Authors:
Tucker Kris
Subject Advisor for Environmental Issues, Sustainability Initiatives and Regulations
Enter a world where every product you buy, from your smartphone to your coffee mug, comes with a digital identity, a kind of "birth certificate" that tracks its journey from raw materials to your hands, and beyond. This is the promise of Digital Product Passports (DPPs). DPPs are digital records that provide detailed information about a product’s lifecycle, including its materials, manufacturing processes, carbon footprint, and end-of-life options. They are a cornerstone of the circular economy, a system designed to minimize waste and maximize resource efficiency. By enabling transparency, traceability and accountability, DPPs aim to empower consumers, businesses and regulators to make more sustainable choices.
But what happens if we embrace them - or if we don’t? Let’s fast-forward 20 years to explore both scenarios.
By 2045, DPPs are as common as barcodes, giving every product a scannable digital passport accessible via smartphones or AR glasses. Consumers instantly check sustainability data, compare options, and earn incentives for recycling or refurbishing products. Businesses have fully embraced circular models, designing for repairability, longevity, and recyclability.
The impact? Less waste, fewer emissions, and smarter resource use. Recycled materials dominate supply chains, and governments enforce sustainability with real-time DPP data. Industries have transformed, fashion brands compete on transparency, modular tech reduces e-waste, and "take-make-waste" is replaced by a regenerative system.
And this is just standard DPPs. With Lingon’s DPP + Certificate, companies monitor supply chains at a glance, automate audits and compliance, and replace costly marketing with direct customer engagement. Consumers benefit from seamless product support, easy repairs, and transparent end-of-life options, all within a single product dashboard. The future isn’t just sustainable, it’s smarter.
By 2045, the linear economy will still dominate. Products are built to fail, waste fills landfills and oceans, and consumers remain unaware of the true impact of their purchases. Companies prioritize short-term profits, ignoring sustainability.
The consequences? Skyrocketing resource costs, geopolitical tensions, and worsening climate disasters. Regulations fail due to a lack of transparency, and recycling rates remain low as products aren’t designed for reuse. Without clear product data, consumers can’t make informed choices, and sustainability remains an afterthought, not a priority.
Businesses face mounting pressure from activists and regulators but lack the tools to improve. The gap between leaders and laggards grows, making sustainability an expensive challenge instead of an opportunity. In this future, doing the right thing is harder, and everyone pays the price.
The future depends on one question: Will we embrace DPPs and the circular economy they enable? The technology is here, and the benefits are undeniable. But true change requires collaboration across industries, governments, and consumers. It means shifting our mindset, from disposable products to a connected, sustainable system.
DPPs aren’t a cure-all, but they are a practical, structured, and achievable step toward reducing waste and maximizing resource efficiency. The next 20 years will be shaped by the choices we make now.
Do we build a prosperous, sustainable, and resilient future? Or do we accept a world of waste, scarcity, and missed opportunities?
What do you think? Can DPPs drive true change? Are there other innovations Lingon should prioritize? Let’s start the conversation!
What is the future of sustainability?, McKinsey & Company , 2024
A truly sustainable future, Springer Nature, 2022
The Science of Sustainability, The Nature Conservancy, 2018
Lingon reflects on the true meaning behind DPP regulation that is intended to contribute to sustainability by becoming its natural tool. Moreover, Lingon is commited to supporting both the industries and policy makers in this common effort to build a greener future!
Lingon reflects on the many opportunities for DPPs to cut costs and open new revenue streams. The furniture and lighting industries are already taking first steps toward digitalization and circularity, the business value is evident and real examples are already visible.
Lingon reflects on the difference between a simple DPP and Lingon's smart Product Certificate. As the furniture and lighting industries are facing a major transformation, the producers must decide whether to unlish the full potential of Circularity with Lingon Certificates or stick to a simple data sheet through a regular DPP.
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