Technologies for sustainable manufacturing: Digital product passports and digital twins

‍This article was originally written for CE-RISE and has been adapted for our blog with updates and additional insights.

The manufacturing industry is undergoing a significant transformation driven by the adoption of cutting-edge digital technologies. You may have come across the terms “Digital Product Passports” (DPPs) and “Digital Twins” — both are emerging as powerful tools that redefine how products are designed, produced, and managed throughout their lifecycle. 

Both concepts involve the digital representation of physical objects and are often confused for the same thing. However, they are two different approaches to collecting, sharing, and processing data that complement each other.

In this article, we'll dive deep into the world of DPPs and digital twins, exploring their definitions and applications, how they differ, and how they can work together to unlock new sustainability opportunities. By the end, you will understand the nuanced roles these digital technologies have in shaping the future of sustainability and supply chain management.

What are digital product passports?

Digital product passports (DPPs) are digital files that contain comprehensive information about a product's environmental impact throughout its lifecycle. 

First made mandatory in the EU's Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), DPPs aim to enhance transparency and traceability in supply chains by providing detailed records of product origins, material compositions, and sustainability attributes. 

Digital product passports allow stakeholders to share specific information with other actors within a value chain. But even for consumers who are not part of the value chain, companies can also offer general sustainability information and other public details, through digital product passports that are easily accessible via a website, as required by regulations. 

Circular PU foam: An example of digital product passports in practice

In the Circular Foam project, companies were able to achieve regulatory compliance while enhancing communication with customers via Circularise’s product traceability platform. Through this initiative, digital product passports (DPPs) were created for products containing recycled foam from Covestro — refrigerator doors by Electrolux, insulation boards by Unilin, and metal panels by Kingspan. These DPPs securely track each product’s lifecycle, offering sensitive information on chemical composition while safeguarding confidential data.

Other than providing information for the industrial partners, certain data was set up to give the DPP broader accessibility. This allows businesses to share key information such as sustainability metrics, regulatory compliance, and product dimensions with a wider audience. Consumers can access this data through web browsers or APIs, while end-of-life (EoL) stakeholders like recyclers use the data to make informed decisions about material reuse or recycling. 

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By allowing public and confidential data to coexist without compromising intellectual property, the Circular Foam project shows that Circularise’s DPPs can help advance circularity across industries. By enabling data sharing, manufacturers and stakeholders can make informed decisions for the environment, and consumers are empowered to make smarter choices in both purchasing and disposal.

What are digital twins?

Digital twins are virtual models that replicate physical objects, systems, or processes using real-time data and analytics to simulate real-world behaviour. They help optimise performance, predict maintenance needs, and enable data-driven decision-making.

Industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, and urban planning already leverage digital twins to improve efficiency, reduce operational disruptions, and optimise resource utilisation. 

Sustainable aviation: An example of digital twin technology in practice

In the aerospace sector, Boeing’s use of digital twin technology helps them reduce waste, improve fuel consumption, and increase operational efficiency. Together with sensors placed on planes in operation, virtual replicas of physical aircraft simulate and monitor performance in real-time. 

The data collected helps identify potential component issues before they impact the aircraft. This enables Boeing to predict maintenance needs, optimise fuel efficiency, and ensure the longevity of their aircraft. Integrated with Boeing’s maintenance systems, this wealth of data makes repairs and replacements more efficient, supporting longer, more sustainable aircraft lifecycles.¹

What are the differences between DPPs and digital twins?

Purpose and scope

🌱 DPPs focus on sustainability

DPPs currently focus on capturing and sharing sustainability data to support circular economy goals and regulatory compliance. Their primary purpose is to provide transparent information about a product's environmental impact and provenance, facilitating sustainable consumption and production. 

📈 Digital twins are broader in scope

Digital twins have a broad scope, encompassing performance optimisation, predictive maintenance, and real-time monitoring across diverse applications. They are designed to improve overall efficiency and enable data-driven decision-making in various contexts. 

Data collection and sharing 

📊 DPPs collect detailed data

DPPs collect data related to the journey a material, component, or product has taken to get to where it is in its life cycle. This includes static, historical data, such as the origin of the product and the materials it’s composed of, manufacturing locations, and environmental impacts. It also collects dynamic data relevant to end-of-life considerations, such as how to recycle it or return it for remanufacturing. This information is crucial for validating sustainability claims, complying with regulations, and identifying opportunities for circular economy initiatives. The data is meant to be shared with various actors in the supply chain, though not necessarily with the public. Certain kinds of information are only relevant to, therefore should only be available to, certain organisations.

📡 Digital twins integrate real-time data 

Digital twins integrate real-time data about performance to create dynamic, continuously updating virtual models. This data is typically collected from sensors, satellite data, or IoT devices measuring different parts of the product, process, or system to be virtually replicated. The data is often analysed and used to run simulations on the product, process, or system and understand how it would behave under different conditions. This enables real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and performance optimisation that can be fed back into other business areas such as product development.

Stakeholder access and benefits

🌍 DPPs prioritise data sharing with the entire supply chain

DPPs prioritise collaboration and data sharing with consumers, regulators, and supply chain partners to drive sustainable consumption and production. By providing transparent product information, DPPs empower consumers to make informed, environmentally conscious purchasing decisions.

🏭 Digital twins benefit internal stakeholders

Digital twins primarily benefit internal stakeholders, enabling them to optimise processes, reduce downtime, and improve overall efficiency. They provide valuable insights for decision-making and resource allocation within organisations.

3 powerful ways DPPs and digital twins can work together

Digital product passports and digital twins don’t work as replacements for each other. However, these differences do mean they can work together to unlock powerful new sustainability tools.

1. DPPs can improve digital twin models by providing product data that makes future scenario modelling more accurate. This data helps define the limits of the digital twin system and can be used to enhance product design, such as making future versions more sustainable. In some cases, digital twin data, combined with DPP information, can contribute to a detailed and accurate life cycle assessment (LCA) of the product.

2. Digital twins help users predict when maintenance is needed by tracking use and performance. With data from digital product passports (DPPs), manufacturer-recommended maintenance triggers can be flagged automatically. For example, in consumer electronics, a digital twin can compare real-time use data to manufacturer troubleshooting protocols in the DPP, automatically sending an alert to check certain parts before a breakdown happens. The DPP can even provide the contact information for replacement parts or external technicians.

3. Combining DPPs with digital twins offers a clearer view of the supply chain by tracking products and materials in real-time. DPPs provide key data like origin and regulatory compliance, while digital twins visualise and monitor the product's journey. For example, with the new customs checks like the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM),  DPPs have the potential to hold customs data which can speed up goods declarations. This improves traceability, inventory management, and transparency, which is especially important in industries like aviation for safety and sustainability.

EcoPass3D: An example of DPP and digital twin in practice

The EcoPass3D research project, funded by Baden-Württemberg’s Green Tech Innovation Program, is pioneering the integration of sustainability into product development through Digital Product Passports (DPPs) and digital twins. Led by TECOSIM in collaboration with partners like the Fraunhofer Institute and the University of Stuttgart, the project aims to enhance product eco-efficiency and recyclability by embedding sustainability data into virtual development processes. Upon completion, EcoPass3D will deliver a comprehensive methodology to help manufacturers design more sustainable products and processes.²

The future of DPPs and digital twins 

As sustainability becomes a core priority, the adoption of both DPPs and digital twins is expected to rise. Companies are recognising the value of collecting detailed supply chain data to meet both consumer demands and regulatory requirements. Advancements in AI, blockchain, and IoT technologies will further enhance the capabilities of both technologies, enabling more accurate data capture, secure data sharing, and intelligent decision-making based on real-time insights.

The integration of digital product passports with digital twins could create sustainability-focused models that assess environmental impact and identify areas for improvement. Combining DPP and digital twin data allows companies to track components in the supply chain, predict delays, and reduce disruptions in critical industries like semiconductor manufacturing, construction, and aerospace. 

The accuracy of Scope 3 emissions calculations can be improved, enabling companies to make verifiable claims and avoid greenwashing, as well as optimise their operations. It can also drive circularity in sectors like consumer electronics by enhancing material recovery, reducing costs, and extending product lifecycles.

As the world moves towards a more sustainable future, digital product passports and digital twins have crucial roles to play in shaping the future of sustainable manufacturing supply chains. By leveraging these powerful digital tools that advance traceability and efficiency in supply chains, businesses can unlock new opportunities for growth while contributing to the global effort to build a more circular economy. 

A version of this article was first published as “Digital Product Passports vs Digital Twins: Unlocking Sustainability”. Republished with changes and permission from CE-RISE.

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