A digital product passport, also known as a digital twin, is a digital representation of a physical product that provides key information about that product throughout its entire lifecycle. This digital twin lives alongside the physical product and grows with it, capturing relevant data at each stage from design and manufacturing to use and end of life. Core to a digital product passport is the ability to authenticate a product, provide transparency into its origins, composition and impact, and support circularity goals like repair, reuse and recycling.
Design and Manufacturing Data Capture
The first stages of a product's life involve its conception, design and manufacturing. At this early phase, a digital product passport is seeded with crucial lineage data. Information captured may include the product's bill of materials, specifications, design files, manufacturers, component suppliers, production dates and locations. Additional sustainability metrics like energy and water usage during manufacturing are also tracked. This comprehensive design and manufacturing data helps ensure product authenticity and provides full transparency into a product's origins. It establishes an open record of how and where the product was made.
Material Composition Tracking
Understanding exactly what a Digital Product Passport Software is made of is important for various reasons spanning safety, regulation, repairs and recycling. A digital product passport continues capturing materials data throughout a product's existence. Material compositions at the component and full product level are recorded, along with any chemical ingredients or substances of concern. As products evolve through design changes, the digital twin accurately reflects any material substitutions or formula adjustments. This materials tracing allows constituents to be properly identified, managed and recovered once the product reaches its end of life.
Supply Chain and Distribution Visibility
Moving products through complex global supply chains presents traceability challenges. But digital product passports deliver comprehensive supply chain transparency from factory to consumer. As items change ownership and shipping status, their digital representations are simultaneously updated. Data such as suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, transporters, import/export hubs, warehouse locations and stock levels are all tracked programmatically. Combined with powerful analytics, this supply chain visibility helps optimize operations, spot inefficiencies, mitigate risks and authenticate goods at any point. Consumers develop confidence that the product story being presented is complete and honest.
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