Why Participation Becomes the Sensible Choice

We are entering a new phase in composite manufacturing, where sustainability and end-of-life responsibility are becoming commercially decisive. One visible example is renewable energy: wind turbine blades are now reaching end-of-life at scale, forcing difficult questions about recycling and disposal.

This shift is being accelerated by emerging Digital Passport legislation and customer expectations. End-of-life responsibility, recycling, and hazardous material handling are no longer peripheral concerns. They are becoming programme-critical.

Progress is slowed by a familiar pattern:

  • fragmented data across the supply chain,
  • months of NDA negotiation,
  • repeated audits,
  • uncertainty over whether the information exists, who owns it, and who can rely on it

The Composite Digital Passport is an attempt to remove that friction without forcing disclosure of proprietary knowledge.

A Different Approach to Trust

The passport model is explicitly designed to solve these problems.

Data is not shared by default, nor is it exposed with a coarse role-based access control. Instead:

  • suppliers own their data in their passport,
  • disclosure is tied to the purpose of use, not job title,
  • Evidence is derived from the data and shared between passports, rather than raw data being copied.

This allows suppliers to stand behind their data without handing over recipes, critical formulations or internal models. Intellectual Property does not leak.

Recycling as a Force

Recycling composite parts, and safely disposing of materials requires knowing certain things:

  • are hazardous substances present?
  • what breakdown products may be released, when and how?
  • which recycling pathways are permitted or prohibited?

Today, accessing this can take months of bilateral agreements, slowing programmes and increasing cost. This friction slows programmes, increases cost and momentum is lost.

In the passport model:

  • materials suppliers declare minimum recycling relevant information in their own passport,
  • that information is only visible to appropriate downstream actors (such as certified recyclers),
  • proprietary information remains protected.

How Adoption Actually Happens

Once minimum recycling declarations exist, a self reinforcing loop emerges. It’s not driven by enforcement or mandate. It is driven by visibility and preference.

infographic showing the four parts of the composite digital passport adoption flywheel. The four parts are Recycling Declarations, Procurement Visibility, Market Preference and Supplier Participation.

When procurement can see who enables recycling at pace, behaviour changes naturally.
1 – Minimum Recycling Declarations

Suppliers choose what to declare, but critical recycling information is either present or missing.

2 – Procurement Visibility

Buyers and primes gain at-a-glance visibility of which materials support recycling at pace, and which introduce delay and risk.

3 – Market Preference

Procurement policies quietly adapt: suppliers that reduce friction are easier to buy from.

4 – Supplier Participation

Suppliers respond not to regulation, but to commercial reality. Participation increases.

Procurement as the Accelerator

For procurement and regulatory teams, the passport creates something new – comparative visibility. Buyers can see:

  • which suppliers provide passport-level recycling declarations,
  • which suppliers introduce cost, delay and risk,
  • which suppliers make programmes easier to run.

The result:

  • reduced legal and technical gridlock,
  • shorter procurement, recycling and compliance timelines,
  • protects supplier IP,
  • allows supply chains to move at commercial speed,
  • makes it easier for suppliers to participate in complex supply chains

Why We are Talking to Industry

We are currently shaping the requirements for the Composite Digital Passport and are inviting input from:

  • OEMs,
  • composite part manufacturers,
  • raw material suppliers,
  • recyclers and sustainability leaders.

We are running short, structured conversations to understand:

  • where friction exists today,
  • what minimum disclosures are workable,
  • how procurement decisions are actually made,
  • and what would make this valuable in practice.

Invitation

If you care about:

  • saving time,
  • reducing risk,
  • lowering the cost of assurance,
  • and making composite supply chains more trustworthy,

we would welcome your participation.

A short conversation now can prevent years of friction later.

Please contact us on LinkedIn and we can schedule an invitation.

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Please contact us on LinkedIn and we can schedule an invitation.