Digital Product Passport

Topic description

ExpectedOutcome:

• Deployed and validated at scale and real life setting Digital Product Passports in at least two value chains.
• Report on further needs for standardisation and specifications to ensure interoperability, security and acceptance by all the stakeholders.
• Recommendations based on the lessons learnt for the deployments of DPP in other value chains.

• To enable sharing of key product related information that are essential for products’ sustainability and circularity, including those specified in Annex III of ESPR proposal, across all the relevant economic actors. Consequently, to accelerate the transition to circular economy, boosting material and energy efficiency, extending products lifetimes and optimizing products design, manufacturing, use and end of life handling.
• To provide new business opportunities to economic actors through circular value retention and optimisation (for example product-as-a-service activities, improved repair, servicing, remanufacturing, and recycling) based on improved access to data;
• To help consumers in making sustainable choices; and
• To allow authorities to verify compliance with legal obligations.

Support one Pilot action that will demonstrate in real setting and at scale DPPs in at least 2 value chains (product categories) with a preference to those with long and complex supply chain and/or challenging repair, refurbishment and recycling. This DPP information system should rely on international or European standards in the following areas: data carriers and unique identifiers, access rights management, Interoperability (technical, semantic, organisation) including data exchange protocols and formats, data storage, data processing (introduction, modification, update), data authentication, reliability, and integrity, data security and privacy. Where possible, this will consist in using the smart cloud-to-edge middleware platform Simpl. The access to information included in the DPP should be role-dependent (i.e., differentiated by stakeholder type). The full interoperability of the same DPP information system among different supply chains should be one of the characteristics tested and proven by the pilot.

The pilot will build on the available results of the Coordination and support action (CIRPASS)as well as other relevant initiatives. It will also consider the appropriateness of the latest tracking and tracing technologies, internet of things systems, distributed ledger technologies, cybersecurity methods and cloud technologies and infrastructures (such as GAIA-X).

A specific contribution is expected on demonstrating at large scale the feasibility of acquiring, managing and securely sharing the data held or generated by operators such as supply chain actors, manufacturers, resellers, repairers, remanufacturers, and recyclers, along these value chains for which an access by other relevant stakeholders would have a major beneficial impact on circularity and sustainability.

The real-life deployment should validate and further improve protocols for secure and tailored access for the relevant stakeholders. It should test in real life setting 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. This pilot will build on existing open international and European standards with the aim to provide for a consistent operational framework.