Digital representation of Circular Economy (CE) data points at the micro, meso, and macro levels using the Asset Administration Shell (AAS)
Important: The AAS modeling of data points contains some in-progress IDTA submodels, and due to data privacy constraints, it is not possible to publish them at this time. Once the official submodel publication becomes available, the complete AAS modeling of data points will be accessible in this repository.
The transition to a Circular Economy requires structured, interoperable data across product life cycles. The Asset Administration Shell (AAS), as the Industry 4.0 digital representation standard, provides this foundation; yet CE-relevant data points remain insufficiently defined.
This repository accompanies a methodology to identify and classify micro, meso, and macro levels CE data, map them to modular AAS submodels, and produce a reusable template for Digital Product Passports (DPPs) and Digital Twins (DTs). The approach enhances data exchange and supports future CE requirements.
Keywords: Circular Economy; CE Data Points; Digital Product Passport (DPP); Asset Administration Shell (AAS); Data Space; Sustainable Manufacturing.
This repository provides the list of CE data points across the micro, meso, and macro levels, identified and consolidated through CE standards (e.g., the ISO 59000 series), sustainability reporting frameworks (GRI, ESRS, SASB, VDI), scientific literature on circularity indicators and lifecycle assessments, existing IDTA submodel templates, and expert workshops. The complementary product/component (nano) level is addressed in a companion publication:
Rezapour, M., Farrukh, A., Pourjafarian, M., Plociennik, C., Nolte, A., Araujo, J. B., Berg, H., & Ruskowski, M. (2026). Digital representation of circular economy data points at the nano level using Asset Administration Shell [Paper accepted for publication]. IFAC World Congress.
- Micro level. Classified using ISO/FDIS 59020, the MCI and Circulytics tool, the GRI Consolidated Standards, SASB Standards, EFRAG ESRS Data Points, and related literature.
- Meso level. Classified using industrial symbiosis and eco-industrial park assessment methods, international eco-industrial park frameworks, national circularity indicator systems, and the MCI.
- Macro level. Identified using national statistical resources and CE monitoring frameworks, including material flow accounts and the EU Circular Economy Monitoring Framework.
The data point set is subject to ongoing revision and refinement through collaborative review loops. A formal publication describing the methodology and use case is in preparation; reference details will be added here once available.
This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 — see the LICENSE file for details.
This work is funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU and BMFTR Guideline for Funding Projects to Establish Data Competence Centers in Science within the framework of the DACE project (16DKZ2056E).
The findings and opinions stated reflect the opinion of the authors and not the opinion of the European Union nor the BMFTR.
Developed at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) in collaboration with project partners.