Creating a DPP from Your PIM System

How integration works with Akeneo and other PIM systems

Start here

You have thousands of product data points in your PIM: material, suppliers, care instructions, packaging contents. It's all organized and current. Now you need a Digital Product Passport for ESPR. This sounds like a big project.

It isn't.

The fastest way to compliance is to take the data you already have. You don't need to gather it fresh or rebuild your PIM. You need a bridge that structures your existing data and converts it into a compliant DPP. This takes weeks, not months. And it works with any modern PIM: Akeneo, SAP, Inriver, others.

What is a DPP and why now?

The Digital Product Passport is a European requirement (ESPR stands for Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation). From 2026, manufacturers of textiles must offer a DPP. From 2027, electronics, batteries, and other categories follow.

A DPP is a readable, digital form of your product information. Machine-readable. Typically accessible via QR code.

For you concretely: you need a mechanism that structures, validates, and makes your product data available. That could be custom development (30,000 to 50,000 euros, many months). Or it could be a PIM integration (two to three weeks).

The difference comes down to one question: do your data already exist? For most companies: yes. Then you just need a bridge.

How a DPP emerges from your PIM

The principle is simple. Four steps:

1. Your PIM attributes (material, origin, certifications, sizes, colors, inventory data, supply chain) are the foundation.
2. A mapping connects these attributes to the DPP fields ESPR requires.
3. A connector translates your product data into DPP format: structured, validated, signed.
4. A QR code gets generated and can flow directly into your labeling.

Everything runs in the background. You work as usual in your PIM. Add new products, maintain data, manage variants. The connector uploads your changes and generates the QR automatically.

This works with any modern PIM that has an API:

• Akeneo (industry standard for fashion and furniture)
• SAP Product Information Management
• Inriver
• Salsify
• Syndigo
• Others

The mapping: from your fields to the DPP

The central piece is the mapping. How do you connect your PIM attributes to DPP requirements?

Option 1: Use existing fields (recommended)

You probably already have:

• Material becomes DPP field "Material composition"
• Washing instructions becomes DPP field "Care instructions"
• Certifications becomes DPP field "Applicable regulations"
• Supplier country becomes DPP field "Origin information"
• Size + Weight becomes DPP field "Dimensions and weight"

That's your baseline mapping. No major overhaul. You just ask: which fields do I already have, and which of them fit?

The gaps show up quickly. Circular economy data (take-back, recyclability) are often missing. You add those. Targeted, not chaotic.

Option 2: Create new fields

Some create extra fields: DPP_Material, DPP_Instructions, etc. That's cleaner in theory. More work in practice. If material comes from four different sources (main product, variant, supplier master, comment field), you quickly realize: you're shuffling data instead of consolidating it.

In reality it ends up hybrid: 80 percent existing fields, new fields for gaps. Done.

How the connector works technically

The integration runs via an API between your PIM and dpp.cloud. The flow:

Your PIM System → Synchronize attributes → Mapping Engine: PIM Field → DPP Field → DPP structured + validated → QR code generated → Back to PIM or available for download → Labels + Packaging

What happens in each step

1. Synchronization

Your PIM sends product changes to the connector: new SKU, updated attributes, deletions. This runs via webhooks or periodic API queries.

2. Mapping

A mapping file defines the rules. If material exists in the PIM, write it to DPP.Material composition. If care_label is empty, use a fallback. YAML or JSON. Configured once, then it runs.

3. Validation

The connector checks: are all required fields filled? Is the syntax correct? Are links reachable? On errors, the product is flagged so your team can adjust.

4. DPP file

A DPP is technically an XML or JSON file that meets the ESPR structure. The connector compiles your data into it, with versioning and optional signatures.

5. Generate QR

A QR code is created that points to a URL where the DPP is accessible. The URL can run on your domain (with redirect to dpp.cloud) or be hosted at dpp.cloud. The QR stays stable. When you change data later, the same code points to the current version.

6. Back to PIM

Optional: the QR code or DPP URL is written back to a field in your PIM (e.g., QR_Code_Link). Then it's directly available in your label systems.

Everything stays in your system

The key thing: you don't need new software. No login to an external platform, no new dashboard your team has to learn. The integration runs invisibly in the background.

Here's how it works:

Your PIM is the hub

You maintain your product data as usual in your PIM or ERP. Material, suppliers, certifications, all there. When you save a product, it automatically triggers DPP generation.

Pick a template, done

When you create the product, you select which DPP template you want to use (e.g., "Textile Standard", "Electronics Advanced", or your custom template). That's it. The rest runs automatically.

DPP gets created automatically

The connector takes your data, structures it according to the mapping, validates it, and generates the DPP text plus QR code.

Everything comes back

The QR code and DPP text get written directly back to fields in your PIM. From there, you can export them to your labeling system, your ERP, your packaging setup. Or they flow automatically into your production integration.

You never interact with dpp.cloud directly. Everything runs through your existing system. With new products, the whole automation just runs along with it.

A real example

A European textile manufacturer with 600 active textile SKUs. Akeneo as PIM. ESPR deadline 2026. Next spring order needs QR on the label.

The project:

1. Day 1: Kickoff. Which attributes go in? 2-3 hours, alignment across teams.
2. Day 2-7: Data Review. How complete are the attributes? Which new fields do we need?
3. Day 7-10: Mapping Call. Technical team defines: which Akeneo attributes to which DPP fields? How do we handle multilingual and variants?
4. Day 10-14: Tech Setup. The manufacturer creates fields, generates API credentials. dpp.cloud establishes the mapping.
5. Day 14-17: Pilot. One product end-to-end. Material → DPP → QR. Client verifies, gives sign-off.
6. Day 17+: Scale. QR training. Rollout across 600 textiles. Coordination with label printer.

Reality check: the fastest phase is the tech (3-5 days). The longest is coordination and physically applying QR codes to labels. That's where the weeks go. Not in data integration.

Other PIM systems

The basic logic is the same everywhere:

The differences are syntax and authentication. The pattern is the same everywhere: map attributes, generate QR, return.

The most important questions

Do I have to rebuild my PIM?

No. Your current structure is probably 80 percent of the way there. At worst you add 3-5 new fields. No rebrand, no restructuring needed.

What if product attributes are empty?

Depends on the field. Required fields (material, origin, size) must be filled. Optional fields can be empty. The connector shows you the gaps so your team can adjust.

Can I have translations?

Yes. Your Akeneo probably already has localizations per attribute (e.g., care_label_de, care_label_en). The connector respects that and creates a multilingual DPP.

When do QR codes update?

In real-time, as soon as you save a product in the PIM. There are optional batch cycles (e.g., at night only), but standard is: change, webhook, new QR in minutes.

Can I generate a QR before data is complete?

Yes, that's actually recommended. The QR stays stable while data behind it grows. You can print labels while your team is still gathering supplier information. The code is invalid until data arrives, but it doesn't block your production.

Why GS1 Digital Link?

GS1 Digital Link is a standard for QR codes that encodes the GTIN/EAN directly in the URL. That means:

• Machine-readable: Your POS registers can scan it like a normal barcode.
• Flexible at serial number level: You can create DPPs at batch, lot, or even serial number level. Each unit has its own QR, but the same DPP link works for all.
• No extra software layer: You don't need an additional system to manage links. Everything runs over the GS1 Digital Link standard.
• Future-proof: If URLs change later, the QR can be repositioned – the physical code stays stable.
• One structure instead of two: One QR code instead of barcode + DPP code in parallel.

What if I also use Magento and Zendesk?

That doesn't complicate things. The dpp.cloud connection is PIM-only. Magento and Zendesk can pull QR codes from the PIM or dpp.cloud, but don't need new integration. If you want your Magento store to display DPP URLs, that's a separate, simple integration (API call). But optional – often it doesn't happen because the QR on the physical product is what matters.

Who pays for API calls and mapping?

It's part of your dpp.cloud subscription. There are different packages (Growth, Professional) with different SKU limits. Mapping and API connection are included in the price. No hidden fees per sync or API call.

Which gaps typically emerge?

When you extract DPP data from your PIM, you normally quickly find these gaps:

Circular Economy

ESPR requires info about recycling, take-back, repairability. Many PIM systems don't have that structured. It's buried in a description or missing entirely.

Solution: new fields for recycling info, repairability yes/no, take-back link. Usually 3-5 new attributes.

Care label / Washing instructions

Often washing info is in PDFs or images, not a structured field.

Solution: a field for the text version (for the DPP) and a field for the image (for the physical label). One-time adjustment.

Supplier / Origin information

You might have "Made in India" somewhere, but the DPP also needs: which supplier exactly? What certifications? Link to their data?

Solution: a master data field for supplier info or a reference to your supplier management system. More complex, but often already exists.

Compliance and safety data

For electronics and batteries: safety data sheets, declarations of conformity, RoHS status.

Solution: file field in PIM with linking in DPP, or direct URL references.

These gaps aren't critical. They just mean your DPP pilot starts without 100 percent data. That's fine. Data gets maintained while the system runs.

The roadmap

Week 1-2: Kickoff + Mapping

• Make decisions (which categories, which data, which domain for QR)
• Define mapping
• Create new PIM fields

Week 2-3: Pilot

• One product or small batch end-to-end
• Check QR code, validate DPP data
• Adjust mapping if needed

Week 3-4: Scale

• Rollout across the entire category
• Generate QRs for label printers
• Coordinate physical application (the longest part)

Month 2+: Normal operations

• Regular data maintenance in PIM
• QR codes flow automatically into new orders
• Load additional categories (electronics, batteries) as needed

What you gain

Compliance by day 30 instead of month 6

No data migration – your PIM is already the source of truth

No extra team – your existing PIM team handles it with training

Scalable – from 100 SKUs to 10,000 the same system works

DPP stays current – when you change data in your PIM, it's automatically current in the DPP

This isn't "compliance is hard but we found a workaround". This is: you have the data already. We quickly make it into a compliant DPP. Done.

Next steps

You have Akeneo or another PIM? You're wondering whether and how integration fits your setup? We do a 30-minute strategy session. Together we look at your PIM, clarify the gaps, give you concrete numbers and a timeline.

Book your free strategy session