Molecular Digital Product Passport
The textile sector is under increasing pressure to become more sustainable and transparent. The Molecular Digital Product Passport project investigates how new technologies can support the implementation of digital product passports in the textile sector.
Motivation
The textile sector is facing increasing pressure to become more sustainable and transparent. European regulations such as the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) introduce the Digital Product Passport (DPP) as a key instrument to improve traceability and support circular economy practices. However, implementing Digital Product Passports is challenging due to the complexity of global textile supply chains and the fragmented structure of the industry. In The Netherlands, the textile ecosystem consists largely of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that often lack the digital infrastructure required to manage lifecycle product data.
The Molecular Digital Physical Digital Product Passport (M-DPP) project explores how new technologies can support the implementation of Digital Product Passports in the textile sector.
Goal
The goal of the project for the whole consortium is to develop and test a Digital Product Passport approach that improves transparency and traceability in textile supply chains.
Specifically, the project aims to:
- explore how molecular identification technologies can verify textile materials
- connect physical textile materials with digital product passports
- develop practical solutions suitable for SMEs in the textile ecosystem
- support circular economy practices such as reuse and recycling
Method
The project uses a combination of technological development, ecosystem research, and stakeholder engagement.
Key activities include:
- development of molecular textile identification methods
- creation of a digital product passport infrastructure
- Industry Living Lab workshops with textile companies and stakeholders
- pilot testing of the system within real supply chains
Research group Biobased Innovations and CoE HAN BioCentre are involved in developing a molecular material database, the scientific backbone of the DPP system. By building an open-source textile database, this work package ensures that the DPP is backed by verifiable and standardized material data, critical for traceability and regulatory compliance. Furthermore, HAN leads together with HvA Fashion Research & Technology the industrial validation phase, ensuring that the DPP framework is tested and refined in real-world conditions.
Project coordination
Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (HvA)
Our partners
- HvA research group Fashion Research & Technology
- HvA research group Responsible IT
- Dutch Circular Textile Valley
- ByBorre
- New Optimist
- Candor.Digital
- New Order of Fashion
Biobased Innovations
To prevent our beautiful planet from turning into a vast barren wasteland, the raw material transition is an absolute necessity. In the Biobased Innovations research group, together with partners and students, we are working hard on the further development of key technologies that support this necessary transition.
