Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM
The project CIRPASS-2 (Digital Product Passports Enabling At-Scale and Real-Life Circular Economy Use Cases) addresses a key element of Europe’s transition towards a circular economy: the Digital Product Passport (DPP). Funded under the Digital Europe Programme of the European Commission, the project runs from May 2024 to April 2027.
In a consortium of 49 partners from industry, research, standardisation, and digitalisation, 13 lighthouse pilots are implemented across four value chains (textiles, electronics, tyres, and construction products). The aim is to demonstrate operational DPP systems in real-world environments and ensure interoperability across sectors. In addition, the project supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in adopting DPP solutions while contributing to the development of standards and communities for DPP implementation.
For the Environment & Reliability Engineering (ERE) department of Fraunhofer IZM, CIRPASS-2 represents a strategically important initiative. The department contributes its expertise in the sustainability assessment (LCA & circularity assessment) of technologies and electronic systems. These analyses systematically explore to what extent the DPP contributes to a more sustainable circular economy – for instance, by improving repairability and product lifetime, while also identifying potential environmental burdens, such as those linked to additional IT infrastructure, data storage, or hardware components.
Building on this, Fraunhofer IZM develops methods to quantify the net environmental benefit of DPP systems and highlight areas for ecological optimisation. CIRPASS-2 thus establishes the scientific foundation for designing digital product passports that genuinely enable an environmentally effective transformation of European industry.