We interviewed PhD student Aditya Sissodiya about his work on sub-project 7, "Digital Product Passports." The project develops technologies to implement the EU's planned Digital Product Passports (DPP), enabling traceability of product components and promoting sustainable purchasing decisions.
Through decentralized blockchain applications, the project ensures secure information exchange and improved collaboration between actors in the supply and value chains. The research focuses on advanced access control systems to protect sensitive data and maximize value creation from the available product information.
What is this sub-project about?
The Digital Product Passport (DPP) is essentially a digital record that contains detailed information about a product, including its materials, production processes, and lifecycle history. The idea behind the DPP is to make this information easily accessible and transparent to support sustainable practices, such as recycling and repair, and to help consumers make informed choices. By linking all this data together, the DPP plays a key role in the circular economy by promoting resource efficiency and reducing waste. Our sub-project mainly focuses on the "Access Control" aspect of DPPs. In such a digital system, not everyone should have access to all product data. Different stakeholders, manufacturers, recyclers, or consumers need different levels of access. For example, a consumer might need to know about the environmental impact of a product, but sensitive manufacturing details should only be accessible to authorized personnel.
Our sub-project addresses this by developing advanced access control mechanisms that ensure the right people have the right access at the right time, all while protecting sensitive information. Additionally, with all this consolidated data from various products, there’s a huge opportunity to generate additional value. We also explore how we can use this data to predict things like how often a product will need repairs, how recyclable it is, or what its environmental impact might be. These insights can be incredibly useful for manufacturers looking to design more sustainable products and for consumers who want to make eco-friendly choices. In short, our work is about ensuring secure and efficient use of the rich data provided by DPPs, while also making the most of that data to drive sustainability and innovation.
What specific problems or challenges are you trying to solve with your research work?
The main challenges we’re tackling with our research are data access control and value generation through product traceability and sustainability insights. These are essential for ensuring that the DPP serves its purpose in supporting the circular economy, while also protecting sensitive information. In a system like DPP, where a vast amount of detailed product information is stored digitally, not every piece of information should be available to everyone. For example, a recycling company might need access to data about the materials used in a product, but they don’t need to know proprietary information about how it was manufactured. Similarly, consumers might need transparency about the product's environmental footprint without having access to the entire production process. We’re working on automating the negotiation of access control policies, making this process faster and more efficient, even in complex digital ecosystems.
Key Issues in Traceability and Sustainability are ensuring that all parts of a product’s lifecycle from raw material sourcing to end-of-life recycling are fully traceable. This helps promote responsible production and consumption. Providing the necessary data and insights to reduce environmental impact, optimize recyclability, and promote long-term sustainability. Once we have access to all this consolidated data about products, the challenge is how to extract meaningful value from it. Our research work is designed to solve the challenges of access control and data utilization in DPP systems, aiming to drive both traceability and sustainability across product lifecycles.
Why is the Digital Product Passport important for consumers and businesses?
The DPP is crucial for both consumers and businesses because it brings transparency, accountability, and sustainability to the forefront of product lifecycles. By making key information about products accessible in a clear and structured way, the DPP empowers people and businesses to make more informed and responsible choices. With a DPP, consumers can easily access important details about a product, such as the materials used, how it was manufactured, its carbon footprint, and its recyclability. This level of transparency builds trust because consumers can verify the sustainability claims made by companies. The DPP enables consumers to make decisions based on more than just price and appearance. It provides them with detailed insights into the environmental and ethical impact of a product. For example, if a product is made from recyclable materials or has a low carbon footprint, this information can help people choose products that align with their values, supporting eco-friendly and sustainable consumption. Greenwashing happens when companies make false or misleading claims about the environmental benefits of their products. The DPP combats this by offering verifiable data on a product’s sustainability. This means companies can’t just use vague or unsupported marketing terms; consumers can see the real facts, such as energy use, material composition, or recycling potential. It makes sustainability claims transparent and provable, preventing companies from misleading buyers.
How DPP Helps Prevent Greenwashing and Improves Decision-Making:
- Accurate and Verifiable Data: By making detailed product information publicly available, DPPs ensure that sustainability claims are based on real data and not marketing spins.
- Sustainability Metrics: Consumers can evaluate products based on measurable factors like carbon footprint, material sourcing, or recyclability, allowing for objective comparisons between products.
- Supporting Circular Economy: DPPs provide information that supports the circular economy, encouraging consumers to purchase products designed to last longer and be recycled, while also pushing businesses toward more sustainable practices. Regulatory pressure is increasing on companies to be transparent about their environmental impact. The DPP can help businesses stay ahead of regulations by offering a structured way to present their product data. It also ensures compliance with sustainability standards and encourages accountability within supply chains, improving their overall reputation. Companies that adopt the DPP can demonstrate their commitment to sustainability. By being open about their product's environmental impact and circularity, they can appeal to the growing number of consumers who prefer to buy sustainable products. Businesses that use the DPP can position themselves as leaders in sustainability and gain a competitive edge in the market.
What have you discovered so far in your research, and what results do you expect in the future?
In our research on Objective- and Utility-Based Negotiation for Access Control (https://github.com/adityasissodiya/AccessControlPolicyNegotiationAlgorithm), along with the Natural-Language-to-ABAC-Policy-Conversion project (https://github.com/adityasissodiya/Natural-Language-to-ABAC-Policy-Conversion), we have been focused on solving the complexities of managing access control in digital ecosystems. This is particularly important for initiatives like the DPP, where various stakeholders, such as manufacturers, recyclers, and consumers, need tailored access to specific product information.
Key Discoveries So Far:
1. Automated Access Control Negotiation: - Through our work on Objective- and Utility-Based Negotiation for Access Control, we have developed an algorithm that leverages game theory and objective optimization to automate access control negotiations. This is critical in settings where different parties need to access specific data while protecting sensitive information. - This approach minimizes the manual effort of policy negotiation, ensuring that all stakeholder preferences, such as security, compliance, and usability, are considered and balanced efficiently. The algorithm has been implemented and is available in the GitHub repository mentioned above, titled Access Control Policy Negotiation Algorithm Experiment, where we validate the model by testing it against various stakeholder preferences.
2. Natural Language Processing (NLP) for Policy Conversion: - Another major development is our work on the Natural-Language-to-ABAC-Policy-Conversion project, which focuses on translating natural language policy descriptions into machine-readable Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC) policies. Using spaCy for NLP, the system can extract key policy entities like subjects, actions, resources, and conditions from natural language and automatically generate policies in XACML format. - This is particularly useful for simplifying the creation of access control policies, as stakeholders often describe their access control needs in natural language rather than technical terms. By converting these descriptions into enforceable ABAC policies, we streamline the policy creation process and ensure consistency in enforcement, even in complex environments like DPPs. Both of these approaches integrate with international standards like those from the International Data Spaces Association (IDSA) to ensure the resulting policies are technically robust, enforceable, and adaptable across various use cases. This is especially important for DPPs, where compliance with industry standards and regulations is critical for both privacy and security. In addition to access control, we are trying to leverage DPP data to predict key outcomes, such as repair frequency, recyclability, and environmental impact of products. This work is aimed at turning the vast amount of consolidated data within DPPs into actionable insights that can guide product design and consumer choices towards more sustainable practices.
Expected Future Results:
1. Improved Policy Automation through NLP: - As we continue refining the Natural-Language-to-ABAC-Policy-Conversion process, we expect that this tool will become a vital resource for non-technical stakeholders who need to create complex access control policies without requiring deep technical expertise. This will make access control more efficient, accessible, and scalable, especially in multi-stakeholder environments like DPPs.
2. Enhanced Efficiency in Access Control Negotiation: - The automated policy negotiation work will continue to improve efficiency by reducing manual interventions and speeding up decision-making in complex ecosystems. This will be particularly valuable in settings where rapid and secure sharing of data is necessary.
3. Wider Application of NLP and Negotiation Models:
- We foresee these methods being applied more broadly in other sectors where managing complex access control across multiple stakeholders is critical. The ability to automate policy negotiation and convert natural language policies into enforceable formats could be a game changer for industries dealing with sensitive data.
What challenges have you encountered at work?
One of the most critical challenges has been finding the right balance between data privacy and transparency. In a project like DPP, different stakeholders (manufacturers, recyclers, consumers, etc.) need different levels of access to the data. However, not everyone should have access to sensitive or proprietary information. Implementing robust access control mechanisms that ensure stakeholders have the right level of access without over-complicating the system has been a delicate balancing act. It's important to allow for transparency in areas like product sustainability, but also maintain the confidentiality of business-critical information. Developing the automated negotiation model has helped mitigate this, but finding that balance remains a complex challenge. Another significant hurdle has been converting natural language policies into enforceable access control policies. Stakeholders often describe their access requirements in informal language, which can be ambiguous or lack precision. For example, terms like "authorized personnel" can vary widely in meaning depending on the context. The Natural-Language-to-ABAC-Policy-Conversion project helps automate this process, but ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the natural language processing (NLP) remains a challenge. Dealing with ambiguous phrases and contextual nuances has required significant refinement in how we extract entities like subjects, actions, and conditions from the policy text. With projects like DPP, we're dealing with vast amounts of data across different stages of the product lifecycle, ranging from raw material sourcing to recycling. Organizing, processing, and analyzing this data in a meaningful way has posed a challenge, particularly when trying to predict outcomes like repair frequency or recyclability. Cleaning and preprocessing data for use in models is often a time-consuming process, especially when the data comes from diverse sources and isn't standardized.
Moreover, ensuring that our models are both scalable and accurate for real-world applications has required constant tweaking of algorithms to fit the data. Ensuring that the solutions we develop, whether it’s for access control or data insights, are compatible with existing standards has been a continuous challenge. For instance, working with frameworks like the International Data Spaces Association (IDSA) to ensure policies are technically sound and enforceable across different systems can be difficult, especially when trying to maintain flexibility for various use cases. Creating policies that are both enforceable and adaptable to different environments without breaking the technical structure of the systems involved requires careful planning and continuous iteration. As we continue to refine our approaches, we are confident that these challenges will evolve into opportunities that further enhance the effectiveness of both the Digital Product Passport initiative and the related access control mechanisms.
Do you have any companies/businesses partnering with or related to your work?
Yes, we are fortunate to have several highly respected companies partnering with us on the Digital Product Passport sub-project, each bringing their unique expertise and leadership in sustainability, automation, and technology.
1. ABB: ABB, a global leader in electrification, automation, and digitalization, is a key partner in our project. Their expertise in power grids, energy distribution, and sustainable energy solutions plays a crucial role in ensuring that the DPP systems align with the highest standards of energy efficiency and sustainability. ABB’s commitment to promoting smart energy systems fits perfectly with the goals of our sub-project, especially as we seek to develop tools that drive circular economy practices.
2. H2 Green Steel: Another vital partner is H2 Green Steel, which is pioneering fossil-free steel production using green hydrogen. Their innovative approach to decarbonizing the steel industry aligns with the sustainability objectives of our DPP initiative. H2 Green Steel’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions and revolutionizing industrial processes adds significant value to the project as we focus on tracking the environmental impacts of products and materials in the steel supply chain.
3. Mobilaris: Mobilaris, a leader in real-time data and location-based solutions for industries like mining, is also collaborating with us. Their expertise in digitalization and operational efficiency is instrumental in helping us manage and optimize data flow within the DPP framework. Mobilaris’ solutions contribute to improving traceability and enhancing transparency throughout the product lifecycle, which is central to the success of the DPP system. Each of these companies brings a unique and critical set of capabilities to our work on the Digital Product Passport sub-project, ensuring that we are not only advancing sustainability goals but also leveraging cutting-edge technology to create efficient, secure, and scalable solutions. Their contributions are invaluable as we work toward a more sustainable and transparent future in product lifecycle management.
How will blockchain technology play a role in the DPP?
Blockchain technology is set to play a crucial role in the DPP initiative by enhancing security, transparency, and trust throughout the product lifecycle. However, it's important to note that we are not currently exploring blockchain applications in DPPs; that is more of a phase 2 plan for the project. Blockchain can be integrated with smart contracts, which are self-executing contracts that automatically enforce agreed-upon rules. In the context of DPP, smart contracts can manage access control by ensuring that only authorized parties can access certain data based on predefined conditions. This ties in directly with the access control mechanisms we are working on, where blockchain-based smart contracts can help automate the negotiation and enforcement of who gets access to what data. For instance, recyclers may automatically gain access to material composition data when a product reaches its end of life, while other sensitive details remain restricted. One of the major concerns in sustainability efforts is greenwashing, where companies exaggerate or falsely claim the environmental benefits of their products. By using blockchain, verifiable data about a product’s lifecycle, from raw materials to disposal can be securely stored and publicly accessible, ensuring that claims of sustainability are backed by authentic, transparent information. Consumers and regulators can verify product claims without having to rely solely on the manufacturer's word, as all the data is recorded on the blockchain and cannot be manipulated, fostering greater trust and reducing opportunities for greenwashing. Blockchain provides a tamper-proof ledger, meaning that once data about a product is recorded (such as materials used, manufacturing processes, or recycling information), it cannot be altered or deleted. This ensures that every piece of information within the DPP is immutable and can be traced back to its origin, creating an auditable trail of every product's history. For example, if a product claims to use sustainable materials, the blockchain can verify when and where these materials were sourced. This level of traceability is critical for ensuring accountability across supply chains and supporting circular economy principles.
How do you see the DPP benefiting industries beyond environmental sustainability?
1. Enhanced Supply Chain Efficiency: - Supply chain transparency is a critical benefit of the DPP. By having real-time, accurate information about every stage of a product’s lifecycle, businesses can improve inventory management, streamline logistics, and optimize resource allocation. This level of detail can help industries identify bottlenecks, reduce waste, and enhance overall operational efficiency. For example, manufacturers can better plan for maintenance and repairs by tracking the usage and wear of components, reducing unexpected downtime and improving production schedules.
2. Product Quality and Innovation with Data-Driven Decision Making: - The data collected in DPPs can offer insights into how products perform over time, leading to better product development and innovation. Industries can analyze product usage data, failure rates, and customer feedback to refine designs, improve durability, and create more user-friendly products. By knowing what materials and designs work best, businesses can accelerate innovation cycles, improving product quality and developing offerings that are more competitive in the market. This data-driven insight can help industries make more informed decisions, whether it’s about supply chain choices, product design, or market trends.
3. Improved Regulatory Compliance: - Many industries, particularly those in healthcare, food production, and electronics, are subject to stringent regulatory standards around safety, traceability, and material use. The DPP can serve as a comprehensive record that helps businesses meet these regulations more easily by providing accurate, transparent data about a product’s materials, sourcing, and compliance with relevant standards. This also simplifies audit processes, as companies will have easily accessible and verifiable records to demonstrate compliance with environmental, health, and safety regulations.
4. Building Consumer Trust and Engagement:
- Beyond sustainability, the DPP provides a mechanism for businesses to engage consumers more directly with transparent product information. Consumers increasingly demand to know not just about a product's environmental impact, but also details about ethical sourcing, quality, and safety. By offering detailed, verifiable product data, companies can strengthen brand loyalty and trust. For example, consumers can check whether a product’s materials meet their ethical standards or if the product’s quality aligns with their expectations. This could be a key differentiator in industries like fashion, electronics, and food. While the Digital Product Passport is often seen through the lens of environmental sustainability, its benefits extend far beyond that. It provides a foundation for operational efficiency, innovation, compliance, and consumer engagement, making it a valuable tool for businesses across a variety of industries. By improving transparency, traceability, and data-driven decision-making, the DPP can help industries reduce costs, improve product quality, and foster stronger relationships with consumers, all while adapting to the needs of the modern economy.
What impact do you hope this project will have on consumers' daily lives?
In what ways do you think the Digital Product Passport will change the way people shop or engage with products? One of the most direct impacts of the DPP is giving consumers transparent access to essential product information, such as where a product was made, what materials were used, how sustainable it is, and how long it’s expected to last. This kind of transparency allows people to choose products that align with their values, whether they prioritize ethical sourcing, environmental sustainability, or product durability. For example, if someone is choosing between two appliances, they can easily compare not only price and features but also details like energy efficiency, repairability, and environmental footprint. This helps people make decisions based on long-term benefits and impact rather than just immediate cost. Today, consumers are more skeptical of marketing claims, particularly when it comes to sustainability. With the DPP, there’s verifiable data to back up any claims about a product’s environmental benefits or ethical sourcing, which will significantly reduce greenwashing (false or exaggerated sustainability claims). This means that when a product is labeled as “eco-friendly” or “sustainably produced,” consumers can trust that these claims are genuine and supported by hard data. Over time, this transparency will build greater trust between consumers and brands.
Ultimately, the DPP will contribute to a larger shift in consumer mindset from short-term convenience to long-term value. Instead of focusing solely on price or brand recognition, people will start considering the overall lifecycle of the product, including how durable, repairable, and sustainable it is. This could lead to a culture where people prioritize quality over quantity, buying fewer products but opting for ones that are better made, easier to repair, and more sustainable in the long run. In summary, the Digital Product Passport is poised to change the way people shop and engage with products by providing transparency, promoting sustainable consumption, and fostering trust between consumers and brands. It will help consumers make informed choices that align with their values, encourage ethical and sustainable practices, and ultimately reshape the relationship between consumers and the products they buy. This shift will lead to more responsible consumption and better engagement with brands, helping to build a more sustainable, circular economy.
What does the future of your research look like?
After this project, where do you see the research on digital product passports going? Will there be future challenges or new opportunities? The future of our research on Digital Product Passports holds both exciting opportunities and potential challenges, particularly as technology, sustainability, and regulations evolve. After this project, there are several directions where we see the research expanding, as well as key areas where new opportunities and challenges will emerge. One of the major areas of focus in future research will be the refinement of access control mechanisms. As more stakeholders such as manufacturers, consumers, recyclers, and regulators begin to rely on DPPs, the challenge of managing who has access to what information will become increasingly complex. Ensuring that sensitive data is protected while allowing necessary information to flow freely will be a key area of development. Challenges include ensuring scalability of these systems as the number of products and stakeholders grows, as well as adapting to global privacy regulations like GDPR. While blockchain applications are part of a phase 2 plan in our current DPP work, future research may likely explore the full integration of blockchain technology to ensure data integrity and traceability across supply chains. Blockchain can provide decentralized, tamper-proof records that enhance trust and transparency between stakeholders. Future challenges might involve ensuring that blockchain systems can scale effectively and remain energy-efficient to align with sustainability goals, because current blockchain technologies are very resource intensive and require a lot of energy to run verification algorithms. There will also be opportunities to explore how smart contracts can automate data sharing and compliance verification in DPP systems.
As the adoption of DPPs grows across industries and countries, one of the biggest challenges will be ensuring standardization and interoperability. Each industry or region may have different requirements for the type of data included in a DPP, how it’s formatted, and how it’s accessed. Research will need to focus on creating universal standards that allow DPPs to be used seamlessly across borders and industries. The challenge here is balancing the need for global standards with the flexibility to allow industry-specific customizations. There will be new opportunities for developing frameworks that can harmonize different approaches while ensuring that data can be shared securely and efficiently across platforms. The future of research on Digital Product Passports holds vast potential to revolutionize how we interact with products, not just in terms of sustainability, but also in efficiency, transparency, and innovation. While there will undoubtedly be challenges—such as managing data privacy, ensuring interoperability, and adapting to new regulations. There are also tremendous opportunities to make DPPs a core part of consumer experiences and business operations. As we move forward, the focus will be on expanding the capabilities of DPPs, driving cross-industry adoption, and using the data they provide to build a more sustainable and trustworthy global economy.