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    • Summary of our latest Open Project Meeting

    October

    We started the meeting by revisiting what SwePass is really about – building traceability systems for more sustainable value chains, and increasingly focusing on digital product passports. As Project Manager Malin Rosqvist explained, SwePass is the result of merging two initiatives, Trace4Value and SwePass, to keep the knowledge and collaboration alive within the same community.

    Today, the project brings together around thirty partners from different sectors, all working to understand and develop traceability across industries. The meetings are open to anyone interested, reflecting our belief that the more open we are, the better we learn and grow together. With each meeting, new people join, new ideas emerge, and we continue to explore where we can take joint action and create new initiatives to strengthen this shared portfolio around traceability.

    • The meeting started with Karin Wannerberg (Ragn-Sells) and Eva Blomqvist (Linköping University) who shared insights from the project Digital Twins in Circular Value Networks, focusing on how structured and interoperable data can enable circular material flows. Using flat glass as an example, they demonstrated how ontologies and digital twins can make it possible to trace materials from buildings being renovated or demolished, through recycling, and back into production. The team presented two demonstrators – a school renovation in Tyresö and the Palm House in Lund – showing how digital models and shared data structures support both recycling and reuse of glass. Their work has contributed to new guidelines from the Swedish Public Procurement Agency, now requiring flat glass inventories in demolition projects. See the full presentation here. 

     

    • Sophie Charpentier (Chalmers Industriteknik) presented the EU project CIRPASS II, which continues the work from the first CIRPASS initiative to develop a common European framework for Digital Product Passports (DPP). The project brings together stakeholders from industry, research, and policy to align standards, data models, and technical solutions that enable traceability across value chains. See the full presentation here.

     

    • Anna Velander Gisslén (SVID – the Swedish Industrial Design Foundation) presented how design can drive sustainable change through collaboration and knowledge sharing. She highlighted the programme Design for Energy Efficient Everyday Life, funded by the Swedish Energy Agency, which supports projects combining design, behaviour, and energy research. Anna also pointed to SVID’s open tools such as the Sustainability Guide, offering practical methods for circular and sustainable design. See the full presentation here.

     

    • Jörgen Ekblad (QCM) presented the work within SwePass WP8, focusing on how digital product data can be integrated throughout the entire product lifecycle — from design and development to manufacturing and supply chains. Using two example products, a mobile phone and a baby walker from Micki, the team demonstrates how product information can be structured and managed through PLM systems to prepare for upcoming EU requirements on Digital Product Passports (DPP). Rather than viewing the DPP as an endpoint, the project emphasizes the development phase as crucial for sustainability — where 80% of environmental impact is determined. By introducing the concept of an “expected DPP”, Jörgen highlighted how companies can define sustainability goals and data requirements early in design and use these to guide both production and supply chain decisions. See the full presentation here.

     

    • Catrine Marchall (RISE) presented the work within SwePass focusing on traceability in textiles and the development of a sustainability-adapted RFID tag or similar data carrier. The goal is to enable tracking of textile products throughout their life cycle — from production and use to sorting, reuse, and recycling. Together with partners from brands, technology providers, and research organisations, the team is conducting pilots to test data carriers and digital product passports in real textile-sorting environments. The project also aims to provide industry guidance on placement, durability, and standards for data carriers, and to share practical tools that help companies get started with digital traceability. See the full presentation here.

     

    • Eva Blomqvist (Linköpings University) presented mapping and assessing the technologies, standards, and infrastructures that enable digital traceability. The aim is not to build new systems, but to understand how existing ones — such as data standards, ontologies, and sharing infrastructures — connect and support interoperability across projects. The team is analysing how digital product data is created, stored, shared, and maintained throughout the Digital Product Passport lifecycle, identifying both overlaps and missing links. They have also launched a webinar series on technical standards and data infrastructures, and invited partners to share insights from their own demonstrators. Eva also encouraged more partners in SwePass to join the WP5 and contribute to mapping the broader technical landscape. See the full presentation here.

     

    • Karin Wannerberg (Ragn-Sells)presented ongoing work to connect digital product passports (DPPs) with Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) to strengthen circular value networks in the construction sector. Together with partners such as Saint-Gobain and EPD International, the team is developing an app that enables structured data collection based on ontologies from previous Trace4Value research. A new partner, Metal Solutions, is joining the collaboration, and the group is seeking additional partners – particularly within plastics or construction – to further test and expand the approach in new material flows. See the full presentation here. 

     

    • Hanna Lindén (RISE) presented recent work on policy development and business intelligence related to the ESPR and Digital Product Passports (DPPs). Together with Chalmers Industriteknik and Axfoundation, the team has facilitated dialogues between authorities and industry representatives to better understand sector-specific challenges. See the full presentation here. 

     

    • And as a closing note, Sophie Charpentier (Chalmers Industriteknik) presented work to develop a knowledge and education platform that supports companies in understanding regulations and the role of Digital Product Passports (DPPs) in the digital transformation. The platform aims to provide clear, trustworthy information on how legislation and business opportunities are connected, offering fact sheets, definitions, and guidance in Swedish to make the material more accessible. The team is currently structuring the content and plans to create an online knowledge centre linking resources from related initiatives and earlier projects. Before launch, they are inviting organisations to review and provide feedback on the material to ensure clarity and practical value. See the full presentation here. 

     

    The meeting concluded with reflections on the ongoing progress and collaboration across the SwePass community. The open format once again proved valuable for sharing knowledge and exploring synergies between projects. We now look forward to the next Open Project Meeting – and to welcoming even more partners and participants to join the dialogue on building transparent and sustainable value chains.