CIRPASS-2 Launches to Advance Digital Product Passports
New Initiative to Drive Sustainability, Circular Economy, and Data Interoperability Across Europe
In response to the sustainability and circularity data sharing needs highlighted in the EU Green Deal and the new Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP), the European Commission adopted the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) in March 2022. This regulation establishes the Digital Product Passport (DPP) system, designed to provide essential information on a need-to-know basis to support sustainable production and enable the transition to a circular economy. The DPP aims to boost material and energy efficiency, extend product lifetimes, and optimize product design, manufacturing, use, and end-of-life handling.
Beyond facilitating sustainability and circularity-related data sharing among economic operators along value chains, the DPP is intended to create new business opportunities through digital and circular value retention and optimization, such as product-as-a-service, repair, reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling. It also helps consumers make sustainable choices and allows authorities to verify compliance with legal obligations.
Currently, there are numerous initiatives for such data sharing systems at the industry sector, platform, or individual company level. However, there is a lack of standardization in data definition, data format, and IT infrastructure, which hinders cross-sectoral interoperability. To address this, the EU Commission initiated the CIRPASS Coordination and Support Action (CSA) in October 2022, with the project set to conclude in March 2024. The focus is on batteries, electronics, and textile sectors. By the project’s end, CIRPASS will propose a clear cross-sectoral definition and description of the DPP system, identify key data for circularity, and define requirements for product identification and data exchange protocols to support further legislative and standardization developments.
To ensure inclusivity, an open call for pilot proposals was widely disseminated, forming the CIRPASS-2 project consortium, which will run from May 2024 until April 2027. Alongside 17 partners, CIRPASS-2 will demonstrate functioning Digital Product Passports in real-world settings through circular pilot deployments and use cases in textiles, electrical and electronic equipment, tires, and construction value chains.
CIRPASS-2 will show that the DPP, as a digital transformation initiative, helps strengthen the Union’s resilience and data sovereignty. It will develop a DPP data space fully aligned with Europe’s ongoing efforts in this field (such as SIMPL and DSSC) and emphasize interoperability based on harmonized standards. The focus on open source and architecture will also foster the EU data economy while ensuring compliance with data regulations. By taking the conceptualized DPP and pilot solutions and deploying them at scale, CIRPASS-2 aims to bridge the gap between digital technology research and market deployment. The project will contribute directly to Digital Europe Programme (DEP) objectives through its results and will provide extensive policy and business recommendations to further these goals.
CIRPASS-2 is an Innovation Action project funded by the European Commission’s Digital Europe Programme, running from May 2024 until April 2027. With 13 lighthouse pilots, the project will demonstrate functioning DPPs in real settings and at scale across four target value chains: textiles, electrical and electronic equipment, tires, and construction materials. Additionally, CIRPASS-2 will create a broad community of DPP stakeholders to facilitate the deployment of DPPs in various product sectors across Europe and beyond.
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