Digital product passports for a circular economy: Data needs for product life cycle decision-making

TLDR

Digital product passports are proposed to support circular‑economy decision‑making across product life cycles, yet their content remains uncertain due to nascent concepts and weak industrial adoption, with research identifying seven key data clusters. This multiple‑case study in a mechatronics setting investigates the data needs of digital product passports and suggests extending the inquiry to other industries. The study collected interviews from OEMs, customers, service partners, suppliers, and recyclers, and surveyed each data point for importance, availability, and sensitivity. Actors differ in data needs, but data exchange and supporting infrastructure are immature; policymakers should phase roll‑outs and managers should redesign data flows for reverse supply chains.

Abstract

Digital product passports have been proposed as a policy instrument to enable decision-making throughout product life cycles in favour of a circular economy. However, due to nascent conceptualisation and weak industrial embeddedness, the contents of such an instrument are a source of uncertainty. Situated in a mechatronics context, this multiple-case study explores the data needs for digital product passports. Extant research reveals seven data clusters: (1) usage and maintenance, (2) product identification, (3) products and materials, (4) guidelines and manuals, (5) supply chain and reverse logistics, (6) environmental data and (7) compliance. To contextualise these clusters, interviews with three original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) as well as their respective customers, service partners, suppliers and third-party recycling companies were conducted. Through a survey, each specific data point was assessed in terms of importance, availability and sensitivity. The findings show differentiating needs for data across these actors, yet the exchange of data and its supporting infrastructure for closing resource loops remain at low maturity. Consequently, policymakers are recommended to roll out digital product passports in gradual stages, while industrial managers should proactively reconfigure data flows to account for decision-making in a reverse supply chain. Future research is encouraged to explore the use of digital product passports for decision-making in other industries.