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Exploring the significance and priority of digital product passports implementation in building renovation projects targeting circular economy

Pedro Mêda (Civil Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, ICS/CONSTRUCT/Gequaltec – University of Porto, Porto, Portugal)
Eilif Hjelseth (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway)
Diego Calvetti (Civil Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, CONSTRUCT/Gequaltec – University of Porto, Porto, Portugal)
Hipólito Sousa (Civil Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, CONSTRUCT/Gequaltec – University of Porto, Porto, Portugal)

Smart and Sustainable Built Environment

ISSN: 2046-6099

Article publication date: 23 September 2024

144

Abstract

Purpose

This study explores the significance and implementation priorities for Digital Product Passports (DPP) in the context of building renovation projects. It aims to reveal bottlenecks and how a data-driven workflow bridges the DPP understanding/implementation gap, facilitating the transition towards practices aligned with the EU Green Deal goals.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed-methods embedded design was employed for a real-case study exploration. Desk research and field observations ground the two-level analysis combining project documentation, namely the Bill of Quantities (BoQ), with different criteria in digitalisation and sustainability, such as economic ratio, 3D modelling, waste management, hazards, energy performance and facility management. All results were interpreted from the DPP lens.

Findings

The analysis revealed a system for identifying building products representing a significant part of the renovation budget. About 11 priority DPPs were found. Some are crucial for both the deconstruction and construction phases, highlighting the need for an incremental and strategic approach to DPP implementation.

Research limitations/implications

The study is limited to a single case study. Constraints are minimised given the sample's archetype representativeness. The outcomes introduce the need for strategic thinking for incremental DPP implementation. Future research will explore additional criteria and cases.

Originality/value

The research has resulted in a classification framework for DPPs' significance and priority, which is provided with case results. The outcome of the framework provides views on concept alignment to make the implementation in construction more straightforward. Its practical use can be replicated in other projects, emphasizing the importance of data structure and management for the circular economy.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the European Economic Area (EEA) Financial Mechanism 2014-2021, under the Environment, Climate Change and Low Carbon Economy Programme: 13_Call#2 GrowingCircle 2. Base Funding (No: UIDB/04708/2020; DOI: 10.54499/UIDB/04708/2020). The CONSTRUCT - Instituto de I&D em Estruturas e Construções was funded by the national funds through the FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC).

Citation

Mêda, P., Hjelseth, E., Calvetti, D. and Sousa, H. (2024), "Exploring the significance and priority of digital product passports implementation in building renovation projects targeting circular economy", Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/SASBE-05-2024-0193

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited

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