Molecular Digital Physical Product Passport

What’s really in your clothes – and can you prove it?

Was that shirt really produced sustainably? What is the exact composition of the fabric and who worked on it? Within the project NewTexEco – Molecular Digital Physical Product Passport (M-DPP), the Fashion Research & Technology (FR&T) lectorate of the Hogeschool van Amsterdam (HvA) is developing a digital product passport that makes this information transparent and verifiable.
M-DPP is a practice-based research project funded by Regieorgaan SIA and the Top Sector ICT. The project is part of the national programme on Digital Product Passports, which invests €2.7 million in circular innovation in textiles, electronics, construction and batteries.

Transparency from fibre to recycling
M-DPP’s innovative system links molecular analysis techniques, such as spectral and chemical analysis, to a digital passport. This preserves information on materials, origins and production methods, even after intensive use, washing or repair. This ‘molecular fingerprint’ remains attached to the garment, independent of labels, QR codes or RFID chips that can disappear or be damaged.

“Soon you will know exactly what materials your garment is made of and who worked on it – just like the credits of a movie, but for your shirt.”
– Troy Nachtigall, lecturer Fashion Research & Technology (HvA)

The product passport is open-source and will be integrated with Web3 technology, such as smart contracts and decentralised databases. This allows automatic control of producer responsibility (EPR) and deposit systems, among others. M-DPP also aligns with upcoming European regulations, including the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), which makes Digital Product Passports mandatory from 2026.

Research, education and practice in one chain
The M-DPP project is conducted in collaboration with the Hogeschool van Amsterdam lectureship Responsible IT, the Hogeschool van Arnhem en Nijmegen (HAN) and practice partners such as byBorre, New Optimist, New Order of Fashion and Candour.Digital.
HvA students also play an active role in the project. They contribute to data collection, test technologies in real-life settings and gain valuable experience with current themes such as circularity, digitalisation and sustainability in fashion and technology.

Results
– A functioning digital product passport, linking molecular data to digital infrastructure
– Verifiable information on material, sustainability and origin of clothing, at every stage of the life cycle
– Applicable in circular models such as EPR and deposits
– Open-source and scalable, usable for fashion, interior design and textile supply chains

Team
Troy Nachtigall – Lecturer Fashion Research & Technology, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
Marcio Fuckner – Responsible IT, Hogeschool van Amsterdam
Christof Francke – Lecturer Biobased Innovations, HAN

Related project: DPP4CD
Besides M-DPP, the HvA lectureship FR&T is also participating in the project DPP4CD – Digital Product Passport(s) for Circular Denim, which investigates the use of digital passports within circular denim chains. Together with Saxion University of Applied Sciences and other partners, a scalable system for traceability and circular responsibility within the jeans industry is being developed.

NewTexEco
Molecular Digital Physical Product Passport is part of the broad NewTexEco community, in which ArtEZ, Hogeschool van Amsterdam, Saxion and more than 30 partners work together to transition to a circular textile chain, with design as the driving force.

Research project by: Fashion Research & Technology chair
Project Manager: Troy Nachtigall
Partner(s): lectorate Responsible IT -Hogeschool van Amsterdam | Hogeschool van Arnhem en Nijmegen (HAN) | byBorre | New Optimist | New Order of Fashion and Candour.Digital.
Funding: Regieorgaan SIA and the Top Sector ICT
Started in: October 2025
Completed in: September 2027
Publinova: DPP4CD: Digital Product Passport(s) for Circular Denim: From…