The most common mistake when preparing for the digital mattress passport is that companies wait to collect data until the obligation becomes concrete. Material composition, origin of raw materials, repair instructions and recycling information are then often scattered among different suppliers, and some of it can no longer be traced by that time because a supplier has changed or a production line has been adjusted.
The solution is not complicated, but rather a habit that must start now: record data at the moment it is known, per mattress or per production line, instead of reconstructing it afterwards. Those who do this now will not have to build a file later, but only organise what is already there.
Why this mistake is so common
The delegated act for mattresses under the ecodesign regulation (ESPR) does not yet exist; the European Commission's work plan mentions 2028 as the time when it is expected, and so the date on which the passport becomes mandatory is not yet fixed. It is precisely this uncertainty that leads to postponement: as long as there is no firm date, data collection feels like something for later. In practice, this often means that work only begins once the rules are final, while the information that will then be needed sometimes goes back years.
A second reason is that the data the passport will later require is already scattered: with the foam supplier, with the importer of the spring, with the procurement department that knows which fabric was used. No one within the company has the complete overview, and without a trigger, that overview does not come about of its own accord.
What goes wrong in practice
The most common consequence is that data is incomplete or not traceable at the time it is needed. A mattress produced five years ago with a foam type from a supplier that no longer exists cannot be queried further. The same applies to repair or dismantling instructions that were never recorded because they seemed self-evident at the time.
A second problem is fragmentation between departments. Procurement knows which raw material was ordered, production knows how it was processed, and quality knows which certificates are involved — but these three sources are rarely brought together before it is needed. This makes it difficult to provide a complete and consistent picture at one time, even when all the information is present somewhere.
How to avoid this
The most practical step is to already record what is known per production line about materials, origin and processing, even if there is no obligation to do so yet. This does not have to be a new system; it can begin with a fixed point of contact within the company who knows which supplier can provide which information, and who collects that information in one place as soon as a new mattress or variant goes into production.
It also helps to ask suppliers now for the data that is relevant for a product passport, so that this becomes part of regular purchasing discussions rather than a separate action afterwards. Those who want to see which topics are involved will find an overview per situation in the knowledge base with topics per situation. For those who want to know where their own company stands at this moment, the product scan with an indication in five questions provides an initial direction, without any obligation attached to it.
What this does not mean
Recording data now is not a guarantee that a future product passport will be complete with it; the precise requirements will only follow from the delegated act once it is published. It is also not a replacement for existing obligations, such as those from the product safety rules or REACH, which remain applicable independently of the passport. To determine what this concretely means for your company, it is advisable to follow the official text or consult a lawyer; matrapas.eu describes the state of affairs, but makes no statement about individual situations.
How the information we display is produced and which sources underlie it is explained on the page on how the information is produced. Frequently asked questions about this topic and related situations are compiled on the FAQ page.
If you want to know whether this is relevant for your company and where to start, do the free quick-scan or browse through the topics in the knowledge bank. Both will give you a concrete picture within half an hour, without needing an account.