Technovative Solutions Ltd. (TVS) proudly participated in the DPP4EU Conference, held on June 1-3 at the Thon Hotel Bristol Stephanie in Brussels, Belgium. The event was also available to online attendees, bringing together leading researchers, industry experts, policymakers and technology providers to explore the latest developments in Digital Product Passports (DPPs) and their role in advancing Europe's circular economy.
The event served as a platform for Horizon Europe projects, industrial stakeholders and digital innovators to exchange knowledge, share practical experiences and discuss how Digital Product Passports are transforming product traceability, regulatory compliance and sustainable value chains across multiple industries.
As the coordinator of the Horizon Europe-funded EcoPlast project, TVS attended the conference to showcase how Digital Product Passports can accelerate circularity within the automotive plastics sector. The conference offered an excellent opportunity to present the project's progress, exchange ideas with fellow DPP initiatives and demonstrate how digital technologies can support the transition towards a more sustainable and resource-efficient manufacturing ecosystem.
As part of Session 9: From Research to Commercial Valorisation, Farhadur Arifin, Senior Control Engineer and Project Lead at Technovative Solutions Ltd., delivered a presentation titled "EcoPlast: Increasing Circularity in the Automotive Plastic Value Chain through Digital Product Passports and Digital Technologies", where he highlighted the project's objectives, technological innovations and collaborative approach to building a circular plastics ecosystem for the European automotive industry.
EcoPlast Presented at DPP4EU
During the session, Farhadur Arifin explained how EcoPlast addresses these challenges through four complementary innovation pillars.
The first pillar focuses on advanced recycling technologies, including solvent-based and enzymatic recycling processes, improved sorting technologies, purification methods and material conversion techniques designed to recover high-quality plastics from end-of-life vehicles.
The second pillar explores material innovation, combining recycled polymers, virgin materials and bio-based components while using artificial intelligence and Digital Twin technologies to optimise manufacturing processes and maintain the performance standards required for automotive applications.
The third pillar centres on digital integration through Digital Product Passports. Rather than functioning solely as compliance documents, Digital Product Passports act as trusted digital records that connect stakeholders throughout the plastic value chain. The presentation introduced the concept of hierarchical Digital Product Passports, linking material-level information with intermediate products, finished plastic components and assembled vehicles to improve traceability, transparency and lifecycle management.
The fourth pillar focuses on circularity assessment and eco-design. EcoPlast is developing digital tools that measure circularity, support Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and help manufacturers design products that are easier to reuse, repair, remanufacture and recycle.
The presentation also introduced EcoPlast's digital platform concept, demonstrating how Digital Product Passports can accompany plastic materials throughout their lifecycle. From compounders and part manufacturers to vehicle assemblers, authorised treatment facilities and recyclers, every stakeholder can contribute and access trusted information that supports informed decision-making and enables closed-loop material flows.
To validate these innovations, EcoPlast is demonstrating several industrial use cases involving real automotive components, including defroster channels, dashboard substrates, rear bumpers, acoustic components, injection moulding optimisation and advanced recycling processes.
About the EcoPlast Project
EcoPlast is a Horizon Europe-funded research and innovation project dedicated to increasing circularity across the automotive plastics value chain. Bringing together 18 partners from nine countries, the consortium combines automotive manufacturers, plastic suppliers, technology providers, research organisations and recycling specialists to develop practical solutions that keep plastics in use for longer while reducing environmental impact.
The project responds to one of the automotive industry's most pressing challenges. Around six million tonnes of plastic are used annually in vehicle manufacturing across Europe. Yet, only a small proportion of post-consumer recycled plastics currently find their way back into new vehicles. At the same time, upcoming European regulations are expected to significantly increase recycled content requirements for automotive plastics, creating an urgent need for innovative recycling processes, improved traceability and better data sharing across the value chain.
TVS's Role in EcoPlast
As the project coordinator, Technovative Solutions Ltd. plays a central role in guiding the project's implementation and ensuring collaboration across the international consortium.
TVS is leading the development of EcoPlast's Digital Product Passport architecture and digital platform, creating the secure digital infrastructure needed to connect stakeholders across the automotive plastics value chain. The company is also responsible for integrating Digital Product Passports with complementary technologies such as Digital Twins, data-sharing solutions and AI-driven decision support to enable trusted information exchange throughout the product lifecycle.
