Closing the Loop: Using Digital Product Passports to enable a Circular Economy
An academic project undertaken at the Royal College of Art, in partnership with TAZAAR, a tech start-up that provides Digital Product Passport (DPP) technology for HiFi audio equipment. This project was an opportunity to explore how service design could drive the successful implementation of Digital Product Passports, ensuring not just compliance but tangible user value.
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Why did I undertake this project?
I'm passionate about sustainability but have realised over time that there is not always the required motivation for the consumer to take that extra step towards sustainability. So how would it work if there was a top down approach, with regulations making sustainability mandatory?
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Read: From Compliance to value - A Service Design Perspective on DPPs
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What were my key learnings?
Framing a narrative conveying that Digital Product Passports are beneficial for each stakeholders in the supply chain was crucial to get stakeholder onboarding. Apart from balancing sustainability goals with user and business needs, it was challenging to build trust with some retailers, that this new technology is here to make their job easier, not take over it.
What is a Digital Product Passport?
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Digital Product Passport (DPP) is a digital dataset with detailed information about a product's lifecycle. Introduced in the EU's Circular Economy Action Plan in 2020, DPPs will be mandated for various industries starting in 2027, including batteries, electronics, construction, and textiles. They support a circular economy but face challenges such as the need for new digital infrastructure, technical compatibility, data privacy, traceability technology, and compliance costs.
A top down, user-centric approach
Given that the DPP mandate stems from regulation, our approach was inherently top-down. Recognizing early on that simply enforcing compliance would not be enough to ensure meaningful adoption, we structured our project approach to align business and user needs, enabling a viable and valuable transition.
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Through a partnership with a tech company, TAZAAR, that operationalizes DPPS in the HiFi electronics sector, we gained deeper insights into the supply chain.​
We spoke to
Retailers
To understand their
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Current system of operation, regulatory compliance, awareness about DPPs and their view on including sustainability in business operations.
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Motivations and needs, stakeholders they interact with.
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End users (about 20% were 2nd hand buyers) and their needs.
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Before, during and after sales interaction touchpoints with customers.
TAZAAR
Our project partner,
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About their current technology and product offerings, early adopters, product roadmap, challenges faced, market scenario.
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For deeper insights/ validation about our research with retailers.
Second-hand Buyers
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They emerged as an important stakeholder in the HiFi audio equipment system.
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They are audiophiles and enthusiasts with immense knowledge and passion about the equipment.
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We asked about their buying, maintenance and repair preferences, and information needed for the same.
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This was crucial to understand what data needs to be documented throughout the process of buying & selling HiFi products.
We used various research tools to synthesize this information, e.g. an information exchange map, mapping our assumptions against certainty and impact. In addition, to understand the upcoming legislation and how to prepare for it, we read research papers, studied parallel industries and attended seminars. This led us to our major research insights.
Our insights
So, with the overarching goal of enabling a circular economy,
HOW MIGHT WE
enable high-end audio equipment retailers and dealers
to leverage Digital Product Passports as a service 
to integrate product traceability and foster lifelong customer engagement?
By adding key features like product comparisons, personalised sales, upselling & cross-selling opportunities and after-sale care, we delivered value to retailers.
The platform would support a circular economy by providing easily accessible information about repairability and resale of high end audio equipment.
How is it helping to achieve a circular economy?
