Towards a shift to a circular economy by digitising and tracing materials

To ensure that plastics can be reused or recycled, however, it is essential to be able to trace the origin of all raw materials in the product. That is the idea behind the Circularise Plastics project, which makes it possible to find the source of all raw material inputs throughout the plastics supply chain.

Circularise

Circularise Plastics is a collaborative project between Covestro, a major supplier of high-tech polymers; Circularise, an innovative transparency start-up; and DOMO. Launched in 2019, this cutting-edge initiative harnesses blockchain technology to enable circularity in the plastics industry. Thanks to this pioneering technology, better traceability can be established for plastics across the value chain, allowing all actors to choose sustainable options more confidently.

Porsche und Circularise starten Projekt zur Rückverfolgbarkeit mit Blockchains in Zusammenarbeit mit Borealis, Covestro und Domo Chemicals | Bildquelle: Circularise

Traceability of plastics in the automotive sector

In 2020, Circularise, as part of the Startup Autobahn innovation program, launched a project with Porsche and its material suppliers – Borealis, Covestro and DOMO Chemicals – to enable the traceability of plastics on blockchain and to ensure that the use of sustainable materials in Porsche vehicles can be proven. By digitizing materials Circularise was able to create a digital thread through the whole supply chain, enabling material traceability, tracking the CO2 footprint and other sustainability metrics like water savings.

Porsche has a large number of suppliers providing parts for its vehicles but that does not stop the company from looking for more information about the materials that go into its vehicles. With the help of Circularise and its partners, Porsche is able to trace plastics from raw material production to the final vehicle for a number of specific cases.

An award-winning technology

In 2021, Circularise received a Responsible Care® award for a sustainability project for Porsche. Through this initiative, Porsche can prove the use of sustainable materials in its vehicles. The “digital product passport” ensures material traceability and tracks the CO2 footprint and other sustainability metrics like water savings. The special commendation for the Circularise Plastics initiative confirms the leading role DOMO is playing when it comes to sustainability.