Creating a Digital Product Passport Using Data Spaces and Ontologies: A Case Study at a Furniture Dealer

To promote the environmental sustainability of products, manufacturers, as the responsible economic operators, must provide product-related information through a Digital Product Passport (DPP), which will soon become mandatory for a wide range of products, including furniture. As the field of DPPs evolves rapidly, manufacturers face several challenges related to their implementation. This paper examines the process of creating and issuing a DPP, focusing on the use of data spaces and ontologies as foundational elements. A concept for structuring relevant product information using a metadata schema is presented, enabling the construction of a DPP as a knowledge graph. Furthermore, the role of data spaces and decentralized identifiers in building a secure and interoperable digital infrastructure for exchanging product-related information is explored. An industrial case study at a furniture dealer demonstrates the practical steps for creating and issuing a DPP and offers insights into the necessary preparations for successful implementation.