Glossary Updates12 new terms added to the glossaries · October 2, 2026, 22:44 CEST
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Glossary · DPP in the company: ownership and trust

Updated

Business confidentiality in the DPP

Also known as: DPP confidentiality, trade secrets in the DPP, confidential business information

Business confidentiality in the digital product passport is the protection of trade secrets and commercially sensitive information, such as supplier identities, recipes or cost-relevant data, while meeting the passport's transparency duties. It is achieved by designing access levels and the data model so that only the required data is exposed to each audience.

  • EU
  • DPP
  • Data governance

In one sentence

Business confidentiality in the DPP protects trade secrets while meeting transparency duties, designed into the data model and access levels early.

Example

A coatings supplier provides the substances of concern for the passport but keeps the exact formulation in a restricted layer visible only to authorities on request.

How it applies

  • Transparency is not publishing everything: The passport requires specific data for specific audiences. Exposing more than required creates risk without adding compliance.
  • Design it in: Mark confidentiality at the level of the data model and each field before data flows in. Retrofitting confidentiality after suppliers have delivered data is slow and error-prone.
  • Supplier trust: Suppliers share data more readily when they know which audience sees it. State this in contracts and data requests.
  • Limits: Confidentiality does not override legal duties. Data the delegated act requires to be public must be public, and authorities keep their access rights.
  • Standards: EN 18239:2026 covers business confidentiality. It is published but not cited in the Official Journal, so it gives no presumption of conformity.

Compared with the USA, Canada and China

US and Canadian reporting rules also protect confidential business information, typically through filing procedures with the authority rather than a public product record. China's data security rules restrict how important data may be shared and transferred, which can affect passport data from Chinese suppliers.

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