Digital Product Passport: Driving Transparency in Wholesales and Branded Solutions

Repass is partnering with WJ Profil—a specialized division under Wittusen & Jensen, part of the NorEngros group—to launch a pilot project introducing Digital Product Passports (DPPs). While the pilot focuses on one category, the implications reach across NorEngros Johs Olsen, including the WJ Profile division, and the broader wholesale market. 

As wholesalers, Wittusen & Jensen and Johs. Olsen sits at the center of the value chain, connecting manufacturers with end-users. This position gives them a unique opportunity, and responsibility, to standardize processes, push requirements, and raise the bar for transparency and sustainability across the industry.  

We spoke with Andrea Berger, Sustainability Lead for NorEngros Johs Olsen and the Wittusen & Jensen divisions, about why wholesalers need to take the lead, what success looks like, and how initiatives like this pilot can pave the way for a more transparent and future-ready market. 

1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself—your background and your role in the company? 

I sit on the ownership side of the company and hold overall responsibility for sustainability across NorEngros Johs. Olsen and Wittusen & Jensen. I also represent our companies in the national sustainability working group for the NorEngros chain.  

My role is to ensure direction, alignment, and execution in a field that is becoming increasingly important. I work across the organization to translate requirements and strategy into concrete actions and ensure we stay ahead of regulations while raising industry standards.

 I’m driven by building structure, creating clarity, and integrating sustainability as a natural part of the business—not as an add-on. For me, it’s about creating long-term value for our customers, our suppliers, and the company we are leading. 

2. Why now? What made this the right moment for a wholeseller like NorEngros to explore Digital Product Passports, and how does it align with your long-term vision? 

The timing is right because the industry is undergoing major change, and EU regulations will soon transform how products are documented and traced. For us, this is about more than compliance—it’s about being proactive and building competence before requirements take effect. 

Introducing DPPs now gives us deeper insight into processes and helps set clear expectations for suppliers while enabling customers to make informed choices. DPPs provide a structured, accessible way to share product data—strengthening transparency across the value chain. 

We’ve started with WJ Profil and promotional products like textiles and electronics, where full life-cycle documentation will soon be mandatory. Our goal is to expand this in 2026. We don’t have all the data yet, but this is the start of an evolving process. 

For us, a Digital Product Passport is a living document, continuously updated by suppliers to ensure accurate information. This approach helps raise industry standards and integrate sustainability into our core business. 

3. Many companies see sustainability as a regulatory requirement and are still waiting to learn what will become mandatory and when. You, on the other hand, have a forward-thinking mindset. How do you view sustainability as a competitive advantage—and how can technology like Repass help unlock that potential? 

Transparency is becoming a competitive factor, and acting early gives us an advantage. Our products are simple and widely used, but produced in high volumes, so we need to understand the footprint we contribute. 

Repass helps by structuring data collection, simplifying supplier communication, and giving customers credible information on climate impact, materials, and circularity. This improves negotiations, decision-making, and the credibility of our sustainability communication—creating real value for customers. 

Ultimately, transparency will divide the market between those who adapt and those who don’t. Acting now creates a domino effect: we become a catalyst for change, pushing the market toward a new way of presenting, selecting, and evaluating products. It also challenges us to be more critical of our own range. Do we need so many variants, or could we be more specific? 

4. Promotional products, and even branded clothing, are sometimes criticized for being short-lived or “disposable.” How can initiatives like this pilot project help shift that perception and demonstrate real circular value across your product range—from uniforms to promotional items? 

We want to change the view that these products are disposable. These products are part of our business model, so instead of stepping back and avoiding responsibility, we’re taking an active role in improving them and showcasing transparency. 

DPPs document materials, repairability, recyclability, and durability. Many products have a long lifespan when maintained properly, and DPPs help communicate that. This approach also allows us to think more innovatively about our product range and shows that promotional products can fit into a circular economy. 

5. What do you see as the biggest challenge in making this pilot project a success? 
Challenges could range from data fragmentation and supplier information to decision-making and external communication—but what stands out most from your perspective? 

The biggest challenge is data quality and availability from suppliers, especially international ones outside the EU. There are big differences among partners—some already have reliable, high-quality data that can be integrated directly into our systems, while others are far from that. It’s a culture shift that requires new routines and expectations. 

These challenges are also opportunities. The pilot lets us test, refine, and prioritize before scaling. Regulations are coming, and our role is to respond strategically. From my perspective, this pilot is the start of something bigger for our market and for our business. 

6. If this pilot succeeds, what would success look like for a wholesaler—not just internally, but across your supply chain and customer base? 

Success means clear data flow from suppliers to customers and documenting each product's circular potential in a way customers understand. It means scaling insights across NorEngros and making suppliers see this as an improvement - not a burden.

Ultimately, success is when consumers use this information to make informed choices. The market is becoming more critical, and we’re in the middle of a generational shift. Gen Z, for example, will be even more informed and demanding—they will ask questions and expect transparency. If we continue operating as we have for the past 20 years, we won’t have a market to sell in. That’s why we need to stay ahead and speak to future generations. 

To succeed, we must make this information light, user-friendly, and easily accessible. These factors will determine whether buyers give us a green light or a red light. For us, success is not just compliance—it’s creating real value for customers and suppliers. 

7. Do you see wholesalers as pioneers in this space? How do you plan to influence others in your industry to follow suit? 

Yes. Wholesalers sit at the center of the value chain, connecting manufacturers and end-users. This gives us a unique position to gather data, standardize processes, and push requirements. By taking the lead and demonstrating that this is possible in practice—and that it creates real value—we can open the door for the rest of the industry.  

This isn’t just about compliance with regulations, although that will eventually be mandatory. It’s about starting now, because collecting and structuring this data will take time, and frankly, we already feel a little behind. Acting early lets us shape the market rather than react to it. 

We also see this as taking responsibility. The reality is that the market is flooded with brands like Temu and other companies operating without transparency or ethical standards. While most Norwegian wholesalers are reliable and compliant, companies outside Europe often lack regulations and accountability. This creates a challenge because, in the end, purchasing decisions often come down to price—and that’s hard to compete with. That’s our competition today, and price often wins. We can’t change global economics, but we can set higher standards and show that sustainability matters. If we succeed, we’ll not only comply with regulations but also strengthen trust and credibility in an increasingly competitive and complex environment. 

8. What would you say to companies that hesitate to invest in transparency and digitalization? 

My advice is simple: start now—even if you don’t have all the answers or all the data. Waiting will only make the transition more costly and complex once regulations take effect. Map the data you have, run small pilots like we’re doing with Repass, and involve suppliers early. 

Use technology that simplifies the process and connects systems together. Solutions like Repass make it easier to structure data and create transparency without complexity. And remember, digitalization isn’t just compliance—it’s building a future-ready business. For us, Repass helps turn challenges into opportunities. 

This pilot marks a turning point for the wholesale industry—moving beyond compliance toward a future defined by transparency, circularity, and digital innovation. By acting early, NorEngros and WJ Profil are setting a new standard for accountability and customer value. 

Sara Rakstang, CEO of Repass, puts it: “This pilot is more than a technical exercise—it’s a signal of where the industry is heading. By embracing transparency and digital innovation, WJ Profil is demonstrating leadership in a market that increasingly demands accountability, creativity, and measurable sustainability. For us at Repass, partnering with a company that sees beyond compliance and invests in future-proof solutions is exactly what drives meaningful change. This collaboration is not just about technology—it’s about shaping a new standard for trust and circular value in branded products and workwear.” 

Together, this collaboration shows how technology and leadership can transform challenges into opportunities—creating a blueprint for the future of wholesale. 

Portrait photo of Andrea: © Bring