How can the Digital Product Passport (DPP) help to strengthen the circular economy, resource efficiency and competitiveness in Europe? This question was the focus of the „NRW kann DPP!“ conference held on 16 June 2026 at the Bottrop campus of Ruhr West University of Applied Sciences. Around 150 participants from various sectors – including industry, small and medium-sized enterprises, academia, trade associations and politics – used the event to exchange views on current developments, learn from one another and discuss joint approaches to implementing the DPP. The Alliance for the Future of Tyres, of which NEW LIFE is a member, took part as a cooperation partner for the tyre material stream.
Opportunities for resource efficiency, resilience and competitiveness
In her opening address, Susanne Hagenkort-Rieger, Head of the Economic Policy Department at the Ministry for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (MWIKE), emphasised the strategic importance of the Digital Product Passport for the region as a business location. The circular economy is no longer a niche topic, but rather a key competitive factor for value creation, jobs and raw material sovereignty. Digitalisation is the key to this. The DPP must be seen as an economic policy instrument for unlocking the potential for resource efficiency, resilience and competitiveness.
Franziska Zibold, Policy Officer at the European Commission (DG GROW), provided an overview of the current state of European legislation via live video. She explained the role of the DPP within the framework of the European sustainability and circular economy strategy, as well as the forthcoming regulatory requirements for businesses.
Thomas L. Rödding, Co-Chair of the European standardisation committee CEN-CENELEC JTC 24 and of the DIN/DKE Joint Committee on the Digital Product Passport, then presented the technical principles and standards of the future DPP system. It became clear that standardised data structures and interoperable systems will be crucial for successful implementation.
Opportunities and challenges of the DPP for the tyre circular economy
Speaking on behalf of the tyre industry, Yorick Lowin, Managing Director of the Federal Association of Tyre Retailers and Tyre Repairers (BRV), outlined the specific opportunities and challenges presented by the Digital Product Passport within the tyre circular economy. Due to their high raw material and energy consumption, their complex material composition and the wide range of recycling options available, tyres are considered a particularly suitable area of application for the DPP.
Lowin demonstrated that, in future, the Digital Product Passport could optimise the sorting of used tyres, facilitate the selection of casings suitable for retreading, and support high-quality mechanical recycling processes. The digital availability of relevant information – such as the manufacturer, tyre size, tread pattern, production date and label values – could make processes along the entire value chain significantly more efficient.
At the same time, the BRV’s managing director drew attention to important outstanding issues. These include, amongst other things, future data sovereignty, the integration of retread manufacturers into existing DPP systems, and the requirements for small and medium-sized enterprises. From the industry’s perspective, the systems must be designed to be practical so that SMEs, too, can meet the requirements in a cost-effective manner. Furthermore, data should be accessible to all market participants on neutral platforms and should not remain exclusively with individual manufacturers.
For NEW LIFE, the event confirms the great importance of the Digital Product Passport for the future of mechanical tyre recycling. The DPP can help keep tyres in circulation for longer, strengthen high-quality recycling pathways and improve transparency throughout the entire value chain. It thus becomes a key building block for greater resource efficiency, climate protection and the circular economy in Europe.