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Digital Product Passport and Asset Administration Shell integration
Circular Economy

Unlocking Circular Innovation with Digital Product Passports

How Digital Product Passports and Asset Administration Shells drive sustainability and circular economy practices.

  • Author:  Johnny Alberto Alvarado Domínguez
  • Date:  24/02/2025 12:40

The transition to a circular economy is a cornerstone of the European Union’s sustainability agenda, and the introduction of Digital Product Passports (DPPs) is a pivotal step in this direction. A recent paper from the DACAPO EU project, titled "Asset Administration Shell-Enabled Digital Product Passport Boosting Circular Innovation", explores how the integration of Asset Administration Shell (AAS) principles can accelerate the implementation of DPPs and drive circular innovation.

Authored by Kristiina Valtanen and Leila M. Saari from the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Johnny Alberto Alvarado Domínguez from the AIMEN Technology Centre in Spain, and Giuseppe Landolfi from the DTI – University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, the paper delves into the technical, organizational, and regulatory challenges of implementing DPPs. It also highlights the role of AAS in enabling standardized data exchange, interoperability, and secure data sharing across the product lifecycle.

The European Union (EU) is spearheading a transformative initiative in the manufacturing industry with the introduction of the Digital Product Passport (DPP). This innovative concept aims to revolutionize how products are tracked, managed, and optimized throughout their lifecycle, fostering sustainability and circular innovation. In a recent paper presented at the XXXV ISPIM Innovation Conference, researchers explored how DPPs, when implemented using Asset Administration Shell (AAS) principles, can drive sustainable decision-making and circular economy practices. Here’s a deep dive into the key insights from the paper and what they mean for the future of manufacturing.

 

What is a Digital Product Passport (DPP)?

The DPP is a digital tool designed to store and share comprehensive information about a product across its entire lifecycle—from design and production to use and end-of-life. Introduced by the EU in 2022, the DPP aims to:

  • Support sustainable production by providing transparency into materials, processes, and environmental impacts.
  • Enable the transition to a circular economy (CE) by facilitating reuse, repair, and recycling.
  • Empower consumers to make informed, sustainable choices.
  • Ensure regulatory compliance by providing authorities with verifiable data.

From a technical perspective, the DPP can be seen as a specialized form of a digital twin, focusing on capturing and managing lifecycle data. However, its implementation is complex, requiring interoperability across legal, organizational, semantic, and technical levels. This is where the Asset Administration Shell (AAS) comes into play.

 

The Role of Asset Administration Shell (AAS) in DPP Implementation

The AAS, part of the Platform Industrie 4.0 framework, is a cornerstone for achieving interoperability in manufacturing systems. It provides a standardized way to collect, manage, and exchange data across different systems and organizations. By using AAS, companies can integrate product lifecycle data that is often siloed in disparate systems, enabling seamless data flow from design to disposal.

The paper highlights how DPPs can be implemented as a set of AAS sub-models, allowing for comprehensive integration of product data. This integration is critical for circular innovation, as it enables secure and sovereign data exchange between organizations. For example, AAS-based DPPs can support:

  • Refurbishment and remanufacturing by providing detailed operational data.
  • Recycling and disposal strategies by offering insights into a product’s composition and contaminants.
  • Active knowledge modeling (AKM), which engages stakeholders in creating and refining knowledge for circular innovation.

 

Challenges and Opportunities in DPP Implementation

While the potential of DPPs is immense, their implementation is not without challenges. Companies must adapt or integrate existing IT and data management systems, safeguard confidential information, and ensure long-term accessibility of data. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face additional hurdles, such as limited budgets and technological infrastructure.

However, the paper proposes an agile and lightweight approach to DPP implementation, leveraging AAS principles to minimize complexity. Initiatives like Catena-X and IDTA are already experimenting with AAS-based DPPs, identifying user-friendliness as a key area for improvement. Simplifying the user experience will be crucial for broader stakeholder adoption, particularly for non-experts in AAS.

 

How DPPs Drive Circular Innovation

Improved data access and digital technologies are pivotal for transitioning to a circular economy. The paper emphasizes that comprehensive data access unlocks the potential value of circular systems, enabling optimal decision-making. For instance:

  • Sharing scenarios: DPPs can optimize product use and manufacturing by providing real-time data on product availability and condition.
  • Repairing scenarios: DPPs can extend product life by offering detailed repair instructions and tracking maintenance history.

By integrating DPPs with sustainability assessment tools, companies can achieve:

  1. Comprehensive product information: Detailed insights into design, materials, and environmental impacts.
  2. Real-time updates: Dynamic sustainability indicators that reflect process improvements or material changes.
  3. Traceability and transparency: A digital representation of the product’s journey, promoting trust and responsibility.
  4. Regulatory compliance: Simplified adherence to environmental regulations.
  5. Circular economy integration: Support for recyclability, repairability, and reuse initiatives.

 

Research Insights and Future Directions

The paper outlines an ongoing research process focused on co-creating minimum viable AAS-based DPPs through industrial case studies in consumer electronics, aerospace, and logistics. The research aims to answer critical questions, such as:

  • How can DPPs and digital twins boost circularity and economic sustainability?
  • What are the key considerations for developing DPPs for circular innovation?
  • How can DPP data be collected and utilized efficiently and securely?

The findings will provide actionable insights for companies looking to implement DPPs in an interoperable and efficient manner. By aligning with forthcoming DPP regulations, the European manufacturing industry can gain a competitive edge through advanced digitalization methods and skills.

 

Call for Collaboration and Feedback

The authors invite feedback and collaboration on several fronts:

  1. Experiences with DPP and AAS: What insights have others gained from using DPPs and AAS for circular innovation?
  2. Support for SMEs: How can resource-constrained SMEs best leverage DPPs to drive circular innovation?

 

Conclusion

The integration of DPPs and AAS represents a significant step forward in achieving a circular economy. By providing a standardized, secure, and interoperable platform for managing product lifecycle data, these tools enable sustainable decision-making and foster innovation across the manufacturing value chain. As the EU moves forward with DPP regulations, companies that embrace these technologies will not only comply with new standards but also unlock new opportunities for growth and sustainability.

The journey toward a circular economy is complex, but with collaborative efforts, standardized solutions, and a focus on user-friendly implementation, the vision of a sustainable manufacturing industry is within reach.