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Exploring the Digital Product Passport Framework, Use Cases and Challenges

Exploring the Digital Product Passport Framework, Use Cases and Challenges 880 495 IEEE Technology Climate Center (ITCC)

On November 22, 2023, the Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation, and Technology (BMK) organized with the industry association Industrie 4.0 Austria and the IEEE Technology Center for Climate (ITCC) a panel discussion on the Digital Product Passport. The thought-provoking event brought together experts from the European Commission, UNIDO, research and practitioners representing different industry areas and 80 participants who engaged in discussions about the Digital Product Passport, its current stage and future, impact on value chains and the industry, the role of international cooperation and standards, with use cases from different industry sectors. The event provided a platform for insightful conversations surrounding the framework’s significance in fostering sustainable practices and circularity.

Digital Product Passports (DPP) will offer a set of structured product-related data, accessible electronically through a unique identifier, to provide reliable information related to sustainability, circularity, value retention for re- use, remanufacturing, and recycling. The aim of DPP is to increase product lifetime, compliance and eventually increase trust from the general public about the product they use and support the transition to a circular economy.

The Digital Product Passport event was attended by a diverse audience

 

After introductory remarks from Clara Neppel, Head of ITCC, and Michael Wiesmüller, Head of Section at the Austrian Federal Ministry, Ilias Iakovidis, Adviser at DG CONNECT, European Commission, provided an outline of the Digital Product Passport’s scope within the European sustainability transition, emphasizing its role in the green and digital transformation in Europe.

Material Traceability and Ecodesign:

Iakovidis highlighted the pivotal role of material traceability within the broader Ecodesign Framework. The Digital Product Passport, he emphasized, is a keystone for expediting Europe’s transition towards sustainable and circular business models. Batteries are set to be the pioneers, with Digital Product Passports expected to debut in 2027, paving the way for other key product value chains.

Markus Gerschberger, Deputy Director of the Supply Chain Intelligence Institute Austria, shed light on global supply chains, emphasizing the significance of initiatives such as the Supply Chain Transparency Act and the Digital Product Passport. He addressed the challenges and opportunities associated with enhancing transparency in global supply chains.

Holger Berg, Vice Director of Circular Economy at Wuppertal Institut, explored the concept of a circular economy as a networked system and discussed the Digital Product Passport’s role within emerging supply chain models.

Standardization and International Collaboration:

Presenters, including Maike Luiken (IEEE), Eugen Sehorz (GS1 Austria), and Ana Paula Nishio De Sousa (UNIDO), underscored the role of standards in sustainability and the importance of international collaboration in developing the digital product passport.

Opportunities and Challenges:

Tassilo Pellegrini from the Technical University St. Pölten presented a report commissioned by BMK on the technical, legal, and organizational requirements for a Digital Product Passport capable of accommodating diverse products, industry sectors, and stakeholders.

Case Studies:

Post-break, case studies were presented on digital product passports for batteries (Veronika Siska, AIT), textiles (Günter Grabher, Smart-Textiles Platform Austria), and the automotive industry (Pascal Mast, TÜV Süd). Carolynn Bernier introduced CIRPASS, a collaborative consortium preparing the groundwork for the Digital Product Passport, and Michael Heiss shared insights into Siemens AG’s implementation of the Digital Product Passport.

Discussions with the panel highlighted the potential of the Digital Product Passport to revolutionize industries, promote sustainability, and foster international collaboration. The Digital Product Passport is poised to play a central role in reshaping the future of product lifecycle management, fostering circularity and sustainability.

How far are we in the green digital transition?

How far are we in the green digital transition? 150 150 IEEE Technology Climate Center (ITCC)

The Progress on the Green Digital Transformation is the third episode in the IEEE Technology Center for Climate webinar series Empowering The Green Tech Revolution: From Design to Deployment. Co-organised by the IEEE Technology Center for Climate (ITCC) and Reuters Events on 9 November 2023, 16:00 CET I 10:00 ET, the webinar looked at the progress, challenges and success towards a greener digital economy.

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Panel

    • Tom Coughlin, 2023 IEEE President-Elect
    • Ilias Iakovidis, Adviser, Digital Aspects of Green Transition, Societal Challenges, European Commission, DG Connect
    • Tony D’Arcy, Head of ESG Enablement and Communications, Nokia
    • Raphaëlle Hennekinne, Director for Sustainability Policy, DIGITALEUROPE
    • Moderator: Veronika Thieme, Associate Director, Europe Carbon Trust

Watch the recording here

Related Resources on Green Digital Transformation

IEEE Standards Association: Energy of Computing as A Key Design Aspect for Sustainability

In an age where digitalization permeates every facet of our lives and artificial intelligence drives innovation, the exponential rise in energy consumption by computing is becoming a critical challenge. In this article published by Planet Positive 2030, Sadasivan Shankar and Tina Kaarsberg look at how do we solve the problem of energy of computing for a sustainable world.

Survey on The Progress on the Green Transformation

The following questions were asked to participants in the Green Digital Transformation webinar. The survey ran from November 02-20. Thank you to those who participated in the survey.

Does your digital transformation strategy include KPIs or goals from your sustainability strategy?
Yes – The two strategies are aligned I They are somewhat aligned /coordinated  I No – they are separate efforts

Does your digital transformation strategy include KPIs or goals from your sustainability strategy?

How confident are you about the transparency of providers of digital technologies when it comes to reporting the carbon footprint of their digital solutions?
Confident I Somewhat Confident I Not Confident

How confident are you about the transparency of providers of digital technologies when it comes to reporting the carbon footprint of their digital solutions?

Is the current lack of certainty regarding the actual emissions of digital solutions mostly due to…
Complexity in calculating emissions? I Too many frameworks and difficulty to compare statements? I Uncertaincy regarding the implications of disclosing information.

Is the current lack of certainty regarding the actual emissions of digital solutions mostly due to…

How important do you consider standardized environmental assessment frameworks, methods, and tools to evaluate the carbon footprint of digital solutions?
Very important I Somewhat important I Not important

How important do you consider standardized environmental assessment frameworks, methods, and tools to evaluate the carbon footprint of digital solutions?

How could AI, blockchain, and other frontier technologies impact climate-related issues?

How could AI, blockchain, and other frontier technologies impact climate-related issues? 150 150 IEEE Technology Climate Center (ITCC)

The Impact of AI, Blockchain, and other Frontier Technologies on Climate took place on October 11, 2023. The event was organized as part of the IEEE Technology Center for Climate webinar series Empowering The Green Tech Revolution: From Design to Deployment. Co-organised by the IEEE Technology Center for Climate (ITCC) and Reuters Events, the webinar looked at how frontier technologies such as AI, blockchain or immersive reality can contribute to tackling climate goals with disruptive solutions and, at the same time, have their own impact on climate.

View Survey Results

Panel

  • Jyotika Athavale, President-Elect 2023, IEEE Computer Society, Director RAS Architecture, Synopsys
  • Shivam Kishore, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
  • Babak Falsafi, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
  • Michael Heiss, Siemens AG (Austria)
  • Celine Caira, The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (moderator)

Watch the recording here

Related Resources on Frontier Technologies

Spotlight on AI White papers from the IEEE Standards Association Industry Connections program

The Industry Connections (IC) program from IEEE SA has published several white papers on extended reality. The White Paper “Metaverse and its Governance“ includes a chapter a Sustainable Metaverse on the challenges of aligning emerging technologies with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and highlights concerns about sustainability in the context of the metaverse. Other White Papers published by the IC program are contributions to the discussions on Ethics and Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility and on Virtual Clones and the Right to your Identity.

Frontier Tech and Climate Resources from Spectrum Magazine

IEEE Spectrum magazine has published articles on the issue of Frontier technologies (AI, immersive tech, blockchain) and the impact of these technologies on climate. We have curated some of these articles in anticipation of the webinar on Frontier Technology as they cover some of the issues that will be discussed such as how AI technology is used to improve models to track emissions, or using digital twins to model earth and give insights to simulate the earth’s climate, cool technology developed by start-ups and how would-be entrepreneurs can step up to play a role in a carbon neutral future and finally how the threat of climate change should be a concern for all technologist (guest post).  

Survey on Frontier Technologies

The following questions were asked to participants in the Frontier Technologies webinar. The survey ran from October 11-18. Thank you to those who participated in the survey.

How optimistic are you about the potential of frontier technologies to address environmental challenges and promote sustainability? (221 answers)

How optimistic are you about the potential of frontier technologies to address environmental challenges and promote sustainability?


How aware are you about the resource consumption of the frontier technologies your organization is currently using/is planning to use in the future? (220 answers)

How aware are you about the resource consumption of the frontier technologies your organization is currently using/is planning to use in the future?


Do you think that having well-defined metrics for carbon footprint of frontier technologies will impact your decision on their adoption? (220 answers)

Do you think that having well-defined metrics for carbon footprint of frontier technologies will impact your decision on their adoption?

Blog post: Can frontier technologies be green

Blog post: Can frontier technologies be green 2560 1426 IEEE Technology Climate Center (ITCC)

text of the blog post

Survey slido engage (one survey with all four polls/questions)

Survey slido engage (four questions separated)

How optimistic are you about the potential of frontier technologies to address environmental challenges and promote sustainability?

How aware are you about the resource consumption of the frontier technologies your organization is currently using/is planning to use in the future?

Do you think that having well-defined metrics for carbon footprint of frontier technologies will impact your decision on their adoption?

Where do you see the limits and challenges in using frontier technologies for climate?

Can Electrification Deliver on its Promise?

Can Electrification Deliver on its Promise? 150 150 IEEE Technology Climate Center (ITCC)

The Promise of Electrification, which took place on September 13, is the first in the IEEE Technology Center for Climate webinar series Empowering The Green Tech Revolution: From Design to Deployment. Co-organized by the IEEE Technology Center for Climate (ITCC) and Reuters Events, the webinar brought a global and holistic perspective on the drive for electrification in the framework of the “Green Transition”. Featuring a panel of experts, including Saifur Rahman, 2023 IEEE President and CEO, it explored the key areas of development in the electric future of the planet and its people.

Panel

  • Saifur Rahman, 2023 IEEE President and CEO
  • Katharina Tomoff, Global SVP, Environment, Social & Governance (ESG), DHL Supply Chain
  • Francisco Laverón Simavilla, Iberdrola Direction of Energy Policies Head of Energy Policy, Iberdrola
  • Moderator: Ursula Woodburn, the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership Europe

Watch the recording here

Related Resources on Electrification

Incentivizing Electric Vehicle Adoption Through State and Federal Policies

Published in the June issue of Electrification Magazine, Incentivizing Electric Vehicle Adoption Through State and Federal Policies is a freely available article. Electrification magazine is published four times a year and covers topics linked to microgrids onboard electric vehicles, ships, trains, planes, and off-grid applications, including electrification of remote communities and decarbonization strategies. Check out this free open article on the Power and Energy Society website.

“The EV Transition Explained” an E-book published by IEEE Spectrum

This 49-page e-book brings together a series of articles published in IEEE Spectrum on the major social and technical transformation linked to the adoption of Electric Vehicles (EV) at scale. “The EV Transition Explained”, edited by longtime Spectrum contributing editor Robert N. Charette, explores questions such as challenges in battery technology, power grid scalability, policy roadblocks and the pros and cons of EV in relation to climate change.