Quantifying the Potential of Digital Innovations to Advance Circular Economy in Consumer and Industrial Goods
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Recent advances in digital technologies create opportunities to support circular economy strategies for mass-produced consumer and industrial goods. Building on the CE-RISE project, this study evaluates how Digital Product Passports (DPPs) and related digital innovations can improve circular outcomes across selected value chains. We combine secondary data analysis of production and trade statistics with a PRISMA 2020-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis of published evidence. The empirical scope covers heat pumps, PV panels, printers, ICT equipment, and batteries. We report baseline material flows and circularity indicators for Europe (2010-2023), highlight differences between the EU27 and non-EU Europe (CH/NO/TR), and quantify a DPP scenario with confidence intervals. For the EU27 in 2023, current circularity is 14.8% and the DPP scenario implies 45.0% (95% CI: 28.6-61.4), corresponding to potential savings of 2.5 Mt and EUR 27.9 bn (95% CI: 1.1-3.8 Mt; EUR 12.7-43.1 bn). We also provide a proxy estimate of refurbishment-related employment exposure based on Eurostat production value per employee in NACE J. The paper provides an evidence-informed baseline for estimating DPP-enabled gains and for monitoring future policy impacts.
