Beyond compliance: Designing value-creating, service-oriented, and integrated product passports that contribute to the circular economy

Product passports (PPs) are the newest instance of transaction systems that try to mitigate the information gaps between stakeholders and foster the Circular Economy (CE). Regulators progressively prescribe its implementation and use. However, the contributions of PP systems to the CE are not self-evident, as some systems fail to deliver added value to the sustainability of organizations or society. This design science research investigates how to design PP systems that enhance the product’s circularity and contribute to the CE. The study goes beyond the stakeholder and regulatory perspective but draws on the ideas of eco-effectiveness and sustainability handprints. This nascent PP design approach expands our understanding of PPs as a non-financial data reporting tool through three more perspectives: value creation, service orientation, and integration. Eventually, PPs can improve the eco-effectiveness and handprint of products when the PP systems are designed to offer the necessary information services.