Gamechanger for Circularity and Data Economy

Prof. Thomas Knothe and Theresa Riedelsheimer lead international standardization committees on digital product passports and support associations and companies in introducing them.

What is a digital product passport and what does it offer? 

Riedelsheimer: 

From February 2027, the EU will require digital product passports (DPP) for traction, two-wheeler and industrial batteries. Passport requirements for other product categories will follow step by step. A DPP can be understood as a digital ID card that contains a chain of information documenting a product through its entire life cycle. This begins with material extraction and continues through production and use all the way to end of life.

Knothe:

The aim behind this is to allow us to trace environmental effects as well as social aspects in the supply chain and thus, for example, reduce environmental impact and promote reuse in the long term.

© Ivan Milovanov / IM Imagery OU
An electric car battery moves along the production line in an automotive factory.

What are the main challenges? 

Riedelsheimer:

The EU provides comprehensive regulation, but implementation is not yet detailed in many areas. Companies are faced with several questions: How should we collect the required data, how do we guarantee data security and the consistent calculation of indicators? Not to mention the global dimension – the regulation applies to all products that enter the European market, including those from non-European suppliers and OEMs. There is a great need for coordination and standardization. 

Knothe:

All of this causes uncertainty for companies in terms of costs and operational expenses and therefore the competitiveness of their products. In addition, many companies find it difficult to take advantage of the benefits of DPPs beyond just regulatory compliance, even though some excellent examples of this already exist. For instance in the area of product traceability, where products are traced after being sold and service offerings can be created based on this.

How do you support companies? 

Knothe:

We address three levels. Firstly, in standardization, we are pushing for a technical framework that is both practical and cost-effective. Secondly, we support associations in order to create industry-specific solutions that benefit many members equally. Thirdly, our process-oriented solutions bridge the gap between existing components in a company and complete systems that meet regulatory requirements and increase value for the company at the same time.

Riedelsheimer:

On a technical level, we are promoting the integration with processes and systems in the companies. Some of the data is usually already available, for example in product development. This data must be passed along the chain – key words being interoperability and cross-company data exchange. We provide support in developing the necessary IT architecture, data models and interfaces – as well as software applications. In Catena-X and Aerospace-X, we apply this to circular economy topics using batteries and other components as examples.

Weitere Informationen

 

Research project

Battery Pass

The "Battery Pass" project is developing frameworks and recommendations in terms of content and technology for implementing the European product passport for batteries.

 

Research project

Catena-X

Catena-X is an initiative to create a common data infrastructure for the entire automotive value chain. 

Research project

Aerospace-X

Aerospace-X develops a collaborative ecosystem for sustainability and circular economy in the aviation industry and future-proofs supply chains through digitalization and data sovereignty.