Brought to you by Daniel Gregory and Tian Daphne from Circularise
The manufacturing industry is undergoing a significant transformation driven by the adoption of cutting-edge digital technologies. You may have come across the terms “Digital Product Passports” (DPPs) and “Digital Twins” – both emerging as powerful tools that redefine how products are designed, produced, and managed throughout their lifecycle.
While both concepts involve the digital representation of physical objects and are often confused for the same thing, they are two different approaches to collecting, sharing, and processing data, and even complement each other.
Let’s look at the differences between these two technologies, how they can work together to unlock new sustainability opportunities, and what sectors could benefit the most from the digital industrial revolution they bring.
In this article, we’ll dive deep into the world of DPPs and digital twins, exploring their definitions, applications, and the ways in which they differ. By the end, you’ll have a clear understanding of how these digital tools are shaping the future of sustainability and supply chain management.
What are Digital Product Passports?
Digital product passports (DPPs) are digital files that contain comprehensive information about a product’s environmental impact throughout its lifecycle. DPPs aim to enhance transparency and traceability in supply chains by providing detailed records of product origins, material compositions, and sustainability attributes.
The concept of DPPs was introduced in the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), which aims to promote sustainable product design and reduce environmental impact.
What are Digital Twins?
Digital twins are virtual replicas of physical objects, processes, or systems that simulate their real-world counterparts. They utilise real-time data and advanced analytics to optimise performance, predict maintenance needs, and enable data-driven decision making.
Digital twins are widely used in various industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, and construction, to improve efficiency, reduce downtime, and optimise resource utilisation.
DPPs vs Digital Twins: the key differences
DPPs – narrow focus but broad scope
DPPs currently focus on capturing and sharing sustainability data from the entire supply chain to support circular economy goals and regulatory compliance. Their primary purpose is to provide transparent information about a product’s environmental impact and provenance, facilitating sustainable consumption and production
Digital twins broad focus, narrow scope
Digital twins are built from a narrow scope of data, only what is required to model a physical process or product. This gets used in ways encompassing performance optimisation, predictive maintenance, and real-time monitoring across diverse applications. They are designed to improve overall efficiency and enable data-driven decision-making in various contexts.
Data collection and sharing
DPPs gather inherent data
DPPs collect data related to product origins, material compositions, environmental impacts, and end-of-life considerations. This information is crucial for validating sustainability claims, complying with regulations, and identifying opportunities for circular economy initiatives.
Digital twins organise real-time data
Digital twins integrate real-time data from sensors, IoT devices, and other sources to create dynamic, continuously updated virtual models. This enables real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and performance optimisation.
Stakeholder access and benefits
DPPs prioritise data sharing
DPPs prioritise collaboration and data sharing with consumers, regulators, and supply chain partners to drive sustainable consumption and production. By providing transparent product information, DPPs empower consumers to make informed, environmentally conscious purchasing decisions.
Digital twins help internal stakeholders
Digital twins primarily benefit internal stakeholders, enabling them to optimise processes, reduce downtime, and improve overall efficiency. They provide valuable insights for decision-making and resource allocation within organisations
Three powerful ways DPPs and Digital Twins can work together
These differences mean that digital product passports and digital twins don’t work as replacements for each other. However, the differences do mean they can work together to unlock powerful new sustainability tools.
- DPPs can improve digital twin models by providing product data that makes future scenario modelling more accurate. This data helps define the limits of the digital twin system and can be used to enhance product design, such as making future versions more sustainable. In some cases, digital twin data, combined with DPP information, can contribute to a detailed and accurate life cycle assessment of the product.
- Digital twins help users predict when maintenance is needed by tracking use and performance. With data from digital product passports (DPPs), manufacturer-recommended maintenance triggers can be flagged automatically. For example, in consumer electronics, a digital twin can compare real-time use data to manufacturer troubleshooting protocols in the DPP, automatically sending an alert to check certain parts before a breakdown happens. The DPP can even provide the contact information for replacement parts or external technicians!
- Combining DPPs with digital twins offers a clearer view of the supply chain by tracking products and materials in real-time. DPPs provide key data like origin and compliance, while digital twins visualise and monitor the product’s journey. This improves traceability, inventory management, and transparency, which is especially important in industries like aviation for safety and sustainability.
The future of DPPs and Digital Twins
As sustainability becomes a core priority, the adoption of DPPs is expected to grow as companies see the value in collecting detailed supply chain data to meet consumer demands and regulations. The integration of DPPs with digital twins could create sustainability-focused models that assess environmental impact and pinpoint improvements.
Advances in AI, blockchain, and IoT technologies will further enhance the capabilities of both DPPs and digital twins, driving innovation in circular economy practices. These technologies will enable more accurate data capture, secure data sharing, and intelligent decision-making based on real-time insights.
For instance, the combined DPP and digital twin data can be used to track components in the supply chain and predict delays before they happen, reducing disruptions in critical industries such as semiconductor manufacturing, construction, and aerospace. The integration of DPP and digital twin data can also calculate scope three emissions more accurately, helping companies make verifiable claims, avoid greenwashing, and optimise operations. In consumer electronics, this could drive circularity by improving material recovery, lowering costs, and extending product lifecycles.
As the world moves towards a more sustainable future, digital product passports and digital twins have crucial roles to play in driving traceability and efficiency in supply chains. By leveraging these powerful digital tools, businesses can unlock new opportunities for growth while contributing to the global effort to build a more circular economy.