The Digital Product Passport (DPP) is widely regarded as a key enabler of both the circular economy and sustainable manufacturing. However, the practical benefits of the DPP for engineering activities, particularly during product development, remain largely unexplored and misunderstood. To address this, this paper presents a structured map of the potential opportunities offered by a DPP within engineering processes. This map is based on interviews and a systematic analysis of engineering tasks throughout the product lifecycle. It also considers how DPPs can support, enrich or transform these tasks. The map illustrates how DPPs can enhance data transparency, facilitate lifecycle-oriented design decisions, and promote cross-disciplinary collaboration. By aligning DPP capabilities with key development objectives such as sustainability, compliance and design quality, the Potential Map serves as a practical guide for engineers and decision makers. The potential of a DPP extends beyond adding value to compliance-driven documentation, as it also opens new pathways for embedding sustainability early in the development process. The map is intended as both a conceptual foundation and an actionable tool for researchers, practitioners and policymakers interested in effectively integrating DPPs into engineering workflows.
Trienens et al. (Thu,) studied this question.
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