Digital product passport trial proves DPP delivers for circular businesses

Background

Circulus CRM Limited (Circulus) is a Glasgow-based circular economy business that helps organisations extend the life of their electrical equipment. The company repairs, refurbishes and remanufactures used electrical assets, restoring them to a condition equal to new, and also recycles equipment that has reached end of life.

It partnered with the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) to explore how digital product passports (DPPs), a structured digital record of a product’s origin, materials, repair history and lifecycle data, could be integrated into its live remanufacturing operations.

The project aimed to embed lifecycle data into existing systems and establish a practical route to compliance as EU and UK DPP regulation fast approaches.

Challenge

Many organisations still lack clear examples of how DPPs can operate within real industrial settings.

For Circulus, the key challenges were to:

  • Show how lifecycle data could flow through existing systems
  • Prove that DPP functionality could integrate with active remanufacturing processes
  • Support transparency and compliance without disrupting operations
  • Create a realistic and scalable route to adoption

What did NMIS do?

Over a six-month period, the team at NMIS mapped Circulus’ data flows and system integration requirements, identifying how lifecycle information could move across repair, remanufacturing and recycling activities.  

To test the concept safely, the team built a standalone mock‑up of Circulus’ HIVE ERP platform. This sandbox environment replicated live system behaviours, allowing DPP functionality to be trialled without disrupting live operations.

The demonstrator was powered by Made2Verify, NMIS’ digital product passport system.    The system:

  • Stored and managed structured product data
  • Connected to the replicated HIVE environment via API
  • Controlled stakeholder data access permissions
  • Linked QR-coded physical products to digital passports using a GS1-compliant resolver

This proved that lifecycle information can be captured, synchronised and surfaced within live remanufacturing workflows.

Impact

The project represents one of the earliest practical demonstrations of DPP deployment within a live remanufacturing environment. 


Key outcomes include:
•    End to end traceability across repair, remanufacturing, and recycling processes
•    Improved readiness for forthcoming EU and UK DPP regulations
•    A scalable digital framework for wider circular adoption 
•    Enhanced customer transparency and sustainability reporting capability
Following technical validation, Circulus engaged customers to gather feedback, with early discussions indicating strong interest in the operational and compliance benefits of integrated DPPs.


The next phase will focus on piloting with major clients, refining the system through real-world deployment and seeking further funding to support continued development and scale-up.

Gerry Docherty, managing director at Circulus, said: “For a business built on repair, remanufacturing, and recycling, the ability to follow a product’s journey from design through to end of life is hugely powerful. This demonstrator shows that digital product passports can be integrated into real operations in a way that genuinely supports transparency, compliance, and circular business models.”