DPP Agent docs

Footwear DPP — ESPR delegated act and supply-chain due diligence

Footwear sits in the same ESPR-family delegated-act track as textiles but with two distinguishing characteristics: multi-material construction (leather, textile, rubber, plastic, metal), and heavy supply-chain due-diligence exposure through the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). The category-specific delegated act is expected in draft mid-2026 with enforcement in 2028.

Regulatory anchor

ESPR footwear delegated act — draft expected mid-2026, enforcement expected 2028. Scope covers CN codes 6401–6405 (waterproof, leather, textile, other footwear). Excludes PPE footwear (safety shoes) which sits under Regulation (EU) 2016/425.

Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (EU) 2024/1760 — applies to brands above defined thresholds (250+ employees + €40m turnover; escalating to smaller brands from 2027). Obligates human-rights and environmental due diligence across the supply chain. The DPP is the disclosure channel.

Footwear Labelling Directive 94/11/EC — existing rules for the pictogram-based material declaration on shoe boxes. Being folded into the DPP framework.

AGEC (French Law 2020-105) — French-market obligation for textile fibres and sustainability disclosures also applies to textile-upper footwear.

PPE Regulation (EU) 2016/425 — if the footwear is PPE (safety toe, slip resistance, chemical resistance), the DPP must carry the PPE declaration of conformity, category (I / II / III), harmonised standard references (EN ISO 20345 for safety, EN ISO 20347 for occupational).

Passport data model

Footwear DPPs use the foot.* namespace alongside tex.* and espr.* for shared textile fields (upper composition), plus espr.ppe.* where PPE-classified.

Identification and manufacturer — standard.

Multi-material composition (foot.comp.*)

  • foot.comp.upper[] — material breakdown of the upper (leather, textile, synthetic)
  • foot.comp.lining[] — material breakdown of lining
  • foot.comp.outsole[] — material breakdown of outsole (rubber, TPU, EVA, leather)
  • foot.comp.insole[] — material breakdown of insole
  • Leather composition specifics: origin animal, tanning method (chrome / vegetable / synthetic), certification (LWG Leather Working Group)
  • Recycled content per material component
  • foot.comp.certifications[] — LWG, GRS, RCS, Textile Exchange for recycled polyester lining etc.

Substances of concern

  • REACH SVHC declarations with SCIP identifiers
  • Chromium-VI content in leather (regulated below 3 ppm)
  • Phthalates in synthetic uppers (regulated per REACH Annex XVII)
  • Formaldehyde emissions in adhesives

Supply-chain due-diligence (foot.due.*)

  • Tier-1 supplier (final assembly) name, address, LWG or similar certification
  • Tier-2+ supplier disclosure for critical materials (leather source, textile source)
  • CSDDD-mandated risk-assessment reference
  • Grievance-mechanism URL for affected stakeholders

Environmental (foot.env.*)

  • Carbon footprint per pair, PEFCR-footwear methodology
  • Water use in manufacturing
  • Recyclability score

Care and repair (foot.care.*)

  • Care instructions per component (upper cleaning, sole treatment)
  • Resoleability / repairability designation
  • Certified repair partners URL
  • Expected wear cycles (informative)

End of life (foot.eol.*)

  • Take-back program
  • Component-level recycling paths (upper vs sole differ)
  • Leather-specific EOL guidance (not conventionally recyclable)

Sourcing the data

Footwear supply chains are complex. Typical data sources:

  • PLM — component-level specifications, LWG certification records
  • Contract-manufacturing partner — final assembly, tier-1 supplier
  • Materials suppliers — leather (via LWG), textile (via GRS/RCS), rubber (via natural-rubber compliance schemes)
  • Sustainability team — CSDDD risk-assessment output, grievance-mechanism ownership
  • After-sales — resoleability designation, repair partner network

DPP Agent's supplier registry is heavily used for footwear because the tier-1 supplier data must be traceable. The LWG cert-catalogue integration matches uploaded LWG certificates to the LWG public registry for verification. The AI-Suggest system on component BOMs works well because footwear component vocabularies are well-defined.

Consumer-facing considerations

Footwear consumers ask:

  • What is it actually made of — upper, lining, outsole?
  • Is the leather from a certified tannery?
  • Is it repairable, and where?
  • How do I dispose of it responsibly?

The DPP Agent footwear template shows the pictogram-style material breakdown at the top, LWG or textile-exchange badges linked to the issuing registry, resoleability designation prominently, and take-back / recycling paths per component.

Common pitfalls

  • Leather tanning method not declared — chrome vs vegetable materially affects recyclability
  • LWG certificate uploaded but not verified against LWG registry
  • Chromium-VI content in leather not tested below the 3 ppm regulatory threshold
  • CSDDD due-diligence declared blanket instead of per-tier
  • Resoleability marked "yes" without actual repair-partner network
  • Missing tier-2 supplier data on leather sourcing (CSDDD gap)

Practical checklist

  • Component-level material breakdown (upper, lining, outsole, insole)
  • Leather origin animal + tanning method + LWG certification where claimed
  • REACH SVHC declarations + chromium-VI + phthalate + formaldehyde compliance
  • Tier-1 and tier-2 supplier data for CSDDD-covered brands
  • Grievance-mechanism URL for stakeholders
  • Recycled-content claims with GRS / RCS or equivalent methodology
  • Carbon footprint per pair per PEFCR-footwear
  • Resoleability designation with actual repair-partner network
  • Take-back program registered per member state
  • PPE-classified footwear carries declaration of conformity + EN ISO 20345/20347 reference

Regulatory reference

  • ESPR — Regulation (EU) 2024/1781
  • ESPR footwear delegated act — expected mid-2026 draft
  • CSDDD — Directive (EU) 2024/1760
  • Footwear Labelling Directive — 94/11/EC
  • PPE Regulation — (EU) 2016/425 (safety footwear)
  • REACH Annex XVII — chromium-VI, phthalates, azo dyes
  • LWG (Leather Working Group) certification framework
  • PEFCR — Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules for footwear
  • EN ISO 20345 / 20347 — safety and occupational footwear