Digital Product Passports as Enablers of Digital Circular Economy: a Framework based on Technological Perspective

Taking into consideration the rise of Industry 5.0 (I5.0), more and more solutions are being developed, aiming towards increased environmental consciousness through advanced technologies, and human centricity. Digital Product Passports (DPPs) constitute a novel technological solution that can enable the transition toward a digital Circular Economy (CE) and sustainable I5.0, as digital identities that are assigned to physical products, capable of tracing their lifecycles through data such as their technical specifications, usage instructions, and repair and maintenance information. Although the respective research community has started providing a thorough analysis of DPPs potential to constitute a CE enabler, their technical requirements are still unclear. As part of our contribution to this issue, we propose a fundamental CE framework with integrated DPP characteristics, capable of being adapted in different sector stages for the generation and distribution of DPPs both for stakeholders and consumers. The corresponding solution is further supported through a systematic literature review that follows a technological approach to the DPPs implementation.