Glossary
A reference for all terminology used across Traceable documentation, the EU Battery Regulation, and supply chain compliance.
A
Annex XIII The annex within EU Regulation 2023/1542 that specifies the mandatory data requirements for industrial battery Digital Product Passports. It defines minimum fields across categories including identification, electrochemical performance, safety, and supply chain due diligence.
Authorised Representative An individual or legal entity established within the European Union, appointed in writing by a manufacturer located outside the EU to carry out regulatory obligations on their behalf. Authorised representatives are responsible for ensuring the battery products they represent comply with EU law.
Audit Log A chronological, tamper-evident record of all actions taken by users within a Traceable account. Every create, update, delete, and publish event is captured with a timestamp, user identity, and resource reference.
B
Battery Passport The common term for a Digital Product Passport specifically covering a battery. The EU Battery Regulation uses the terms interchangeably. Traceable generates Battery Passports that satisfy the requirements of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542.
Battery Category The classification of a battery based on its intended application and energy capacity. EU Regulation 2023/1542 defines five categories: EV batteries, industrial batteries, LMT batteries, SLI batteries, and portable batteries. Each category has different compliance timelines and data requirements.
Blockchain Anchor A cryptographic proof recorded on a public or permissioned blockchain that certifies the contents of a DPP at a specific point in time. Anchoring a DPP creates an immutable record linking the document hash to a block, providing third-party verifiable evidence that the DPP has not been altered since anchoring. (Phase 2 — planned feature, not yet available in the current platform release.)
C
Carbon Footprint One of the core data requirements in the EU Battery Regulation. Expressed in CO₂ equivalent per kilowatt-hour of the battery's total energy capacity (kg CO₂e/kWh), it covers the entire lifecycle: raw material extraction, manufacturing, transport, use phase, and end-of-life.
Carbon Footprint Performance Class A standardised grading (A through E, with thresholds defined by the EU) that indicates how a battery's carbon footprint compares to reference values for its category. Required for EV batteries from specified enforcement dates.
CAS Number Chemical Abstracts Service registry number — a unique numeric identifier assigned to every chemical substance. Required when declaring hazardous substances in battery materials.
Certificate of Conformity A document issued by a manufacturer or an accredited notified body attesting that a product meets all applicable legal requirements. Traceable allows certificates to be uploaded, tracked, and associated with specific DPPs.
Company Portal The Traceable interface used by operators (manufacturers, importers, distributors, and authorised representatives) to create products, manage compliance documentation, and publish Digital Product Passports. Also referred to as the Operator Portal.
Compliance Score A Traceable-internal metric that reflects how completely a product's DPP fields have been filled in relative to the mandatory fields for its battery category. It is a progress indicator, not a legal certification.
Controller Under GDPR, the legal entity that determines the purposes and means of processing personal data. Traceable acts as a controller in respect of the data you provide about your company and users.
D
Data Processing Agreement (DPA) A legally binding contract between a controller and a processor that governs how personal data is handled. Required under GDPR Article 28 whenever a controller engages a third-party processor.
Data Request A formal request sent from an operator through Traceable to a linked supplier, asking for specific material or component data needed to complete a DPP. Suppliers receive, review, and respond to data requests through the Supplier Portal.
Data Subject Under GDPR, a natural person whose personal data is being processed. In the context of Traceable, this includes registered users and any individuals whose contact details are stored.
Declaration of Conformity A formal statement by a manufacturer (or authorised representative) that a product complies with all applicable EU directives and regulations. Traceable provides digital declaration management tied to specific products and battery categories.
DID (Decentralised Identifier) A globally unique, self-sovereign identifier that does not require a central registry. Traceable assigns each company a DID to serve as the root of their digital identity, enabling cryptographically verifiable claims about their products and organisation. (Phase 2 — planned feature, not yet available in the current platform release.)
Distributor An entity in the supply chain that makes a battery available on the EU market after it has been placed there by the manufacturer or importer. Distributors have obligations under EU Battery Regulation including due diligence and record-keeping requirements.
DPP (Digital Product Passport) A structured, machine-readable record that holds the lifecycle data of a physical product. Under EU Regulation 2023/1542, batteries above defined thresholds are required to have a DPP accessible via a data carrier (typically a QR code). The DPP contains identity, composition, performance, supply chain, and end-of-life data.
DPP Slug
The unique URL-safe identifier assigned to each product DPP in Traceable. Used to access the public DPP viewer and the API endpoints (e.g., /api/dpp/ultracell-evb500-2024).
Due Diligence The process of identifying and addressing actual or potential adverse impacts related to human rights, labour rights, and environmental standards in a company's supply chain. Required under the EU Battery Regulation and referenced in the DPP supply chain section.
E
ESPR (Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation) EU Regulation 2024/1781 that establishes a framework for setting ecodesign requirements across a wide range of product categories, including a mandate for digital product passports. ESPR is broader than the Battery Regulation and will eventually cover textiles, electronics, furniture, and more.
EV Battery A rechargeable battery with a capacity greater than 2 kWh intended primarily for the propulsion of electric vehicles. EV batteries have the most extensive DPP requirements under EU Regulation 2023/1542, including carbon footprint, recycled content, state of health, and supply chain due diligence fields.
G
GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) EU Regulation 2016/679. Governs the collection, processing, and storage of personal data for individuals in the European Union. Traceable's data handling practices are designed in accordance with GDPR.
I
Importer An entity established in the EU that places a battery from a third-country manufacturer on the EU market. Importers carry significant compliance obligations under EU Battery Regulation, including ensuring the manufacturer has met all DPP requirements before the battery is placed on the market.
Industrial Battery A battery designed for industrial applications that is not a portable battery, EV battery, SLI battery, or LMT battery, and includes batteries used in stationary energy storage systems with energy content above 2 kWh. Subject to Annex XIII requirements.
J
JSON-LD (JSON Linked Data)
A method of encoding Linked Data using JSON. Traceable exports DPP data in JSON-LD format via the /api/dpp/[slug]/jsonld endpoint, enabling interoperability with other systems and machine-readable consumption of DPP content following structured data standards.
L
LMT Battery (Light Means of Transport Battery) A battery intended to power light electric vehicles such as e-bikes, e-scooters, and e-mopeds. LMT batteries are subject to specific DPP requirements under EU Regulation 2023/1542, with compliance enforcement dates in 2026.
Lifecycle State The publication status of a DPP in Traceable. A DPP can be in Draft (editable, not publicly accessible) or Published (publicly accessible via QR code and API).
M
Manufacturer An entity that manufactures a battery and places it on the market under its own name or trademark, or designs and manufactures a battery and markets it under their own name. Manufacturers have the most comprehensive compliance obligations under EU Battery Regulation.
Material In Traceable, a material is a discrete substance or component uploaded by a supplier to describe the composition of what they supply. Materials can have associated certificates, CAS numbers, and composition data.
Module Access A Traceable feature that controls which platform capabilities are enabled for a given company account. Modules can be toggled on or off by the Traceable admin team based on subscription plan.
N
Notified Body An organisation designated by an EU Member State to assess the conformity of certain products before they are placed on the EU market. Notified bodies may be involved in issuing certificates referenced in a DPP.
O
Operator In Traceable, the term for a company using the Company Portal. Operators are the entity legally responsible for placing a battery on the EU market and maintaining the associated DPP. They may be manufacturers, importers, distributors, or authorised representatives.
OperatorType
The classification of an operator's role within the supply chain. Traceable uses four values: MANUFACTURER, IMPORTER, DISTRIBUTOR, AUTHORISED_REPRESENTATIVE. This classification affects the default fields shown in the DPP form and the compliance obligations displayed.
P
Portable Battery A battery that is sealed, can be hand-carried by an average person, is not an industrial, EV, SLI, or LMT battery, and has an energy content at or below 2 kWh. Portable batteries include consumer electronics batteries and small power tools batteries.
PoLI (Person of Legal Interest) Under the EU Battery Regulation, a Person of Legal Interest is an authority or entity (such as a national market surveillance authority or customs authority) with a legal right to access non-public, restricted data fields in a battery DPP. Traceable provides a dedicated PoLI access request workflow.
Processor Under GDPR, an entity that processes personal data on behalf of a controller. Traceable's sub-processors include Supabase, Vercel, Resend, and Sentry — all operating within the EU.
Published DPP A DPP that has been explicitly published by the operator. Once published, the DPP is accessible via its public QR code URL and the Traceable public API. Published DPPs are immutable unless the operator creates a new version.
Q
QR Code A machine-readable data carrier attached to or printed on a physical battery that links to its Digital Product Passport. The EU Battery Regulation requires a QR code on the physical battery that resolves to the DPP's public URL. Traceable generates and manages QR codes per product.
R
Recycled Content The proportion, by weight, of materials in a battery derived from waste recovery and recycling rather than virgin extraction. The EU Battery Regulation mandates minimum recycled content thresholds for cobalt, lithium, lead, and nickel in EV, industrial, and SLI batteries, with declared percentages required in the DPP.
Right to Erasure (Article 17 GDPR) The right of a data subject to request deletion of their personal data. Traceable processes deletion requests within 30 days.
Right to Portability (Article 20 GDPR) The right of a data subject to receive their personal data in a structured, machine-readable format. Traceable provides a data export function in the Account Settings under Privacy & Consent.
S
SLI Battery (Start-Light-Ignition Battery) A battery primarily designed to provide starting power, lighting, or ignition to a vehicle. SLI batteries are subject to registration and labelling requirements under EU Battery Regulation 2023/1542.
State of Health (SoH) A measure of a battery's current condition relative to its original specifications, expressed as a percentage. Required in EV battery DPPs and relevant for second-life battery use cases.
Supplier A company that provides materials, components, or sub-assemblies to an operator. In Traceable, suppliers use the Supplier Portal to receive data requests, upload material data, and share certificates.
Supplier Scoreboard A Traceable feature that aggregates supplier response rate, data completeness, and certificate validity into a composite score per supplier. Used by operators to assess supply chain data quality.
T
Traceability Record A structured record in Traceable that documents a link in the supply chain for a specific product — for example, the relationship between a battery cell supplier and a battery pack manufacturer. Traceability records contribute to supply chain due diligence requirements.
U
Upstream The portion of the supply chain that precedes the manufacturer — raw material extraction, processing, and component manufacturing. The EU Battery Regulation requires upstream supply chain data (particularly for cobalt, lithium, nickel, and natural graphite) to be included in EV and industrial battery DPPs.
V
Verifiable Credential A tamper-evident, cryptographically signed credential that adheres to the W3C Verifiable Credentials standard. Traceable issues verifiable credentials to operators and suppliers to assert verified attributes about their identity or compliance status. (Phase 2 — planned feature, not yet available in the current platform release.)
Verifier A third-party entity engaged to review and validate the documentation, claims, or fields within a DPP. In Traceable, verifiers use the Verifier Portal to receive tasks, review evidence, and record their decision. Their activity is logged and associated with the relevant DPP.
Verifier Portal The Traceable interface used by verification companies and independent verifiers. Provides a queue-based workflow for reviewing DPP submissions and recording approvals or rejections.