Blockchain anchors
Blockchain anchoring is a planned feature scheduled for a future release. This page describes how the feature will work when it becomes available. The Anchor DPP option does not currently appear in the Company Portal. If you need tamper-evidence of DPP state right now, use Digital Signatures and the Audit Trail, both of which are available today.
Blockchain anchoring creates an immutable, independently verifiable timestamp of a DPP's state by recording a cryptographic hash of the DPP content on a public blockchain. Once anchored, anyone can verify that the DPP data has not been altered since the anchor was recorded — without relying on Traceable as the sole source of trust.
What Anchoring Means
When you anchor a DPP, Traceable:
- Computes a SHA-256 hash of the complete DPP data payload at that moment in time — all field values, associated document references, and metadata.
- Submits that hash as a transaction to a public blockchain network.
- Records the returned transaction hash, block number, and timestamp.
The blockchain transaction contains only the hash, not the DPP data itself. No personal data, product specifications, or commercially sensitive information is written to the blockchain. The DPP data remains on Traceable's servers; the blockchain records only the cryptographic fingerprint.
Because blockchain transactions are append-only and distributed across thousands of independent nodes, the timestamp and hash are permanently recorded and cannot be altered, deleted, or back-dated by any party — including Traceable.
When to Anchor
Anchoring is most valuable at these points in the DPP lifecycle:
- After initial publication — creates a baseline record of the DPP at launch. This is the recommended practice for all published DPPs.
- After completing a major update and republishing — records the state of the new version. If the DPP is later disputed, you can show exactly what it said at each anchored point in time.
- Before a regulatory audit or submission — provides a timestamped proof that the DPP contained specific data values as of the audit date.
- After a third-party verification is completed — records that the DPP was in a verified state at a specific point.
Anchoring is not mandatory in the current version of EU Battery Regulation 2023/1542, but it provides a tamper-evidence layer that strengthens the defensibility of your DPP data in a regulatory or legal context.
How to Anchor a DPP
- Open the product you want to anchor.
- Ensure the product is in Published status. Only published DPPs can be anchored. Draft products cannot be anchored.
- In the product options menu (the three-dot menu in the top-right corner), click Anchor DPP.
- A confirmation dialog shows:
- The current published version number
- The hash that will be submitted (displayed as a 64-character hexadecimal string)
- A notice that this action is irreversible and will incur the blockchain network transaction cost (a small gas fee for the network, covered by Traceable — there is no additional charge to you)
- Click Confirm and Anchor.
The transaction is submitted immediately. Confirmation that the transaction has been included in a block typically takes 30–90 seconds, depending on network conditions. You can leave the page — Traceable will notify you when the anchor is confirmed.
Reading the Anchor Proof
Once the anchor transaction is confirmed, the product record shows an Anchor Proof section. This contains:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Anchor timestamp | The UTC date and time the transaction was confirmed on the blockchain |
| Blockchain network | The public blockchain network used (e.g., Ethereum Mainnet, Polygon) |
| Transaction hash | The unique identifier of the blockchain transaction containing the DPP hash. This is a 66-character hexadecimal string beginning with 0x. |
| Block number | The block height at which the transaction was confirmed |
| DPP hash | The SHA-256 hash of the DPP data payload that was anchored |
| DPP version | The version number of the DPP that was anchored |
A product can have multiple anchor records if it has been anchored at multiple points (e.g., once on initial publication and again after a major revision). All anchor records are retained and visible in the Anchor History tab.
Verifying an Anchor Externally
The value of anchoring is that it can be independently verified by any third party without relying on Traceable's own systems. Here is how external verification works:
For a Verifier, Auditor, or Regulator
- Obtain the transaction hash from the Anchor Proof section of the DPP.
- Look up the transaction on a public blockchain explorer (e.g., Etherscan for Ethereum, Polygonscan for Polygon). Enter the transaction hash in the explorer's search box.
- Find the transaction data — the DPP hash is stored in the transaction's
input datafield, displayed as a hexadecimal string. - Recompute the hash from the DPP data — use the Verify Anchor button on the public DPP viewer page, which performs this check automatically. Alternatively, a technically skilled auditor can compute a SHA-256 hash independently from the raw DPP JSON export (available via
GET /api/dpp/{slug}) and compare it with the hash recorded in the blockchain transaction. - Compare — if the hash from the blockchain matches the hash computed from the current DPP data, the DPP has not been altered since the anchor was recorded. If the hashes do not match, the DPP has been modified since that anchor.
The public DPP viewer includes a Verify Anchor button that performs this check automatically and displays the result in plain language.
Limitations of Anchoring
Anchoring is a strong tamper-evidence mechanism, but it is important to understand what it does and does not do:
Anchoring does not replace legal conformity declarations. A blockchain anchor proves that data existed in a certain form at a certain time. It does not certify that the data is accurate, that the product meets applicable standards, or that the operator has performed the required conformity assessment procedures. Legal conformity is demonstrated through your Declaration of Conformity, test reports, and compliance management processes.
Anchoring does not prevent changes to a DPP. You can still update a DPP after it has been anchored. The anchor records the state at a point in time; it does not lock the DPP from future editing. Subsequent anchors can record later states. The anchor history shows each anchored state chronologically.
Anchoring does not guarantee the DPP data is correct. If incorrect data was published and then anchored, the anchor proves the incorrect data was published at that time. It does not validate the accuracy of the data.
Anchoring is contingent on the blockchain network. Public blockchains are decentralised and not controlled by Traceable. While established public blockchain networks have an exceptionally strong track record of data permanence, blockchain technology itself involves technical risk. Traceable also retains the anchor records in its own database as a redundant reference.