registry is already live since 20 July 2026 for testing, so early validation is possible.

What makes a passport verifiable? A qualified eIDAS timestamp gives legal proof of when the record existed and that it has not been altered. Blockchain adds immutability and an audit trail across parties. Together they satisfy both legal validity and auditability.

How is this different from DeSL's approach? DeSL builds passports natively inside PLM, which is efficient for brands already on DeSL. Hoken Pass builds them DPP-first as standalone records, with a qualified eIDAS timestamp on every published version, a blockchain record from the Base plan and EU DPP Registry batch files in JSON and XML that you upload yourself, without requiring PLM or ERP.

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