Plooto’s mission is to boost circularity and prolong the value chains of products by enabling organisations’ collaboration. To this end, there is a need for healthy collaborations in a transparent and trustable environment. AEGIS is offering a solution by implementing Blockchain technology that will support the management, sharing and validation of the Digital Product Passports.
Blockchain is a decentralized and distributed ledger technology that enables secure and transparent recording of transactions across a network. Due to its main characteristics, decentralization, transparency, and immutability, blockchain is the technology used to store data that requires more stringent security. The most significant characteristics of Blockchain are:
- Data immutability – which ensures that no data is corrupted.
- Decentralization – meaning that no authority or government, nor a group of persons, or a single individual, controls this technology.
- Transparency or provenance – which ensures that every transaction can be traced from the start to the finish.
Blockchain is based οn the peer-to-peer protocol and each transacting entity is represented by a peer in the network. Each peer of the Blockchain has a copy of the ledger that includes all the transactions made regarding an asset, boosting traceability and transparency. Additionally, blockchain offers an immutable history of transactions, that seals honesty and trust, encouraging collaborations, assisting in prolonging the value chain of products and facilitating circularity.
Manufacturers can use DPPs to showcase to customers and partners circularity practices and sustainability indexes in a transparent way. This will not only add value to the products by ensuring the consumer that the product is abiding by green standards but will also help companies choose better providers and collaborators based on their sustainability profile. Blockchain’s role here is to guarantee that all this information is true and unchangeable, enabling ethical transactions.
AEGIS is experimenting with Blockchain for the deployment of Digital Product Passports in multiple process industries such as the ones represented by the Pilots of Plooto (food, magnets, Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer for automotive, aerospace, motorsport, naval, industrial and design sectors) as well as in textiles and apparel, the latter being one of the first industries obliged to adopt DPPs. With the experience and knowledge gained from PLOOTO and other research innovation initiatives supported by the EU AEGIS is at the forefront of companies who can facilitate the compliance of businesses with the related regulation and their acceleration towards the Circular Economy.