The technological development of Digital Product Passports (DPPs) is moving fast but can research and policy keep up? On 1 June 2026, CE-RISE Project Partners will gather in Brussels for a morning of honest conversation about where DPPs actually stand: what’s working, what isn’t, and what needs to happen next.
We’ll kick things off with a practical crash course on benefiting from DPPs to calculate circularity indicators and life cycle assessments. Then we open up the floor for a cross-project debate featuring partners from CE-RISE, DACE, BatCat and DigiPass, sharing how research applies DPPS to real sustainability challenges, testing assumptions and not shying away from the hard questions.
The morning will wrap up with a panel focused on the bigger picture: avoiding fragmentation across DPP projects, protecting IP while enabling policy learning, and discussing whether the next funding opportunities should focus on standardisation, testbeds, data quality, registries, or socioeconomic impact evidence.
DISCLAIMER: This is a side event of the DPP4EU Conference. Registration for this event is separate from the main conference. Visit digipassforum.eu for more details.
Practical Details
Date: 1 June 2026
Time: 08:45-13:000
Location: Thon Hotel Bristol Stephanie, Avenue Louise 91-93, 1050 Brussels
Agenda
8:45-9:00 Coffee and registration
09:00-09:05 Welcome & introduction
Cristina Guerreiro, NILU
CRASH COURSE: DPPs for Sustainable value chains in CE-RISE
09:05-09:10 Introduction to circularity principles
Elise Vermeersch and Elena Fernandez, UNITAR
09:10-09:20 Introduction to R-indicators
Setenay Saglam, Empa
09:20-09:30 Introduction to DPP-enabled Life Cycle Assessments
Berend Mintjes, Leiden University
09:30-10:00 Sandboxed Life Cycle Assessment calculation
Francesco Barilli, Empa
10:00-10:10 Discussion & reflection with the audience (moderated by NILU)
10:10-10:30 Coffee Break
PODIUM DISCUSSION: How Research Applies DPPs to Real Sustainability Challenges
With the participation of: CE-RISE (Setenay Saglam, Empa and Berend Mintjes, Leiden University), DACE (Helen Brüggmann, Wuppertal Institute), BatCat and DigiPass (Maria Bashir, Norwegian University of Life Sciences).
Moderated by Miguel Las Heras Hernandez, NILU
10:30-10:45 Projects elevator pitch: what problem are you trying to solve with DPP data?
10:45-11:20 Podium debate focusing on:
- Data stories
- Data use and actors
- Success/failure stories
- Testing feasibility, highlighting systemic risks
PANEL DISCUSSION: Research Priorities for Effective EU-wide DPP Deployment
Speakers: Rembrandt Koppelaar, EcoWise; Carolynn Bernier, CEA; Industry representative (TBC)
Moderated by: Cristina Guerreiro, NILU
11:20-11:25 Thought starter: 3 takeaways from the crash course & podium
11:25-11:55 Discussion including audience participation:
- How to avoid fragmentation/overlap across many DPP projects while preserving sector specificity?
- How can the Commission leverage aggregated DPP insights for research and policy monitoring (CE progress) while protecting IP and privacy?
- Funding priorities for the next R&I wave: standardisation, testbeds, data quality, registries, or socioeconomic impact evidence?
11:55-12:00 Closing remarks
12:00-13:00 Lunch (TBC)

