In the second installment of the “Road to Circular Batteries” blog series, we’ll go beyond typical Digital Product Passports, delving into the technologies, regulatory edge, and circular impact that make Digital Battery Passport a benchmark for future product passports.

As the EU accelerates towards a circular and sustainable economy, Digital Product Passports (DPPs) are showing great potential as tools promoting transparency, traceability, and sustainability across supply chains.

From fashion to electronics, DPPs are helping industries across the EU make smarter and greener choices. Among all the digital passports being developed, the Digital Battery Passport (DBP) stands out as the most advanced, regulated, and impactful one.

In our previous blog post we had a brief introduction to what a Digital Battery Passport is and how it works. In the second installment of the “Road to Circular Batteries” blog series, we’ll go beyond typical Digital Product Passports, delving into the technologies, regulatory edge, and circular impact that make Digital Battery Passport a benchmark for future product passports.

What is a Digital Battery Passport?

In short, a Digital Battery Passport is a secure, detailed digital record that travels with a battery throughout its lifecycle.

It contains key information on materials and their source, manufacturing details, environmental impact, usage history and guidelines, and end-of-life options, making sure that every actor in the value chain can make informed, meaningful decisions about how to use, fix, or recycle the battery.

Starting in 2027, the EU will require most batteries to have their own digital passports. This regulation is already changing how manufacturers and recycling companies think about batteries.

The Technology Behind Digital Battery Passports

What makes the Digital Battery Passport stand out is the technology it’s built on. DBPs are not just a static data sheet but a live, intelligent system that evolves with the battery throughout its lifecycle, designed to ensure data accuracy, security, and interoperability across various stakeholders. Key technologies include:

Blockchain & Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT)

DBP’s security model foundation, DLT, allows multiple stakeholders across the value chain to access verified, tamper-proof information. Blockchain, on the other hand, ensures that once the data is recorded, it cannot be altered without consensus, making it ideal for tracking battery data securely over time.

IoT Integration

Modern batteries are increasingly connected with sensors and smart Battery Management Systems (BMS). These IoT devices continuously monitor temperature, charge cycles, and degradation patterns in real time and feed them into the DBP, keeping the passport constantly updated and dynamic throughout the battery’s use.

Advanced Data Management Systems

The Digital Battery Passport relies on centralised and federated data platforms that structure and standardise inputs from multiple sources (OEMs, recyclers, transporters, etc.). These systems ensure the DBP remains interoperable and compliant with EU regulatory frameworks and global standards.

DPP vs. DBP: What Sets the Battery Passport Apart?

While product passports are gaining momentum in sectors like fashion, electronics, and construction, the DBP is uniquely complex and sophisticated due to the technical nature of batteries and their long, global value chains.

Here’s how Digital Batter Passports stand apart:

These differences make DBP a pioneering model for digital traceability, setting the bar for other sectors that are also seeking to digitise sustainability and compliance.

Cradle-to-Grave Traceability for Batteries

One of the biggest advantages of the DBP is its ability to trace batteries from cradle to grave (or cradle-to-cradle). This means tracking the battery from:

• Raw material sourcing
• Manufacturing and assembly
• Transportation and installation
• Usage and performance monitoring
• Maintenance, repair or refurbishment
• Second-life applications (e.g., energy storage)
• Recycling and recovery of critical materials

This end-to-end visibility has massive implications:

- Manufacturers can easily identify quality issues early and optimise designs accordingly.

- Consumers can better understand the sustainability of the products they use.

- Regulators can ensure compliance with environmental and safety standards more effectively.

- Recyclers can identify the safest and most efficient ways to recover materials.

How DBP is Setting a New Benchmark

Batteries are complex products. With their potentially hazardous chemical components, safety concerns, and cross-border logistics, we need a digital solution that’s more sophisticated than most other product categories.

The Digital Product Passport meets this challenge with:

• Smart Technology that updates automatically
• Strict data standards for everyone

• Strong support from regulations

This makes it the perfect blueprint for other future product passports.

Real-world applications are already introducing Digital Battery Passports to our daily lives. The BASE project is one example of this, leading the way by developing transparent calculation methods and standardised circularity metrics, making DBPs more reliable, scalable, and impactful.

The BASE project is working closely with EU regulations and circular economy goals, accelerating the practical implementation of Digital Battery Passports across industries.

In Summary

While Digital Product Passports are transforming sustainability practices,  the Digital Battery Passport stands out for its:

• Mandatory regulatory framework
• Real-time data capabilities
• Comprehensive circularity and lifecycle tracking
• Seamless integration across the entire value chain

As demand for batteries continues to grow globally, driven by electric vehicles, renewable energy, and storage systems, the Digital Battery Passport will be the foundation for a greener, smarter, and more circular battery economy.