Digital Product Passport: sustainable and circular systems

Outcomes and deliverables

Delivery of at least 3 digital product passport prototypes, one in each of the 3 key value chains mentioned above, including agreement on data and system architectures. The work will support the goals of the Green Deal and in particular Circular Economy Action Plan’s Sustainable Product Initiative, the EU Digital strategy’s Circular Electronics Initiative and the EU Data strategy by improving product sustainability, boosting material and energy efficiency, enabling new business models and circular value extraction based on data sharing.

The work should also contribute to enhanced concertation of stakeholders, provision of a roadmap for open and standardised approaches for viable use of product passport based on digital innovations that is beneficial in terms of environmental sustainability and circular business opportunities. The results are also expected to support the EU Single Market providing consistent information about products, across the value chain and borders, to business, customers and authorities.

The Sustainable Products Initiative foreseen in the new Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP, COM(2020) 98 final) should establish a Digital Product Passport (DPP) that gathers data on a product and its value chain. The objective of the DPP is to support sustainable production, to enable the transition to circular economy, to provide new business opportunities to economic actors, to support consumers in making sustainable choices and to allow authorities to verify compliance with legal obligations.

The objective of this Coordination and Support Action as is to prepare the ground for a gradual deployment as of 2023 of digital product passport in minimum 3 key value chains: electronics (at least consumer electronics), batteries as defined in and considered in the proposal for a Regulation on batteries and at least another one of the key value chains identified in CEAP (“Priority will be given to addressing product groups identified in the context of the value chains featuring in this Action Plan, such as electronics, ICT and textiles but also furniture and high impact intermediary products such as steel, cement and chemicals.” (CEAP).

Specific contribution is expected on identifying the key DPP data in consultation with private and public stakeholders, as well as establishing protocols for secure and tailored access for relevant stakeholders. The work will also contribute to the development of standardized and open digital solutions for identification, tracking, mapping and sharing of product information along its life-cycle ensuring interoperability across borders and a well-functioning EU Internal Market.

Particular emphasis should be given to balanced and inclusive engagement of all relevant stakeholders throughout the value chain and to optimal use of digital technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things and blockchain.

Deliverables should include a roadmap with milestones for a gradual deployment of DPP and delivery of DPP prototypes in electronics, batteries and another one or more key value chains of the CEAP, based on analysis of existing and upcoming legislation, existing standards, past and ongoing activities related to dataspaces and product passport in these sectors. While different product groups will have different information requirements, a common data set to enable cross-sectoral use, interoperable and consistent standards, systems and classifications should also be proposed. The business model to ensure the continuity of the product passport development and use has to be addressed.

This CSA will support the establishment of an interoperable data space building on and linking to manufacturing dataspaces (see section 2.2.1.4) and other available and relevant data sources. The awarded consortium will work in partnership with the Data Spaces Support Centre (see topic 2.2.2.1) in order to ensure alignment with the Smart Middleware Platform developed under topic 2.1.1, and actions in the context of section 2.2.1 of this Work Programme, and in particular:

* the data space reference architecture, building blocks and common toolboxes to be used;

* the common standards, including semantic standards and interoperability protocols, both domain-specific and crosscutting;

* The data governance models, business models and strategies for running data spaces.

Implementation: Executive Agency