[1] Passports generally consists of a set of data describing defined characteristics of materials in products, which enables the identification of value for recovery, recycling and re-use.
The key difference in these concepts is that a passport provides an identity of a single identifiable object and acts as a certified interface to all life-cycle registrations a product is concerned with.
By recognizing the individual materials in buildings (or other products), new ownership structures could be facilitated that would enable more functions to be offered as a service.
In general, material passports create incentives for suppliers to produce and developers / managers / renovators to choose healthy, sustainable and circular materials/building products.
They fit into a broader and growing movement that aims at developing circular building business models.
In case an existing building does not yet have a material passport, it can be created through various methods (e.g., plan analysis, digital 3D scanning).
It provides a comprehensive overview of the advantages and disadvantages of a material passport for every actor in the supply chain.