Blockchain-based digital product passport: design principles and demonstration

Digital product passports (DPPs) will become a reality for several regulated products in Europe. The topic is still in its infancy but will significantly impact product information and the infrastructure required by manufacturing in increasingly agile and circular supply chains. This paper presents the results of a two-year design science research to develop an end-to-end blockchain-based DPP prototype instantiated in the textile industry. On the one hand, the upstream supply chain involves physical product transformations from the early stages of production, requiring a robust traceability architecture. On the other hand, multiple events occur during downstream phases that need to be easily accessible by different stakeholders. Our results confirm the suitability of blockchain-based DPPs and define the information flow within the product life cycle. This paper advances the literature on sustainable product identification, ensuring tamper-proof and transparent information in the supply chain. Although aiming at the end consumers, the DPP will majorly impact production, requiring proper industry planning. For practitioners, this paper provides one of the first DPP instantiations in different segments of the textile supply chain, highlighting the requirements that the industry should be aware of for the coming years. Eleven design principles for blockchain-based DPPs are proposed.