Towards an International Digital Product Passport: The New Paradigm of a Worldwide Circular Economy

The circular economy is a concept that promotes implementations aimed at eliminating waste and pollution throughout a product’s life cycle. Many policies, actions, and plans around the world support this economic system. A key emerging technology in this effort is the digital product passport (DPP), which facilitates information exchange among various stakeholders by tracking a product’s lifecycle and providing valuable insights into its environmental impact. Despite its potential, there is limited knowledge on how to implement DPPs globally, as well as on the key requirements, implications, enablers, and barriers to their adoption. To address this knowledge gap, we analyzed 87 research papers and developed a comprehensive framework covering all critical aspects of DPP adoption. Our findings underscore several important factors that must be considered when implementing DPP systems. These include the necessity for standardized data structures, flexible virtual replication of passport data, data pools with information isolation, and data privacy concerns. Our theoretical framework is grounded in Porter’s cluster theory and literature on trading blocs. Academically, our research clarifies the mechanisms through which socially sustainable supply chains and trade data privacy legislation can foster sustainable development in intra-regional trading areas. Practically, our study offers real-life solutions and recommendations for implementing DPPs across various industries, such as mining, real estate, electric vehicles, and textiles.