Consumer acceptance of Digital Product Passports: An application of the Extended Technology Acceptance Model

Digital Product Passports (DPPs) are gradually being made mandatory under the European Union’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) . Whether they succeed in promoting sustainable consumption will depend on how well consumers engage with the information they provide . To date, regulatory and supply chain perspectives on DPPs have been widely researched . However, the emerging literature on DPPs from a consumer perspective remains fragmented with a predominantly single-country focus and few studies delivering insights into the psychological drivers of consumer acceptance of DPPs from a holistic perspective . This paper seeks to investigate drivers of consumer intention to use DPPs using the Extended Technology Acceptance Model . The model is extended to include Subjective Knowledge and Trust . An online cross-sectional consumer survey of 1488 respondents across four European markets (Denmark, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland) was analysed using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling . Results show that DPPs are poorly known (22 . 4% of respondents were aware of them) but positively evaluative in most other dimensions . The Extended TAM explains a variance of 76% (R 2 = 0 . 76) in Intention to Use . Trust has the strongest direct effect on Perceived Ease of Use ( β = 0 . 66) . Trust also has an important effect on Usefulness . Subjective Knowledge has an effect on Usefulness through Trust . Perceived Usefulness has the strongest direct effect on Intention to Use . We posit that there is a sequence to information circulated, with awareness and credibility signals preceding usefulness . The paper provides cross-national evidence on DPP acceptance and finds Trust as an important adoption mechanism, broadening technology-acceptance theory and providing practical guidance for policymakers and firms on the sequencing of awareness, credibility and usefulness messaging within the framework of DPPs transitioning to mandatory implementation.