The Digital Product Passport (DPP) offers opportunities for the tyre and recycling industries. With its planned introduction from 2028, the European Union is laying the foundations for greater transparency, resource conservation and effective material cycles. As a cooperation partner for the tyre material stream, the Allianz Zukunft Reifen (AZuR), of which NEW LIFE is also a member, is taking part in the interactive DPP event organised by Ruhr West University of Applied Sciences on 16 June 2026 at the Bottrop campus. The focus will be on specific applications and prospects of the Digital Product Passport for industry, trade, recycling and the circular economy – Sign up now.
Tyres as a priority product group
The EU has classified tyres as a priority product group under the new Ecodesign Regulation (ESPR). In future, the digital product passport is intended to make information on a tyre’s entire life cycle available digitally – from material composition and CO₂ data to information on repairs, retreading and recycling. Access will be provided, for example, via QR codes or RFID technologies directly on the tyre.
Major benefits for mechanical tyre recycling
The DPP offers enormous potential, particularly for the tyre circular economy. Tyre recycling companies benefit from improved material transparency. Information on ingredients, additives and recycled materials makes mechanical and chemical recovery considerably easier. The DPP can thus help to keep tyres in circulation for longer and recover valuable raw materials more efficiently.
Numerous pilot projects run by AZuR partners are already underway
Several leading tyre manufacturers and industry partners are already working on specific pilot projects to implement the digital product passport:
- As part of the EU-funded CIRPASS-2 project, Michelin is working with partners from the recycling, retreading and fleet management sectors (including AZuR) to coordinate the development of a scalable DPP system for tyres.
- Leading tyre manufacturers such as Bridgestone and Michelin are driving forward the standardisation of global tyre data through the Global Data Service Organisation (GDSO).
- Many AZuR partners are also already working intensively on RFID technologies, digital traceability and the documentation of recycling and material flows.
Digitalisation as the key to the circular economy
For NEW LIFE, the digital product passport is a key component in the further development of the tyre circular economy. „The DPP creates the necessary transparency to manage tyres much more efficiently within the circular economy in future – from use and retreading right through to high-quality recycling,“ explains network coordinator Anna-Maria Guth.
The event at Ruhr West University of Applied Sciences offers businesses, academia and local authorities the opportunity to engage with the requirements and opportunities presented by the digital product passport at an early stage and to work together to develop practical solutions.