On June 9, 2026, The Hashgraph Group (THG) and Merck announced a significant technical collaboration aimed at developing an EU Digital Product Passport solution using Hedera technology. This partnership integrates THG’s TrackTrace supply chain platform with Merck’s M-Trust physical authentication technology. The initiative aims to ensure enterprises can authenticate their products, confirm their sourcing, and withstand regulatory scrutiny, addressing a critical gap that digital records alone cannot cover.
Stefan Deiss, CEO and Co-Founder of THG, emphasized the importance of validating physical products in high-stakes supply chains: “Digital records alone are not sufficient for high-stakes supply chains. Enterprises need to prove the physical product is genuine, not just the paperwork.”
THG’s TrackTrace platform, launched in February 2026, serves as a managed enterprise solution for achieving supply chain transparency. By utilizing Hedera’s distributed ledger, TrackTrace collects and records comprehensive product data, including origin, ethical sourcing, carbon emissions, quality assurance, and durability. Each tracked item receives a unique decentralized identifier (DID), creating an immutable audit trail accessible to authorized third parties without reliance on central authorities. The system has been developed to comply with the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR).
TrackTrace is part of a wider suite of products that THG has rolled out recently, including IDTrust, a self-sovereign identity platform launched in August 2025; EcoGuard, a carbon credit platform introduced in December 2025; and BrandBoost, a gamification tool released in May 2026. Collectively, these platforms contribute to an evolving enterprise infrastructure on the Hedera network.
Merck’s M-Trust technology directly addresses the limitations of digital records by embedding invisible security markers into products or their packaging using patented pigment technology. This innovative solution is designed to verify physical authenticity in real time with a handheld scanner, while also cryptographically signing the verification, ensuring it is securely recorded on Hedera. This integration provides a link between the physical product and its digital passport.
Dr. Thomas Endress, Executive Director and Head of M-Trust at Merck, highlighted the importance of their collaboration, stating, “Integrating M-Trust’s verification with TrackTrace’s digital traceability creates end-to-end trust infrastructure that enterprises and regulators are asking for.” Merck became involved in this partnership through The Hashgraph Association’s Enterprise Accelerator Program, which facilitates connections between enterprises and Hedera-based solutions.
Regulatory pressures are driving the demand for such robust solutions. The EU Digital Product Passport requirement is part of the ESPR, which mandates detailed disclosures regarding product origin, composition, sustainability, and lifecycle information. As large companies face a compliance deadline of December 30, 2026, the EU’s Central DPP Registry is set to go live in July 2026, with additional product-category requirements being phased in through to 2030. Importantly, these rules will impact products entering the EU market, meaning that companies outside the bloc must also provide compliant digital records.
An additional layer of urgency is introduced by the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which requires importers of commodities like cocoa, coffee, and timber to provide verified farm-level traceability data. The rise in food fraud within high-value commodities has been noted, particularly in light of soaring prices and stricter documentation requirements. The EUDR mandates traceable proof of sourcing, which TrackTrace and M-Trust are designed to meet by combining verifiable origin data with physical product authentication.
The teamed system primarily targets regulated industries, particularly pharmaceuticals and luxury goods, where counterfeiting can have severe financial and safety implications. The focus also encompasses food and agriculture, electronics, and industrial sectors, where verifiable proof of authenticity and compliance is in high demand. The integration of immutable ledger records with physical authentication scans covers both regulatory compliance and anti-counterfeiting needs simultaneously.
A pilot project showcasing the supply chain capabilities of this collaboration is currently in development and will be announced shortly. Previous deployments of similar platforms have been successfully executed with government institutions in countries like India and the Philippines. This new partnership is set to extend THG’s established infrastructure into European regulated markets, with less than seven months remaining until the compliance deadline. The integration of Hedera-based digital traceability and physical authentication aims to comprehensively address both digital and physical product verification needs for enterprises in the lead-up to this crucial cutoff.
