The Role of Life Cycle Assessments in Digital Product Passport Implementation for Building a Plastic Circular Economy

Tomohiro Tabata () and Peii Tsai
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Tomohiro Tabata: Kobe University
Peii Tsai: Kyushu Institute of Technology

Circular Economy and Sustainability, 2025, vol. 5, issue 4, 3145-3157

Abstract: Abstract The digital product passport (DPP) system is expected to support circularity, transparency, and traceability in the circular economy. However, environmental impacts posted on the DPP necessitate a mandatory life cycle assessment (LCA). This paper discusses the construction of a plastic circular economy system from the perspectives of DPP and LCA. The status of the DPP in the European Union (EU) is reviewed, and a project on the technical development of the DPP in Ja-pan using plastics as a case study is introduced. We also explain the role of LCAs in the circular economy and discuss the necessity, challenges, and prospects of LCA, considering the quality of plastic waste, in order to withstand resource circulation. Our study reveals the need for LCA in the determination of the environmental impacts of various combinations of methodologies and technologies applied during each process of the circular economy of plastics. This allows manu-facturers and consumers to select plastic products with low environmental impacts using DPP information.

Keywords: Circular Economy; Plastic Waste; Digital Product Passport; Life Cycle Assessment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s43615-025-00552-0

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