Sustainability and Circular Design in PLM: Managing Product End-of-Life Before You Ship
CSRD, ESPR, and the EU Digital Product Passport are making PLM the mandatory system of record for environmental data. Most manufacturers are not ready.
All Articles
circular economy Articles
In-depth analysis tagged circular economy — covering PLM history, vendor strategy, and the technical decisions reshaping engineering software.
1 article
Key Concepts
Circular Economy Design
A design philosophy that plans for a product's full material lifecycle from the start — prioritizing recyclability, repairability, disassembly, and reuse over single-use or landfill disposal, in contrast to the traditional linear take-make-dispose model.
Digital Product Passport
A machine-readable data record mandated under EU ESPR (Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation) that contains standardized information about a product's material composition, environmental footprint, repairability, and end-of-life handling, accessible via a data carrier (QR code, RFID) attached to the product.
Life Cycle Assessment
A standardized methodology (ISO 14040/14044) for quantifying the environmental impacts of a product across its entire life — from raw material extraction through manufacturing, use, and end-of-life — expressed in metrics such as global warming potential, water consumption, and eutrophication.
Material Passport
A structured record of the materials, substances, and components contained in a product or building, including their quantities, locations, and technical specifications, intended to facilitate material recovery and reuse at end-of-life.