As companies move toward more circular business models, understanding what products are made of—and how they are assembled—becomes crucial. At the heart of this transparency lies a fundamental concept: the Bill of Materials (BOM). Although it may sound technical, the BOM is one of the most important building blocks for Digital Product Passports (DPPs) and for unlocking circular value across product lifecycles. We work with companies that often make use of the BOM to generate input for DPPs. In this article, we take a closer look at what the concept entails, how it varies across industries and why it’s important for the implementation of DPPs.
A Bill of Materials is a detailed, structured list of all the components, materials, and sub-assemblies required to build a product.
Think of it as the recipe for a product: every ingredient, quantity, material specification, and sometimes even supplier information is listed here.
A typical BOM includes:
BOMs are used widely in manufacturing, product design, logistics, repair, sustainability reporting, and now increasingly in regulatory compliance. In DPPs, the material composition is important to understand and transparently communicate. Not just because of regulatory demands, but because the materials used in a product, and the way they are assembled into a finished product heavily influences its circularity. To make the most of products, we therefore need to first understand what’s in them!
Within our DPP-platform – C_passport®, our users visualise their BOM:
Unfortunately, there is no single global standard for a Bill of Materials. Instead, BOM structures differ across industries and use cases. The type of BOM used often depends on the stage of the product lifecycle and the relevant industry requirements.
Different sectors have their own conventions:
Because of this diversity, companies often maintain BOMs in proprietary formats or ERP systems—making interoperability a challenge.
Yet this challenge is exactly why BOMs are becoming more important.
The Digital Product Passport is a unified system of product information, accessible throughout the entire value chain—from manufacturers to recyclers and consumers.
A high-quality Bill of Materials is the core dataset that enables a DPP to exist.
If you want to make the most of them, DPPs require information about:
All of these start with the BOM. Even if they are not very detailed – it’s a start.
Upcoming EU regulations—including the ESPR (Eco-Design for Sustainable Products Regulation)—will mandate product-level data. Without a structured BOM, companies simply can’t provide what is required.
Whether it’s reuse, repair, remanufacturing, or recycling, every circular strategy relies on accurate material data.
The BOM provides important data to complete this picture.
DPP platforms—like Cirmar’s—use a BOM as the backbone of the digital passport, automating:
A BOM that is complete and accurate makes DPP creation fast and scalable. Within our platform, users can choose whether to create DPPs manually based on the information they have available, or via connections with PIM- and ERP-systems.
A Bill of Materials is no longer just an engineering document. In today’s market, it’s a strategic tool for:
By connecting BOM data to a Digital Product Passport, companies can move from static, internal documentation to real-time, value-generating product information that benefits the entire value chain.
It may seem like a small step, but organising your BOMs is an important move you can make today. Our circularity experts are eager to assist in finding the right steps to take towards more circular practices and products. If you’re ready to do better, but require some help in defining what to do next – don’t hesitate to get in touch.