VivaTech 2026: The digital passport becomes a new strategic tool for luxury

VivaTech 2026 places the digital passport at the heart of luxury

VivaTech 2026 This confirms a significant shift for luxury brands. The issue is no longer just the..artificial intelligenceImmersive experiences or connected storefronts. Another theme is emerging: the digital product passportThis device, also called Digital Product Passport Or DPPIt becomes a strategic tool. It allows a physical product to be linked to a reliable digital identity. This identity can follow a bag, a watch, a piece of jewelry, a fashion item, or a perfume bottle throughout its entire lifespan VivaTech 2026 in ParisThis issue is taking on a very concrete dimension. Luxury brands are looking to move from testing to full-scale deployment. They want to prove the origin of materials, guarantee authenticity, facilitate after-sales service, prepare for resale, and document circularity. Luxury is therefore entering a new phase. Desirability alone is no longer enough. Proof is also needed. Reliable data. Controlled transparency. A smoother customer experience, without losing the mystique inherent to the great brands.

VivaTech 2026: A key moment to move from innovation to deployment

A trade fair where luxury seeks practical applications

VivaTech 2026 is not limited to a demonstration show. The event brings together start-ups, large groups, of the luxury homes, actors in data, AI, the blockchaincybersecurity. For the luxury sector, the challenge is clear. Technology must generate value. Not just a modern image. Not just talk of innovation. The luxury digital passport This aligns with that logic. It can help companies better understand their products, better document their value chains, and better support their customers over time. In Paris, the issue is also taking on a European dimension. The regulatory framework is becoming clearer. Requirements regarding sustainability, repairability, traceability, and product information are increasing.

Luxury no longer has the right to decorative technology

Luxury brands have often used technology to create an effect: an immersive experience, an NFT, a QR code, an in-store animation. But times are changing. Brands must now prove that their tools serve a real purpose digital product passport forces us to go further. It affects the supply chain, the workshops, the retailAfter-sales service, second-hand goods, compliance. It's not just a simple gadget. It's an infrastructure. A living database. A bridge between the physical object and its digital history.

What is a digital product passport?

A digital identity card for each object

THE digital product passport It can be understood simply. It's a digital identity card attached to a physical item. This card can contain several pieces of information: origin of materials, composition, country of manufacture, processing stages, care instructions, certificate of authenticity, repair history, resale data, and recycling guidelines. In the luxury sector, this passport can be accessed via a.. QR code, a NFC chipA serialized identifier or a secure interface is important. The medium matters. But the real value comes from the data. A robust digital passport must answer a simple question: Can the product's history be trusted?

A tool for proof, not just a product sheet

The DPP (Digital Product Passport) should not be confused with a marketing page. A product description describes. A digital passport proves. This difference is crucial. In the luxury sector, proof is highly valuable. It protects against counterfeiting. It provides reassurance during resale. It supports repairs. It documents excellence. A luxury bag can change hands. A watch can be serviced. A piece of jewelry can be transformed. A part can be repaired. The digital passport allows us to retain this memory.

Aura Blockchain Consortium: a key player for the luxury sector

Aura Blockchain Consortium plays a significant role in this transformation. The consortium was co-founded by major players in the luxury sector. It assists brands in creating reliable digital identities VivaTech 2026Aura puts forward a powerful idea: technology should not be used for its own sake. It must strengthen trust, transparency, customer engagement, and sustainability. This positioning resonates with the luxury sector. A brand cannot adopt a standard solution without considering its image, its manufacturing secrets, and its customer relationships luxury digital passport It must therefore be precise, but also elegant. Visible, but not intrusive. Transparent, but not verbose.

From authenticity to circularity

Aura clearly illustrates the evolution of the subject. Initially, the blockchain in luxury was often associated with authentication. Proving a product is genuine. Combating counterfeits. Securing a certificate. In 2026, the scope expands. The Digital Product Passport It can also support repair, resale, customer service, circularity, and material traceability. This extension changes everything. The passport is no longer just for the point of purchase. It accompanies the product after the sale. For years. Sometimes for several generations.

Why is the digital passport becoming urgent in Europe?

Europe is pushing companies towards greater transparency. The regulation on the ecodesign of sustainable products, called ESPR, prepares the gradual generalization of digital passport for productsThe timeline is progressing in stages. The first sectors affected include batteries, followed by other product categories such as textiles, electronics, and certain materials. For the luxury sector, this evolution is significant. Luxury brands work with complex materials: leather, silk, cashmere, gold, precious stones, watch components, perfumes, and premium packaging. Each product category may require different data. Compliance is therefore becoming a governance project, not just a technical undertaking.

Transparency is becoming a customer expectation

Regulation is only part of the issue. Customers also demand greater transparency. They want to know where a product comes from, how it was made, how to care for it, how to repair it, and how to resell it. This expectation doesn't mean that luxury brands should reveal everything. They must protect their expertise, their secrets, and their codes. But they must learn to share the right information—the information that reassures, that demonstrates quality, and that builds trust.

Traceability: making the value chain visible

There luxury traceability This is one of the major benefits of the digital passport. It allows for better documentation of a product's journey: raw materials, workshop, processing, assembly, distribution, and repair. For a company, this work requires connecting numerous stakeholders: suppliers, tanners, spinners, workshops, logistics providers, repairers, boutiques, and digital platforms. The challenge lies not only in data collection but also in ensuring reliability. Data must be accurate, structured, up-to-date, and protected.

Useful transparency, but not excessive transparency

Luxury must find a balance. Too little information weakens trust. Too much information can expose sensitive know-how digital product passport It must therefore operate in tiers. A section visible to the client. A section reserved for internal teams. A section accessible to audits or authorities. This architecture protects the company while meeting new market demands.

Anti-counterfeiting: moving from narrative to evidence

Counterfeiting remains a major challenge for the luxury sector. It destroys value. It deceives customers. It undermines trust luxury digital passport It can strengthen the fight against counterfeiting. It links a product to a unique identifier. It can integrate a digital certificate. It can help shops, platforms, and customers verify a product's origin. This proof becomes invaluable in the secondhand market. A better-authenticated product sells better. It provides faster reassurance. It protects its value.

A QR code alone is not enough

However, a word of caution. A simple QR code is not a magic bullet. It can be copied. It can redirect to a fake page. It can give a false sense of security. Robustness comes from the entire system: a unique identifier, access governance, verified data, a secure history, a reliable infrastructure, and regular checks. In the luxury sector, trust cannot tolerate approximations. The client pays for a promise. The digital passport must protect that promise.

After-sales service: the DPP as product memory

THE luxury after-sales service The digital passport can greatly benefit. A serviced watch. A repaired bag. A replaced strap. An adjusted clasp. Each intervention can enrich the service history. This record saves workshops time. It reduces errors. It improves diagnostics. It enhances the quality of service. The customer also benefits. They can access a warranty, retrieve proof of purchase, track a repair, and understand maintenance advice.

A new standard in customer relations

Luxury often unfolds after the sale. A strong brand knows how to support a client for a long time Digital Product Passport It can strengthen this relationship. It creates a lasting link between the home, the product, and the owner. This link can become very powerful. A maintenance notification. An invitation for a repair. A trade-in offer. A service extension. A private experience. The digital passport then becomes a relational tool. Not just a technical file.

Circularity: repair, resell, extend

Luxury has always championed the idea of ​​a product made to last. But in 2026, this promise must be proven digital product passport It can document repairability, components, maintenance advice, operations performed, and resale or trade-in possibilities. Circularity thus becomes concrete. It is no longer limited to CSR rhetoric. It becomes an organized process.

Second-hand is becoming safer

THE luxury second-hand market It continues to grow. Customers want to buy high-quality, rarer, and sometimes more affordable pieces. But they want to be sure. A product with a digital passport inspires more confidence. Its authenticity can be verified. Its history can be consulted. Its value can be better protected. For auction houses, it's also an opportunity. They can regain control over resale, offer certified programs, and create new services around existing products.

Certified resale: capturing the value of the secondary market

There luxury resale It is no longer a parallel market. It is becoming a fully-fledged channel. Homeowners can no longer ignore it. The digital passport helps secure this channel. It facilitates the transfer of ownership. It preserves the history. It can direct the client to a repair or certification network. This approach protects brand value. It limits counterfeiting. It improves trust between seller, buyer, and homeowner.

A new customer experience

There second hand It can also become a premium experience. A customer can resell an item, buy another, benefit from a service, receive an appraisal, or join a loyalty program. The DPP makes this journey smoother. It transforms an already sold item into a relationship-building tool. For the luxury sector, it's a quiet revolution. The product continues to create value after its initial purchase.

Product data: the real challenge behind the digital passport

THE digital passport It rests on a simple principle: the data must be reliable. Without it, the tool loses its value. A company must therefore define who writes what, who approves it, who corrects it, who consults it, who archives it, and who shares it. This governance requires a truly organized structure. The product, CSR, legal, IT, retail, customer service, and supply chain teams must work together.

Confidentiality remains essential

Luxury brands can't be completely transparent. Some data is trade secrets. Certain sources must remain protected. Some production details shouldn't be public. The right approach is to structure information in multiple layers: customer data, regulatory data, internal data, and partner data. The digital passport must therefore be precise, yet controlled; transparent, yet secure.

Blockchain, NFC, QR code: which architecture to choose?

A DPP can be consulted through a QR code, a NFC chip, a unique identifier or other marking technology. But the medium isn't everything. The real question concerns the architecture. Where is the data stored? Who verifies it? How is it updated? What evidence protects its integrity? The luxury blockchain It provides a possible solution. It allows for the securing of certain records, strengthens traceability, and supports authenticity.

Interoperability is becoming crucial

The DPP (Digital Product Passport) cannot operate in isolation. It must be able to communicate with multiple systems: ERP, CRM, resale platforms, after-sales service tools, regulatory databases, and supplier systems. Interoperability therefore becomes a strategic imperative. A standalone digital passport risks becoming costly, cumbersome, and difficult to maintain. The luxury sector requires robust, sustainable solutions capable of supporting products for many years, sometimes even decades.

Measuring ROI: When DPP becomes a business project

A digital product passport ROI must be measured. Otherwise, it remains just a promise. Companies can track several indicators: reduced after-sales service delays, fewer disputes, increased authentication, improved certified resale rates, better data quality, and reduced traceability errors. ROI can also be measured in customer relationships: greater trust, higher repeat business, and more services activated after purchase.

The value does not come from the QR code

Value doesn't come from visible branding. It comes from use. If the passport helps a client, a workshop, a salesperson, or an auditor, it becomes useful. If the digital passport serves only to display a decorative page, it loses its purpose. Luxury brands must therefore consider the digital passport as a service, not simply as a communication tool.

What luxury brands need to prepare now

Before deploying a Digital Product Passport (DPP), a brand must understand its own data. Where is it? In what format? Who owns it? Is it reliable? Is it complete? This work may seem technical, but it is strategic. Without a data map, it is impossible to create a robust digital passport. Brands must also identify priority products: iconic bags, watches, jewelry, limited edition pieces, categories vulnerable to counterfeiting, and items subject to stringent traceability requirements.

Train the retail and after-sales service teams

The digital passport isn't just for tech teams. It also concerns in-store advisors, workshops, repair technicians, and customer service teams. An advisor should be able to explain the digital passport simply. A workshop should be able to add to it. A customer service department should be able to use it to resolve a request. Technology should become an integral part of the job, not an added burden.

Viva Tech 2026: Why is the luxury sector closely monitoring this issue?

VivaTech 2026 digital passport It becomes a strategic request, as it connects several sensitive topics: innovation, luxury, data, trust, circularity, regulation, and resale. The trade show allows brands to compare solutions and observe market signals. Which players are making progress? What standards are emerging? What uses appeal to customers? The luxury sector knows that this transformation cannot be improvised. The product must remain desirable, the data must remain discreet, and the experience must remain seamless.

A future standard for responsible luxury

Eventually, the digital passport It could become as natural as a certificate, an invoice, a warranty, or a service record. The customer may not always ask for it. But they will appreciate knowing it exists. Especially for an expensive, rare, or heirloom part responsible luxury It will not just be the one who makes the claim. It will be the one who proves it, without losing their emotion.

The digital passport opens a new era for luxury

VivaTech 2026 shows that the digital product passport is no longer a distant topic. It is becoming a central focus for luxury brands. It touches on traceability, authenticity, repair, resale, circularity, compliance, and customer relations. It compels brands to structure their data. It pushes teams to collaborate. It transforms the product into a living, documented, and tracked object. For luxury, the challenge is delicate. It is necessary to provide greater transparency without trivializing the mystery. More proof without diminishing the emotional impact. More technology without losing the sense of service Digital Product Passport It can become a driver of trust. It can protect value. It can extend the relationship between the home, the object, and the customer. Provided it is useful. Clear. Secure. Well-governed. Tomorrow's luxury will not only be beautiful. It must also be traceable, repairable, authenticable, and transferable.

Sources

• Luxury Journal – “For luxury brands, the goal is not to implement technology for technology’s sake” Marcel Härtlein, Aura Blockchain Consortium
• AFNOR – Digital Product Passport (DPP): a silent revolution
• GS1 France – Digital Product Passport (DPP)