Short answer

Integrate SysML into your product development workflow to proactively define and link data for comprehensive Digital Product Passports, thereby enhancing lifecycle transparency and sustainability.

Field
Innovation & Design
Source
Tehnički glasnik (2025)
Method
Model-based systems engineering (MBSE) approach
Evidence
Strong effect

Utilizing the Systems Modelling Language (SysML) can create traceable links between product development data and Digital Product Passport attributes, streamlining information flow for sustainable smart product lifecycles. This innovation & design research insight is drawn from a 2025 study published in Tehnički glasnik. Using Model-based systems engineering (mbse) approach, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Integrate SysML into your product development workflow to proactively define and link data for comprehensive Digital Product Passports, thereby enhancing lifecycle transparency and sustainability.

Study
Innovation & DesignNew This WeekStrong effect

SysML-based Digital Product Passports enhance smart product lifecycle transparency

Utilizing the Systems Modelling Language (SysML) can create traceable links between product development data and Digital Product Passport attributes, streamlining information flow for sustainable smart product lifecycles.

Tehnički glasnik · 2025

01

Key Findings

  • 01Fragmented data sources and disparate system integrations are significant obstacles to practical Digital Product Passport implementation.
  • 02A SysML-based approach can establish traceable relationships between product development models and Digital Product Passport attributes, enabling seamless data flow.
02

Application

Design takeaway

Integrate SysML into your product development workflow to proactively define and link data for comprehensive Digital Product Passports, thereby enhancing lifecycle transparency and sustainability.

How to apply

When designing smart products, consider using SysML to create a central model that directly informs the structure and content of the product's Digital Product Passport.

Project actions

  • 01When defining your product, think about what information will be needed for a 'digital passport' later on.
  • 02Consider how you can use modelling tools to link design decisions to this future data.
03

Method & Evidence

AimHow can SysML be used to develop a model-based definition for Digital Product Passports that supports sustainable smart product lifecycles by ensuring traceable data flow from product development?
MethodModel-based systems engineering (MBSE) approach
ProcedureThe research defined essential Digital Product Passport components derived from product development data. It then proposed a SysML-based approach to establish traceable relationships between model elements and Digital Product Passport attributes, demonstrating feasibility with a 3D printer example.
ContextSmart product lifecycle management, sustainable design, digital product passports

Variables

IVUse of SysML for Digital Product Passport definition
DVTraceability of data, seamless data flow, transparency in product lifecycle
CVProduct type (3D printer), specific SysML tool used, data attributes defined
04

Strengths & Limitations

Strengths

  • +Addresses a timely and critical issue in sustainable product design.
  • +Proposes a concrete methodological solution (SysML) for a practical problem.

Limitations

The complexity of implementing SysML might be a barrier for some projects, and the specific instantiation used might not be universally applicable.

Reliability & validity

The validity of the approach is demonstrated through an example instantiation. Reliability would depend on the consistent application of SysML principles across different projects.

Think critically

To what extent can the proposed SysML approach be generalized across vastly different product categories and manufacturing environments, and what are the potential challenges in its adoption by smaller design firms?

05

Design Principles

"Model-driven data integration for lifecycle transparency."

As sustainability becomes a critical design imperative, designers and engineers need robust methods to track and manage product information throughout its entire lifecycle. A model-based approach to Digital Product Passports offers a structured way to ensure data integrity and accessibility, supporting circular economy principles and regulatory compliance.

06

What This Means for Your Design

Imagine you're building a smart product. This research shows that using a special diagramming tool called SysML during design can automatically create a digital record (a Digital Product Passport) for that product. This record keeps track of everything important about the product's life, making it easier to be sustainable.

How to use in your project

  • 1.Reference this research when discussing the importance of data management for product lifecycle and sustainability.
  • 2.Use the concept of model-based definition to justify your approach to data collection and organization for your design project.
07

Add to My Project

08

Quick Cite

Paragraph starter

This research highlights the critical role of structured data management in achieving sustainable product lifecycles through Digital Product Passports. The authors propose a Systems Modelling Language (SysML) approach to overcome data fragmentation by establishing traceable links between product development models and passport attributes. This model-based definition ensures seamless data flow, enhancing transparency and accountability from conception to end-of-life, a principle directly applicable to ensuring comprehensive lifecycle documentation in my own design project.

09

Source

Tehnički glasnik

Towards Model-based Definition of Digital Product Passports Supporting Sustainable Smart Product Lifecycles

journal · 2025

View source

Questions About This Research

What does the research say about sysml-based digital product passports enhance smart product lifecycle transparency?
Integrate SysML into your product development workflow to proactively define and link data for comprehensive Digital Product Passports, thereby enhancing lifecycle transparency and sustainability. Evidence: Tehnički glasnik (2025).
Why does "SysML-based Digital Product Passports enhance smart product lifecycle transparency" matter for design?
As sustainability becomes a critical design imperative, designers and engineers need robust methods to track and manage product information throughout its entire lifecycle. A model-based approach to Digital Product Passports offers a structured way to ensure data integrity and accessibility, supporting circular economy principles and regulatory compliance.
How can designers apply this research?
Integrate SysML into your product development workflow to proactively define and link data for comprehensive Digital Product Passports, thereby enhancing lifecycle transparency and sustainability.
What were the main findings?
Fragmented data sources and disparate system integrations are significant obstacles to practical Digital Product Passport implementation.. A SysML-based approach can establish traceable relationships between product development models and Digital Product Passport attributes, enabling seamless data flow.
What research method was used?
Model-based systems engineering (MBSE) approach.
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2025 journal from Tehnički glasnik.
What should I do differently in my next project?
When designing smart products, consider using SysML to create a central model that directly informs the structure and content of the product's Digital Product Passport.
What are the limitations?
The study focused on a single instantiation (3D printer) and may not fully capture the complexity of diverse product types and manufacturing systems.