On the Utilization of Digital Product Passports for Intelligent Metal Sorting and Recycling

This paper introduces a proof-of-concept system designed to improve management and recycling of complex metal-rich products like end-of-life vehicles (ELVs). Despite growing adoption of Digital Product Passports (DPPs), significant challenges remain in achieving detailed part-level traceability, managing fragmented supply chain data, and automating compliance in ELV recycling—challenges this study addresses directly. Current ELV recycling suffers from information gaps and manual compliance validation, resulting in suboptimal material recovery. Our system introduces a seamless digital twin of recycling processes integrated with standardized product data from DPP frameworks, enabling precise tracking of parts, material compositions, and regulatory constraints. It supports automated waste classification, optimized grouping of parts for recycling, and compliance validation, applying circular economy principles effectively. The core digital twin representation enables full lifecycle synchronization and monitoring, while the architecture aligns with industry standards to foster interoperability and sustainability.