DaCapo project (Digital assets and tools for Circular vale chains and manufacturing products) is a H2020 project, involving 15 partners from 10 countries with a budget allocation of almost 6 million €. DaCapo aims at establishing a systematic approach enabling the creation of human-centric digital tools and services for improving the adoption of Circular Economy strategies along both manufacturing value chains and products lifecycle.
Europe's dependence on imported materials for high-tech products highlights the need to improve raw material efficiency and reduce reliance on Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) for industrial resilience. Circular Economy (CE) principles, supported by the EU Green Deal, offer sustainable manufacturing by extending product lifecycles through recycling and remanufacturing. However, CE adoption in the EU has been slow due to challenges like paradigm shifts and information silos. Digital technologies are key to integrating circularity and fostering resilient business models in EU industries.
The project will focus its efforts in defining a new set of human-centred digital tools and services for the manufacturing industry capable of boosting the application of CE principles at different phases throughout the manufacturing value chains. The backbone of the project will be the development of an agile methodological approach supporting the decision-making accounting business models, materials flows, relevant indicators and data-sharing circular strategies along the manufacturing value chains. Digital Product Passports (DPP) and a Circular Economy Decision Support System (CE-DSS) will be considered as high-level tools. A Modular Digital Thread concept will be developed as a normalized method for orchestrating the gathering data at different points of the product lifecycle, enhancing data availability for the definition of specific sustainability and circularity indicators. This will enable the development of a range of circular-enhancing digital tools and services based on the use of AI and Digital Twins along the manufacturing product lifecycle.
DaCapo demonstrates its commercial and replicability potential on different innovative and high impact applications on critical value chains of the EU’s manufacturing sectors: aeronautics, smartphones industry (ICT & consumer electronics), warehousing (logistics). DaCapo also aims to tackle both technical and market challenges in adopting Circular Economy (CE) practices in manufacturing. Key market barriers include workforce skill shortages and end-user reluctance toward new digital technologies. To address these, DaCapo proposes a Didactic Factories (DF) Network, offering pilot facilities for testing, validation, and training on CE technologies across the EU manufacturing sector. Additionally, DaCapo will implement a replicability strategy, including standardization, certification, and Open Science practices, to enhance market acceptance and boost commercialization opportunities.
