The European Union is heavily dependent on non-European supplier countries for many critical raw materials. In terms of global trade, this would not normally be a problem, but over the past decades it has become apparent that many of these supplier countries do not adhere to European standards of democracy and human rights and are quite prepared to exploit their indispensability as suppliers to the detriment of the European Union. This applies to both economic and political spheres.
The EU therefore intends to reduce dependencies. This is one of the core objectives of the European Union's circular economy strategy. As much as possible of the raw materials used in Europe should be reused multiple times.
This is achieved by promoting the circular economy. Every component and every material is always viewed as a valuable resource throughout its entire life cycle, never as waste. The Digital Product Passport serves as an essential digital tool for locating these recyclable materials and making them available for reuse.