New regulatory requirements are moving digital product passport (DPP) technology from a niche consideration to a core strategic focus. The EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation mandates that products will need to provide traceability and sustainability information through this technology from 2027.
DPPs serve as digital records linked to a physical product, used by brands to document and share key details — be that material composition, supply chain data or and circularity services for end-of-life use.
However, in focusing solely on compliance, there is a risk that brands could overlook the bigger opportunity — strengthening their relationship with customers at a time where customer loyalty is waning. When it comes to apparel, 50 percent of US Gen-Z consumers prefer to explore and shop new brands, according to BoF and McKinsey & Co.’s The State of Fashion 2025. On average, only 29 percent of Gen Z shoppers’ wardrobe is from the same brand.
Certilogo has powered connected products since 2006. Today, more than half a billion products from its partner brands possess a corresponding digital asset.
To discuss the scale of the opportunity, BoF, together with Certilogo, brought together leaders from across the fashion industry for an intimate breakfast in Milan. Conducted under the Chatham House rule, the conversation set the scene on compliance before discussing the most compelling customer engagement tools, from product authentication to the transfer of ownership, access to services like rental, resale and repair, and even entertainment or gamification strategies.
“It’s quite clearly an uncertain time for the fashion industry as geopolitical disruptions impact supply chains and the general business outlook,” said Certilogo founder and general manager Michele Casucci, in his welcoming remarks. “Changing consumer sensibilities and technological shifts are also impacting business. But that’s exactly why this is the time for leaders to step up and embrace the challenges of the future. One great opportunity is the visible shift towards the circular economy — it’s why conversations like today are so timely.”
Held at The Wilde in Milan’s Brera district, the conversation was moderated by BoF’s director of content strategy, Alice Gividen, and BoF’s senior content strategy associate, Shenel Wickramaratne. Executives from Alberta Ferretti, Autry, Giorgio Armani, Moncler, Sease, The Business of Fashion, Coccinelle, Harmont & Blaine, Giuseppe Zanotti, Missoni, Lutz Morris and The Attico were in attendance.
Below, BoF shares condensed, anonymised insights from the morning.
Demonstrate value to price-sensitive customers
“Quite simply, a way to make customers interact with our brands and with our products is to provide value to the customer,” said one guest in their opening comments. “We need to open up the world and the story of the product — to showcase all the brand opportunities and why the product is worth the price.”
“For younger consumers, the hook is more about price and value as opposed to sustainability. This consumer trait means that these shoppers are heading to resale platforms to see what they can find before reverting to full-price retailers and the brand’s own website,” said another guest.
“We’re asking, what does long-term value look like to our customers? A connected product experience could help to demonstrate value — be that resale potential or aftercare,” they added.
Consider DPP implementation as a cross-functional decision
“Stakeholder engagement is key when we think about sustainability, compliance and technological implementation to support those missions,” said one attendee. “It’s now imperative to have internal, cross-functional committees to ensure that sustainability is baked into the company rather than siloed into a sustainability-specific function.”
“It’s because there are so many use-cases now, so this sort of thing touches all of the functions,” said another guest. “Regulation is important, but traceability, information-sharing and resale are possible here, and it’s not only the sustainability executives or directors who have use for this.”
“Upcoming regulation will put many brands in trouble,” added another attendee. “Tracing the supply chain is delicate, but ultimately it will build trust among consumers, which is relevant and beneficial to all functions. Presently we are reducing the number of factories we work with to ensure tighter control and compliance — we now only work with five. A lot of this work has to come first — and from the very top.”
Guarantee authenticity for end-consumers as a hygiene factor
“I’m convinced that 99 percent of people that buy counterfeit products are absolutely aware of them and are making a conscious, clear decision to go for a fake product,” said one guest. “Therefore, what can brands actually do? Should we really spend time on this?”
“Candidly, the counterfeit landscape is much more nuanced compared to what we have seen historically. Evident, low-quality fakes with low prices — found on street markets or beaches — are no longer the biggest threat to our brands,” said another attendee. “Today, the greatest risks lie on marketplaces, where prices are in line with resale prices and deliberately mislead the customer.”
Another guest responded: “I think this is where the connected product becomes a really critical touchpoint and a close link to the customer. In a world where everything is less ‘real’ — brand marketing videos made online by people who don’t work for brands, or even AI imagery — we need to be able to quickly guarantee authenticity with our customers. If we build the trust at this stage, we can create a layered DPP strategy to support with lifetime value.”
Assess the benefits of owned circular business models against costs
“We have been closely watching the rise of resale and rental, trying to engage with those models. You get a number of obstacles. The first one is, the business is thinking about cannibalisation,” said one guest.
“The challenge is to convince business heads that this is a priority. Many executives would rather a customer brought something brand new rather than engage in this. And is this profitable? The margin we have in luxury is already diluted — so these considerations are critical,” they added.
“I think the cost component is less important. Pretty much every premium brand has deployed some form of a resell service either directly or through a white label service, and it seems to be a successful way of driving traffic back to your brand,” countered another guest. “It’s a longer play about customer-centricity which is still not fashion’s forté. We need to say to stakeholders, ‘Hey, this is an opportunity to deepen the relationship with the customer and even recruit new customers.’”
“I think the benefit is how involved the customer then becomes with your brand. With resale — and connected products that support it — the shopper becomes the seller, or even the brand ambassador,” added another guest. “Customers are invested, it’s like creating another social media ecosystem that shoppers can interact with daily.”
Investigate DPPs as a tool for fashion to connect and collaborate with culture
“I think it’s clear from our conversation today that it’s not enough now for a brand to just simply offer some nice clothes. A shirt lasts for six months in stores or circulating online and then it is forgotten by retailers and consumers. This is a vicious cycle of creation and consumption for many brands,” said one guest.
“We have to build bigger and better experiences for our shoppers. It’s interesting to consider what those could look like, whether that be offers of repair, gaming environments or links to things like sports or music,” they added.
“We are thinking about links to sport at present, especially with the 2026 Winter Olympics fast approaching. One thing we find is that these cultural collaborations are costly — attracting new customers is expensive no matter what, but this space is competitive,” responded another attendee.
“That said, I really do believe this is a real way to get people interested in the brand — particularly through connected products. At this stage, it’s almost retention. Once you acquire them, how do we convince high value customers to want to spend time with you? Show them you have direct links to the things they care about.”
This is a sponsored feature paid for by Certilogo as part of a BoF partnership.
Content shared from www.businessoffashion.com.
