It has not yet been formalised, but there is a new standard for circular product data on its way: ISO 59040. This Product Circularity Data Sheet (PCDS) is a structured and verifiable data framework designed to provide transparent, standardised information about the circularity characteristics of a product. It offers a foundational level of data regarding how a product was designed and manufactured for circularity, enabling stakeholders to assess its potential within circular economy strategies. However, the PCDS is primarily relevant up to the point of sale, serving as a stepping stone toward more comprehensive circularity tracking and implementation systems, such as Digital Product Passports (DPPs).
The PCDS is built on a threefold system:
Its key objectives include:
The structure of the PCDS is inspired by the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) system, which standardises information on chemical safety. Similarly, the PCDS establishes a common language for describing circularity attributes in a transparent and universally comprehensible format. Within Cirmar’s C_passport®, there has always been room for an MSDS. The PCDS can be added to our Digital Product Passports as well, which could help give insights into the composition of a product and its potential for a better end of use.
A crucial aspect of the PCDS is its focus on product transparency up to the point of sale. Each PCDS remains independent of the product’s later use in the supply chain. For instance, a PCDS for a standalone component will accurately reflect its circularity potential at that stage. However, if that component is later integrated into a more complex product—especially in a way that alters its disassembly potential (e.g., through welding or gluing)—a new PCDS must be generated for the combined product. This ensures that circularity data remains accurate and relevant as materials and components evolve within the supply chain.
Because the PCDS does not track post-sale usage, maintenance, or end-of-life handling, its utility is limited when it comes to ensuring circularity in practice. This is where Digital Product Passports (DPPs) become essential. DPPs go further than recording a product’s circularity at a certain stage in its use cycle. They contain impact data, end of use instructions, and a means of communication for the entire supply chain. A PCDS can therefore be seen as a document that is relevant to add to a DPP, but we need much more to realise the circular potential of products.
While the PCDS lays the groundwork for circularity data, Digital Product Passports (DPPs) go far beyond by enabling better end of uses through product-related information. Unlike the PCDS, which primarily informs stakeholders about a product’s circular design intentions, a DPP provides real-time data on factors such as:
By integrating PCDS data into DPPs, companies and policymakers can bridge the gap between circularity ambition and circularity execution. The PCDS acts as a static snapshot of a product’s circular potential at the point of sale, while the DPP serves as a dynamic and evolving record that supports circular economy initiatives throughout a product’s entire use and beyond.
Manufacturers are responsible for creating, updating, and maintaining PCDS documents as their products evolve. At each stage of the supply chain, suppliers integrate multiple PCDS into a consolidated version for their final product. However, as circular economy frameworks evolve, Digital Product Passports will become the key enabler of truly circular business models, ensuring that products retain value and sustainability throughout their entire use.
While the PCDS is a critical step toward standardisation and transparency, the future of circularity lies in comprehensive digital ecosystems that enable real-time tracking, decision-making, and regulatory compliance at every stage of a product’s journey. The harmonisation of PCDS with emerging DPP standards will be essential to making circularity an operational reality rather than just a design principle.
What currently lacks, is a standard for gathering and updating DPP-data. Companies are already using DPPs to make more informed decisions and help their customers do the same, but for exchanging product data like environmental impacts, material compositions and end of use instructions, the PCDS simply doesn’t suffice. At Cirmar, we are closely following standardisation efforts to streamline data exchange, and actively contribute by giving our two cents. One thing is for sure – there is new value to unlock by using Digital Product Passports. Starting now still gives you the competitive edge, and it allows you to contribute to the establishment of a comprehensive landscape of DPP-data and solutions in which companies can easily navigate.