For most furniture manufacturers, importers and project furnishers, nothing is changing this year in terms of new obligations. There is no statutory date yet on which the digital product passport for furniture becomes mandatory. What is changing, however, is the progress of the process towards it: the European Commission is working step by step on the rules that will apply specifically to furniture, and that process is in a different phase this year than it was last year.
This progress is particularly relevant to you because it determines when you will need to get concretely to work, and what you can start preparing for without guessing at the wrong date. This article sets out what the work plan entails, what is happening this year and what that means for your planning.
The work plan that includes furniture
The basis for the product passport is a European regulation that applies to many product groups at the same time, not just furniture. To determine which product group is due when, the Commission works with a work plan covering the period 2025 through 2030. Furniture is on that work plan, but the rules that apply specifically to furniture will only be laid down in a separate, later act.
That separate act — a so-called delegated act — is where the actual obligations for furniture will be set out: which data are mandatory, for which product categories, and from which moment on. That act does not yet exist. The expectation is that it will be published in 2028, with entry into force for furniture around 2030. Both dates are not yet fixed and may shift. As soon as the act is published, the date will be updated on furnipas.eu.
What is happening concretely this year
In the phase the process is currently in, it is mainly about preparatory work: technical committees working out criteria, consultations in which trade organisations and companies can provide input, and draft texts circulating before they are officially adopted. This is less visible than a published law, but it does determine the content of what comes next. Those who follow this year what is being discussed in those committees will know sooner what the rules will look like than those who wait until the act is in place.
For your company, this mainly means: this is the time to look at how your own data on materials, origin and composition are in order, without a deadline attached to that yet. Good administration of product data is never wasted effort, whether the obligation comes into force in 2029 or 2031. the knowledge base with explanations by topic provides an overview of what is already fixed and what is not yet fixed, by theme.
For whom this matters
This phase primarily affects manufacturers and importers of furniture, because they will have to provide the data that goes into the passport. But software suppliers building product information systems, and project furnishers procuring furniture for offices, schools or care institutions, would do well to follow developments. If you start talking with a supplier now about how data will be recorded, you won't have to have that conversation under time pressure later.
Whether your company will specifically fall under the upcoming rules depends on factors that vary by situation, such as the type of product and your role in the chain. A general indication of that is given by the product scan with a few short questions; for a ruling on your own situation, a lawyer or the competent supervisory authority is the right contact point.
Where the information comes from
Because the process is still evolving, it is important to distinguish between what is already fixed in the regulation itself and what is still a proposal or expectation. We base the information on furnipas.eu on official texts and publications from the European Commission, and always indicate what is not yet established. How we approach this is explained on the page about how our information is produced.
If you have a concrete question about a part of this process, there is a good chance it has already been answered on the page with frequently asked questions. There are also questions that differ slightly from what is discussed here.
Do not wait, but pay attention to the right things
The greatest risk at this stage is not that you start too late, but that you wait for a signal that is not yet coming. The delegated act will only be published once the content is established, and until then, preparation is a matter of getting the basics in order: knowing what data you have about your products, and what you do not. This is work you will have to do anyway, regardless of the exact date the obligation comes into force.
If you want to know how your company is positioned at the moment, take the free quick-scan or browse through the topics in the knowledge bank. Both provide an initial direction, without you having to set up a file immediately.