Here are the armchairs (Frau) with their digital passports
Poltrona Frau, the historic company based in the Marche region, has introduced the ‘passport’ scheme for two of its iconic products: Vanity and Archibald
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Key points
It is one of the first companies in the design sector to implement the Digital Product Passport (DPP), the digital tool that will be mandatory for furniture products (as well as other products in design-related sectors) from 2028 onwards and which forms part of the European ESPR (Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation) framework, which came into force in 2024.
For its debut, Poltrona Frau – a historic company from the Marche region and part of the Haworth Lifestyle group – has chosen to apply it to two iconic pieces from its catalogue, the Vanity Fai and Archibald armchairs, with the aim of extending it to its entire product range by 2030.
“We’ve been working on it for a year and a half,” explains the company’s CEO, Nicola Coropulis. To develop the project, Poltrona Frau collaborated with the Aura Blockchain Consortium and Temera. The DPP is accessible via NFC technology and is based on blockchain.
What is a passport and what is it used for?
The Digital Product Passport is an interactive digital certificate (accessible via an NFC tag included in the User Kit and uniquely linked to the product purchased) through which the purchaser can access all information on composition, materials, the origin of raw materials, production stages, and editorial content on the design and concept of the collection. They can also download the Certificate of Ownership, view videos on product care and maintenance, and access a priority channel for after-sales services.
“This tool certifies that all stages within the supply chain have been carried out correctly, that the sources of supply are also legitimate and certified, and that everything is done with respect for animals and environmental sustainability,” explains Coropulis. This information was, in fact, already contained in the serial identification codes affixed by the company to each product, which enabled Poltrona Frau to trace who had placed the order for that product and allowed the purchaser to verify the authenticity and legality of their purchase.
