The passport in the cycle
The DMP comprehensively lists the composition of the material from the raw material to the finished part or end product ¬- but also thinks beyond this. It aims to systematically document the sustainable use of materials over their entire life cycle and also to promote the concept of sustainability itself by making DMP data available at the click of a mouse at any time. From use and reuse to recycling and reclaimed materials: the Digital Material Passport is intended to keep material data transparent and verifiable not only along the value chain, but also across circular "cradle to cradle" material cycles. This is particularly important, for example, when categorizing scrap or metal waste according to their PCF.
The DMP in practical use at Stahlo Stahlservice
Stahlo is a mill-independent steel service center that supplies materials for the thin sheet market. At the beginning of 2023, the classic test certificate was converted to DMP. As a result, every Stahlo customer now receives comprehensive information on the purchased material as a PDF and JSON document.
This gives the companies supplied by Stahlo the opportunity to better document and optimize their Scope 3 emissions and ultimately prove the PCF of their product.
With the STAHLKOMPASS, Stahlo also offers an analysis of the ecological footprint and draws up a route that meets the companies' sustainability goals: "The customers determine the target tension and we ‘green‘ the flat steel portfolio by specifically introducing the right amount of optimized products," explains Stahlo CEO Oliver Sonst.
Emissions management with AI
Another approach to help companies, especially large SMEs and major corporations, achieve their climate targets is the AI-supported approach of the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). According to BCG, the end-to-end software solution called "CO₂AI" ("CO₂ Artificial Intelligence") individually tracks the product carbon footprint of each product as a complete balance sheet "from cradle to customer entry gate", from raw material extraction and production to processing, storage and delivery to the customer. This is made possible by the world's largest emissions database, to which CO₂AI has exclusive access. On this data mining basis, the software solution documents the entire value chain, in particular of upstream raw materials such as nickel in the production of stainless steel, where the greatest CO₂ emissions are generated by the alloying elements. Depending on the material composition or steel recipe, CO₂AI calculates the proportionate emissions of all steps and creates an overall PCF balance sheet on this basis, which is traceable down to the last detail. It is precisely this meticulous proof of emissions that could be worth hard cash for steel producers in the future with regard to their customers' demand for green steel.