2026-09-08
ISO/IEC JTC 5 and CEN-CENELEC JTC 24: who sets which Digital Product Passport standard
A new international committee, ISO/IEC JTC 5 on the Digital Product Passport, starts work in the third quarter of 2026 with DIN as secretariat and first results expected from 2028. It sits alongside CEN-CENELEC JTC 24, whose eight European standards underpin the ESPR passport today.
The Digital Product Passport is becoming a two-level standards story. Europe already has a set of harmonised standards that companies can build against today. The international layer is only now being organised. Understanding who does what avoids a common confusion in procurement conversations: an ISO badge and an EU presumption of conformity are not the same thing.
CEN-CENELEC JTC 24: the European layer that applies now
CEN-CLC/JTC 24 is the joint committee of the two European standardisation organisations set up to answer the Commission's standardisation request M/604 under the ESPR. It produced eight European standards, the EN 18xxx family we explained here:
- EN 18216 data exchange protocols
- EN 18219 unique identifiers
- EN 18220 data carriers
- EN 18221 data storage, archiving and persistence
- EN 18222 APIs for passport lifecycle management and searchability
- EN 18223 system interoperability
- EN 18239 access-rights management, information-system security and business confidentiality
- EN 18246 data authentication, reliability and integrity
Six of the eight were cited in the Official Journal on 15 July 2026 through Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1736. A passport that conforms to them is presumed to meet the corresponding requirements of Articles 10 and 11 of the ESPR. The two security standards, EN 18239 and EN 18246, were scheduled for ratification on 17 August 2026 with definitive texts due on 16 September 2026, and are not yet cited.
ISO/IEC JTC 5: the international layer that starts now
On 20 April 2026, DIN and DKE, the German standards bodies for ISO/IEC work, announced the launch of ISO/IEC Joint Technical Committee 5, Digital Product Passport. DIN holds the secretariat. The committee begins work in the third quarter of 2026 and initial results are expected from 2028. Its stated purpose is a common framework that takes a holistic view of the passport, so that specific solutions built for different sectors and systems can be interconnected.
That timing tells you what JTC 5 is for. It cannot influence the first mandatory passports, since batteries fall due on 18 February 2027 and the first ESPR delegated acts will be adopted before any JTC 5 deliverable exists. Its horizon is the second wave: product groups whose acts arrive from 2027 onward, and the alignment of European specifications with what other jurisdictions adopt.
How the two connect
CEN-CENELEC, in its July 2026 statement, said JTC 24 expects fruitful collaboration with the newly established ISO/IEC JTC 5. The formal channels for that already exist: the Vienna Agreement between CEN and ISO and the Frankfurt Agreement between CENELEC and IEC allow European and international standards to be developed in parallel or adopted from one system into the other. The likely pattern is that European work feeds international drafts, and international outputs are later adopted as EN ISO/IEC texts where they fit.
For companies the practical reading is simple:
- Compliance with the ESPR is demonstrated against the regulation and its delegated acts, with the cited EN standards as the recognised route. See the standards bodies overview.
- Interoperability beyond the EU is where JTC 5 will matter, especially for groups selling into the EU from Asia or North America whose home markets are studying their own passport schemes.
- Procurement language should distinguish the two. "Conforms to EN 18219" is a checkable claim today. "ISO-compliant DPP" is not, because there is no ISO DPP standard yet.
What to do now
- Specify the cited EN standards in your DPP requirements and tenders.
- If you have a national standards body membership, ask about mirror committee participation in JTC 5. Several national bodies are setting up mirror groups.
- Track EN 18239 and EN 18246, whose citation will complete the European security layer.
Primary sources: DIN and DKE press release, 20 April 2026; CEN-CENELEC, Digital Product Passport, 15 July 2026; ISO/IEC JTC 5 committee page.
Frequently asked questions
What is ISO/IEC JTC 5?
ISO/IEC JTC 5 is a joint technical committee of ISO and IEC dedicated to the Digital Product Passport. DIN, the German standards body, holds the secretariat. According to the DIN and DKE announcement of 20 April 2026, the committee begins work in the third quarter of 2026 and initial results are expected from 2028. Its aim is a common international framework so that sector-specific DPP solutions can interconnect.
What is the difference between ISO/IEC JTC 5 and CEN-CENELEC JTC 24?
CEN-CLC/JTC 24 is the European committee that drafted the eight EN 18xxx standards requested by the Commission under standardisation request M/604 to support the ESPR. Six of them are cited in the Official Journal and give a presumption of conformity. ISO/IEC JTC 5 is international and is starting later, with results from 2028. CEN-CENELEC has said it expects to collaborate with JTC 5.
Do I need to follow ISO/IEC JTC 5 standards to comply with the ESPR?
No. Compliance with the ESPR's DPP requirements is demonstrated against the regulation and its delegated acts, with the cited European harmonised standards providing a presumption of conformity. ISO/IEC JTC 5 has not yet published any standard. Its work matters for companies selling in several jurisdictions and for the long-term alignment of European and international specifications.