Digital Product Passports as Enabler of the Circular Economy

Abstract Governments and corporations are increasingly adopting circular economy strategies to meet the need of decoupling growth from resource consumption. However, the world economy is far from being circular, with some of the reasons including lack of transparency, standardization, and data sharing. Digitalization can help overcome these challenges, thus making it a key enabler of the circular economy. This review looks at the concept of a digital product passport as a tool for implementing and scaling the circular economy. It discusses opportunities and challenges related to further development and adoption of digital product passports. Finally, it examines the battery passport, drafted in the EU Battery regulation, as one of the first examples of a digital product passport required by law.