Digital ecosystem for circular value creation

The proposed project aims to develop a digital ecosystem that enables semantic orchestration and exploitation of material and product lifecycle data to support a dataspace solution for circular value creation. The core of this ecosystem is a connected knowledge base powered by advanced digital technologies and AI-driven tools, facilitating transparent, cross-border, and regulation-aligned circular practices across supply chains and industries.

Key Challenges Addressed:

• Circular Deficiencies: Existing linear systems lack the integration and traceability required for effective circularity.

• Cross-Border Barriers: Regulatory fragmentation and data incompatibility hinder international circular collaboration.

• Lifecycle Transparency: Limited visibility into the full lifecycle of materials and products prevents optimized reuse and recycling.

• Data Quality Uncertainty: Incomplete, inconsistent, or inaccessible data impedes confident decision-making.

• Sub-Optimal Data Utilization: Data remains siloed or underutilized, stalling potential insights and optimizations.

• Footprint Alignment and Regulation: A lack of unified metrics and compliance frameworks complicates environmental impact assessment and reporting.

Innovative contributions:

• Semantic Orchestration of Data: Leveraging ontologies and semantic web technologies to harmonize and interconnect heterogeneous data sources across borders and sectors.

• Connected Knowledge Base: Creating a dynamic, interoperable repository of material and product lifecycle data that can be queried, enriched, and expanded in real-time.

• AI-Driven Tools: Developing machine learning and reasoning tools to support:

  • Predictive maintenance and circularity potential forecasting

  • Lifecycle impact analysis and optimization

  • Compliance evaluation and risk assessment

  • Circular strategy recommendations for stakeholders

• End-to-End Product Lifecycle Integration: Enabling full traceability from raw material extraction to end-of-life through smart tagging, digital twins, and standardized data protocols.

• Footprint and Regulation Alignment: Embedding environmental footprint metrics and aligning with regulatory frameworks to ensure both compliance and sustainability.

Impact and Vision:

This ecosystem will empower businesses, policymakers, and consumers to collaboratively create value from circular practices. It will facilitate cross-border circularity, improve resource efficiency, and enhance regulatory compliance while unlocking economic, environmental, and social benefits. By turning raw data into actionable knowledge, the platform supports the transition to a data-driven, circular economy.