A Vision for Transparency on PDPs
(DPP Series Part 3) We teamed up with Limesharp, Centra, Resourced and Vaayu to show you what good looks like.
ICYMI
DPP (Digital Product Passport) compliance might be on the horizon, but if your brand’s transparency agenda starts and ends there, you’re missing the point—and a big opportunity. Think of DPP less as a regulatory hurdle and more as your chance to pull back the curtain and show customers what they’re really buying.
This is the third instalment in our series, where we’ve broken down what brands need to know about new legislation and set a baseline for transparency done right. Now, we’re teaming up with the best in the business to bring the whole thing to life:
The design gems at Limesharp
The fashion brand commerce platform Centra
Cutting-edge Scandi PLM Resourced
and the carbon & impact gurus at Vaayu
The aim? To get beyond compliance and use transparency as a lever for trust, loyalty, and a stronger brand story by showing you how data can be displayed directly on PDPs (Product Detail Pages).
So, here’s a vision for how transparency can live on your PDPs—because, let’s face it, customers won’t care about what they can’t see. And DPP, when done right, should make your brand more than just compliant; it should make you credible.
Context
When someone says DPP, think transparency.
When starting out on a strategy for transparency, brands should think of it as an opportunity to gain competitive advantage by making customers feel better about buying their product vs less transparent competitors.
Therefore, for a brand capturing transparency data - whether because of DPP legislation or, more likely, because they care about transparency - the key place to publish information is pre-purchase on their PDPs.
Where it has the chance to positively impact conversion, reinforce brand values (in the mind of the customer), and doesn’t require the manual scanning of a QR code or the like (which is significant considering a recent stat from EON suggests that only 12% of products with QR codes are ever scanned).
So how does a brand best display transparency information on PDPs?…
Commerce Thinking have teamed up with Limesharp, Centra, Resourced and Vaayu to guide you.
In this article we will share a vision for transparency information on PDPs and follow it up in our next article with a detailed data map of how to serve the PDPs with the necessary information.
How to Implement Transparency on Your PDP
Dedicated Section: Create a dedicated section for transparency information on your PDP.
Consider placing this section towards the bottom of the page so as not to distract from the customer buying journey but ensure it is still easy to find.
Give the customer key information upfront, that can also be clicked to see more detail, by using headline figures from the lower level details - i.e. Footprint, Traceability, and Cost - presented in a neat, digestible way.
Clear Signposting: Clearly signpost the transparency information in the product details section at the top of the page.
This signposting could be in the form of a pop-out sidebar. Placement in the sidebar allows customers who are sustainability focused to easily find the information that they would be looking for.
Traceability: List the suppliers at each stage of the production process. Include details such as their location and employee count. You can also state whether your brand has vetted these suppliers.
To make the numbers more relatable to a customer each impact figure is also shown as a ‘everyday’ equivalent, e.g Driving or boiling the kettle.
Landed Cost: Provide a breakdown of the costs associated with raw materials, trims, manufacturing, packaging, and transport.
Easily the most controversial level because it’s so revealing. Inspired by the level of transparency achieved by Asket, we have real doubts about how widespread this data will become (i.e. we can’t think of many places we’ve worked that would be comfortable ever revealing this information).
Relatable Information: When presenting information, make sure it is relatable and easy for consumers to understand. For example, instead of presenting the carbon emissions in kilograms, you could compare the emissions to the number of miles driven in an average car.
The level to which transparency information is both a competitive advantage for brands, and something consumers actually give a s**t about is how relatable these numbers are. There is little point in a brand going to the cost and effort of delivering transparency information to consumers, if the end result is something that consumers simply don’t engage with.
The average consumer doesn’t understand what transparency metrics mean. For them to have value, brands must do more to quantify the impact of their decision to purchase in ways that are relatable to them.
This is a fine line to tread, as claims are more disputable than facts, and are often (rightly) the basis for greenwashing claims.
Our favourite Nudie Jeans do a comparison of their impact vs Kering vs industry average, which is actually better than nothing but still doesn’t feel hugely relatable, even confusing.
Focus on Facts: Focus on providing accurate information, even if it isn't entirely positive. Avoid making claims that could be construed as greenwashing.
Away that Day uses comparison data instead of actual production data, and using terms such as ‘saved’ or ‘avoided’ treads the line of green claims which states any comparisons should be fair and meaningful, not sharing the baseline for comparison could lead to trouble.
Key Takeaway: By embracing transparency on your PDP, your brand can attract conscious consumers, build trust and loyalty, gain a competitive edge, and contribute to a more ethical and sustainable fashion industry.
Benefits of Transparency and How to Implement it on a Product Detail Page
Competitive Advantage: Transparency is becoming increasingly important to consumers, and brands that provide this information early will have an advantage over their competitors.
While interest in sustainable fashion dropped in 2023 with cost of living putting pressure on wallets, 2024 has seen interest growing again, and a brand’s website is the #1 place customers will look to check credentials. Conscious spenders are also buying less, buying second hand and selling on their unworn items - more wallet friendly ways of being sustainable. So capturing those customers becomes even more important.
Increased Sales: Consumers are increasingly interested in sustainability and are more likely to buy from brands that share their sustainability credentials.
The ethical clothing market is growing more rapidly than the rest of the industry. 57% of Britons say sustainability is important for fashion (Mintel Report 2024), but there is still a gap between sentiment and purchasing behaviour. Providing transparency information on PDPs could help convert these customers.
Customer Loyalty: Consumers are more likely to be loyal to brands that provide transparency information.
The annual UK Fashion and Sustainability Market Report from Mintel found almost 7 in 10 Brits found it difficult to know which brands are sustainable, a finding mirrored in the US where 55% of consumers are interested in purchasing sustainable clothing, but around 48% say they don't know where to find sustainable brands (Novatomato). Customers trust is gained when brands are transparent about their efforts, in a clear way and back it up.
What’s next?
This article isn’t meant to be a Digital Product Passport be-all-and-end-all—but with the data at hand, publishing these details on your PDPs (and potentially alongside a DPP portal) can set your brand apart. By making transparency data accessible and relatable, customers are more likely to engage with it and feel better about their purchase, helping build trust and increase CLTV.
We know transparency efforts can backfire—many brands have tried and been slammed for greenwashing. That’s why most stay quiet. But by sharing a model we believe reflects transparency done right, we’re hoping to inspire more brands to step up without feeling the need to spin the figures. We’re not here to claim sustainability, either; this is simply about sharing facts.
With no globally recognised standard for transparency data on PDPs (yet), there’s a unique opportunity for brands to set the tone. Take the first steps now, and establish yourself as a credible, transparent leader in the eyes of a conscious consumer base that’s only set to grow.