GRROW

Initial Situation

The initial situation of the ‘GRROW’ project is characterized by the fact that key levers of the circular economy such as modular product design, data driven business models, and regulatory instruments like the Digital Product Passport are still primarily focused on new products. As a result, significant barriers exist under real industrial conditions for value preserving ReX strategies, including limited data availability for products already in use, insufficient economic incentives for product returns, restricted planning capability in production, and uncertainty regarding customer acceptance and economic viability. This starting point currently prevents the scalable and economically sustainable implementation of refurbishment and remanufacturing processes and thus hinders the establishment of closed loop value creation in today’s brownfield environments.

Solution Approach

The solution approach of ‘GRROW’ is to implement a DPP enabled end to end circular process that is specifically tailored to existing brownfield conditions and can be applied in industrial practice today. At the core of this approach is AI and model based retroactive data interpolation, which generates relevant product information for devices already in the field and makes it available via the Digital Product Passport. Based on this data foundation, scalable return processes with dynamic monetary incentive and compensation mechanisms, defined scaling stages for ReX activities, and DPP supported production and order management are integrated into existing IT systems to ensure sufficient return volumes as well as planning reliability, economic viability, and the systematic scaling of refurbishment and remanufacturing.

Expected Result

The expected outcome of ‘GRROW’ is a practice proven DPP enabled end to end circular process that can be operated and scaled economically under real brownfield conditions. The project provides transparent and reliable decision making foundations through high data availability for products already in use, established scaling stages for ReX strategies, and an effective dynamic return management system with monetary incentives. As a result, ‘GRROW’ enables plannable production and sales processes, increased customer acceptance of refurbished products, and robust business cases that can be transferred to other products, companies, and industries.

Benefits for the Target Group

‘GRROW’ supports manufacturing companies in implementing refurbishment and remanufacturing under existing brownfield conditions in a planned and economically viable manner by integrating scaling stages, return management, and production processes in a data driven way. Retailers and return actors benefit from transparent incentive and compensation mechanisms that enable reliable product returns. IT providers and research institutions gain transferable concepts and blueprints for Digital Product Passport integration, AI based data provision, and circular business models, while policymakers obtain robust insights into the practical and near term implementation of regulatory requirements.