No, there is no fixed date when the furniture digital product passport becomes mandatory. The European Commission is working out the implementation per product group through so-called delegated acts, and for furniture this is currently planned for around 2028 according to the work plan. That is an expectation, not a commitment: the work plan can shift, and only with the publication of the act itself is the date truly set.
What can change this year, therefore, is not the obligation itself but the planning around it. The Commission publishes progress documents in the meantime, holds consultations, and may release a draft text before the act becomes final. For you as an entrepreneur, the difference is important: an announcement of a follow-up step is different from a law that takes effect.
What the ESPR work plan exactly is
The regulation that makes the digital product passport possible, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), is a framework. It sets the rules, but specifies separately for each product group when and with what requirements the passport becomes mandatory. This sequence is set out in a work plan running from 2025 to 2030. Furniture is named in it as one of the product groups for which a delegated act is being prepared. Other product groups, such as textiles or iron and steel, go through the same process but at different times. This explains why you sometimes read about a digital product passport that is already becoming concrete for another sector, while for furniture it is still in preparation.
Why there is no fixed date yet
A delegated act goes through a number of steps before it takes effect: preparation by the Commission, often a consultation round with stakeholders, and only then adoption and publication. At each step, the planning can shift, for example because a consultation takes more time or because technical standards still need to be developed first. This is not unique to the furniture sector; it applies to every product group within the ESPR. Anyone promising an exact start date now is getting ahead of a text that does not yet exist.
What to follow concretely this year
If anything changes this year, it will likely be in one of three things: an update to the work plan itself, a consultation in which the Commission asks market players for input, or a first draft of the delegated act for furniture. None of these steps makes the passport immediately mandatory, but they do provide an increasingly clear picture of what data will be requested and from whom. Anyone already in discussion with a software supplier about setting up product data would do well to follow such interim steps; they indicate the direction, even if the final date is not yet set. For more on what is already set in the regulation itself, read the knowledge base with all topics per situation.
What this means while the date is not set
For most furniture manufacturers, importers, and project furnishers, this mainly means: there is time to put your house in order, but no reason to wait until everything is certain. You are already collecting data on materials, origin, and repair for other purposes, such as purchasing files or warranty conditions. Having this foundation in order is never wasted effort, regardless of whether the act becomes final in 2027, 2028, or later. If you want to know how your company currently stands, see in a few questions where you stand gives a first indication, without having to wait for anything.
Where you find the current status
Because the planning may shift, it is important to be able to fall back on a source that indicates where a statement comes from. We maintain the official texts and working documents and refer back to them consistently; you can read how that process works on the page on how we maintain our information. For the legal interpretation of your own situation, or for questions that go beyond general planning, a lawyer or the competent supervisory authority remains the appropriate point of contact.
If, after reading, you have a concrete question about timing or about what is already established and what is not yet, you may find an answer immediately in the overview of frequently asked questions or take the free quick-scan to see which topics are relevant for your company as soon as the date is known.