Do We Know Why We Need Product Passports?

Do we really understand the value of product passports?

As regulations like the Digital Product Passport take shape, many companies are focused on compliance. But the deeper question is whether we are using product data strategically: across lifecycles, across systems, and for actual circular value creation.

In this episode, speakers explore how data can move beyond reporting requirements to become a driver of innovation, competitiveness, and business model transformation in the circular economy.

Recorded live at the CIRCULAR REPUBLIC FESTIVAL 2025, the panel brought together Susanne Kadner from CIRCULAR REPUBLIC, Tilmann Vahle from Quantis, Pascal Köhler from ebm-papst, and Caroline Cassignol from Siemens to discuss how data availability, transparency, and intellectual property concerns intersect with real circular impact.

This episode is part of our CIRCULAR REPUBLIC FESTIVAL 2025 series, created in partnership with CIRCULAR REPUBLIC to bring you the key debates and insights from this year’s festival.

People
Susanne Kadner, Co-Founder
https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanne-kadner/
Tilmann Vahle, Chemicals Lead Germany
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ftvahle/
Pascal Köhler, Director Innovation and Marketing
https://www.linkedin.com/in/pascal-k%C3%B6hler-b56160131/
Caroline Cassignol, Expert Simulation and Digital Twin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-cassignol-dr-21b78a6b/

About
The Circular Republic Festival is Europe’s leading event for advancing the circular economy, uniting corporates, start-ups, and innovators driving this transformation. The last edition took place on May 2025, at the Munich Urban Colab. The festival offers diverse formats to explore practical solutions and best practices for implementing circular economy principles. This year’s theme, “Build Your Competitive Advantage,” focused on the strategic and economic benefits of transitioning to circular business models, while also highlighting the ecological impact of this transformation.

Further Links
https://www.circular-republic.org/

One-page Summary
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