Digital Product Passport for Sustainable and Circular Supply Chain Management: A Structured Review of Use Cases

Abstract: Digital product passport (DPP) is a key regulatory element of the latest European Union’s Circular Economy Action Plan. By enhancing product traceability and supply chain transparency, its upcoming mandatory implementation aspires to improve resource circularity, cut emissions, and strengthen supply chain governance. However, the extant literature lacks a comprehensive understanding of DPP use cases in the supply chain and how they enable sustainable and circular supply chain management (SCM). To address this knowledge gap, this study first provides an overview of the current state of DPP in policy and practice. Based on a structured review of 82 DPP supply chain use cases in academic literature, we synthesize the functional areas that DPP can add value to improving supply chain sustainability and circularity. Informed by the review findings, we first discuss theoretical and practical implications of DPP-enabled sustainable and circular SCM and then prioritize research needs in the emerging research domain.

Bio: Prof. Abraham Zhang is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Supply Chain Management and Technology at the Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom, one of the world’s top 1% business schools. His research on circular supply chain and sustainability has been internationally recognized. He has over 50 academic publications in international journals including Transportation Research Part B, British Journal of Management, International Journal of Operations and Production Management, Transportation Research Part E, and International Journal of Production Economics. Prof. Zhang is an Associate Editor of Business Strategy and the Environment and serves on the Editorial Board of Transportation Research Part E. He has also served as a Special Issue Guest Editor for International Journal of Production Economics, Transportation Research Part E, and International Journal of Logistics Management. Currently, he is guest editing a Special Issue on Digital Technology-enabled ESG Reporting and Assurance against Greenwashing for Industrial Management & Data Systems. Prof. Zhang is featured in the Stanford/Elsevier Global Top 2% Scientists list. ScholarGPS^® ranks him a 2024 Top Scholar, Global #23 in Supply-chain management, assessed over the preceding 5 years.