Toward circular economy: Investigating citizens’ willingness to use digital product passports

The transition to a circular economy presents an imperative need regarding the unsustainable consumption patterns and growing environmental degradation. Indeed, the circular economy is being presented as a sustainable solution, wherein materials are reused, recycled and regenerated to optimize the use of resources. Therefore, this study explores how digital product passports can empower citizens to actively engage in environmentally responsible consumption. Despite the recognition of citizens as essential drivers of circular economy efforts, their role in adopting sustainable technologies remains underexplored. This study aims to identify the motivational and behavioral factors that shape citizens’ willingness to use digital product passports, bridging gaps in current knowledge about individual engagement with circular economy technologies. Therefore, a research model was built and tested using structural equation modeling. The findings expose the factors that significantly influence consumers’ intention to use digital product passports, namely trust, desire to have more information on the product, ad pro-environmental attitude, this last with a strong moderating impact on the proposed relationships. Based on this, the study contributes to the broader understanding of sustainable innovation and its societal impacts, advancing circular economy strategies, such as the use of DPPs.