The Digital Product Passport (DPP) is a concept for collecting and sharing product-related information along the life cycle of a product. DPPs are currently the subject of intense discussion, and various development efforts are being undertaken. These are supported by regulatory activities, especially in the case of the battery passport. The aggregation of product life-cycle data and their respective use, as well as the sharing of these data between companies, entrepreneurs, and other actors in the value chain, is crucial for the creation of a resource-efficient circular economy. Despite the urgent need for such a solution, there is currently little attention given to the digital infrastructure for the creation and handling of the DPPs (i.e., the so-called DPP system). Moreover, there is so far no common understanding of what the requirements for a DPP system are. This is the background and underlying motivation of our paper: we identify the requirements for a DPP system in a structured way, i.e., based on stakeholder involvement and current literature from science and industry. In addition, we compose, categorize, and critically analyze the results, i.e., the list of requirements for DPP systems, in order to identify gaps. Summarized, our research provides insights into the criteria to be considered in the creation of an actual DPP system.

Nowadays, high expectations are set for a digitally enabled circular economy (CE), to enhance resource efficiency. Tracing, tracking, and storing information is most important for this. In this paper, the application of Internet of Things (IoT) and Distributed Ledger Technology (Blockchain) are hence discussed by presenting the case of professional Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) in Italy. Within the context of CE, prevention of electronic waste (WEEE) is extremely relevant as it is a fast-growing waste stream, and the products contain environmentally damaging substances as well as valuable and rare materials. The use of a proper combination of IoT and blockchain can help the producers to keep control on products until EEE end-of-life, while promoting CE strategies and supporting decision-making. Based on the outcomes of five interviews conducted in 2019 to companies of the EEE sector, potential improvements in the EEE end-of-use management are discussed. After providing the definition of requirements for both the technical solution and its testing are provided, three solution variations and the related business models are created and presented, as well as considerations on their environmental and economic impacts. The study shows how digital technologies can support the appropriate and circular management of EEE products and WEEE.

The circular economy (CE) is essential to achieving a sustainable future through resource conservation and climate protection. Efficient use of materials and products over time is a critical aspect of CE, helping to reduce CO2 emissions, waste and resource consumption. The Digital Product Passport (DPP) is a CE-specific approach that contains information about components and their origin, and can also provide environmental and social impact assessments. However, creating a DPP requires collecting and analyzing data from many different stakeholders along the supply chain and even throughout the product lifecycle. In this paper, we present a concept for the SPACE_DS, which is a data space for circular economy data. A key point here is that the SPACE_DS enables the creation of DPPs by especially considering privacy and security concerns of data providers.

The Circular Economy (CE) depends fundamentally on data, yet turning this data into actionable circular practice requires domain-specific data literacy. Moving beyond narrow technical views, this study conceptualizes CE data literacy as a multidimensional meta-competence structured across six competency fields along the data lifecycle: (1) Data Culture, (2) Acquisition and Collection, (3) Management, (4) Analysis, (5) Application, and (6) Sharing and Publication. Utilizing a triangulated mixed-methods design combining a scoping literature review, two surveys, and 18 expert interviews, this research consolidates the fragmented literature into a CE-specific competency framework and provides empirical evidence on data literacy across various stakeholder groups, thereby evaluating which competencies require targeted support. The results reveal three conceptual maturity profiles of CE data literacy, identifying Data Sharing and Publication as the field with the lowest maturity and as the systemic bottleneck. Crucially, the findings demonstrate that individual competency fields are currently treated as isolated silos rather than an integrated continuum.