Publication Details
Abstract
Digital Product Passports (DPPs) are becoming a central digital infrastructure for the circular economy because they enable cross-organizational data exchange and improve life-cycle management of products. Building on a systematic review of academic literature, regulatory documents, and publicly available evidence from ongoing DPP deployments, this thesis develops a generalized conceptual model of the DPP value ecosystem. The model specifies the roles of suppliers, manufacturers, consumers, end-of-life actors (repair, refurbishment, recycling, and waste management), and regulators, and clarifies the core information and value flows among them. The study highlights that interoperability (standardized data formats and protocols), reliable global identifiers and data carriers (e.g., QR codes linked to unique digital identifiers), and confidentiality-preserving data exchange (access control and modern cryptographic approaches) are decisive factors for scaling DPPs across supply chains. Practical cases (e.g., consumer-facing transparency and anti-counterfeiting applications) demonstrate that DPPs can strengthen supply-chain transparency, compliance assurance, resource efficiency, and consumer trust. Overall, DPPs should be treated not only as a technical tool but as a socio-technical ecosystem that aligns stakeholder incentives, data governance, and circular-economy objectives.