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How DPP and DBL Are Creating the Future of Circular Construction – and Where OpenCirc Makes the Difference

The construction industry is entering a new digital era. Within a few years, all key building data – from materials' environmental impact to buildings' energy performance and maintenance – will be both digitized and standardized. Two central EU initiatives are driving this development: DPP (Digital Product Passport) and DBL (Digital Building Logbook).
Although they are often discussed separately, they are in reality two sides of the same digital transformation. And precisely at the intersection between them, OpenCirc, the open platform for material passports, positions itself as a technological missing link.

Why DPP and DBL Are Becoming the Foundation for the Construction Industry's Data Structure

Digital Product Passport (DPP): The Product's Digital Identity

DPP originates from the EU's Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR 2024/1781). It is a digital dataset that follows a product throughout its entire lifecycle.

For the construction industry, this means that every window, every insulation type, every ventilation unit, and every concrete element will gradually receive a digital passport containing:

  • performance and DoP/DoPC documentation

  • chemical content and health data

  • environmental and LCA data

  • lifespan, maintenance, disassembly, and reuse potential

  • unique identifiers (product, manufacturer, production site, EU-ID)

The idea is that construction products can become digitally traceable at the component level.

Digital Building Logbook (DBL): The Building's Complete "Digital Memory"

DBL originates from the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD 2024/1275) and can be defined as:

"A common repository for all relevant building data … enabling transparency, trust and informed decision-making."

DBL collects, among other things:

  • energy labels (EPC)

  • renovation passports

  • technical installations

  • materials and building components

  • circularity indicators

  • operational data and sensor measurements

DBL is thus the building's digital superstructure, while DPP constitutes the product's digital foundation data.

Where Do the Two Systems Connect?

DBL and DPP will in all likelihood converge in the coming years, where:

  • DBL will function as the "container" for all building-related data.
  • CPR-DPP (product passports for construction products) will deliver the structured, machine-readable product data that is missing in the construction industry today.

When they are linked, it means:
A building without DPP data will have gaps in its DBL.
A DPP without DBL integration will have limited value.
The EU is moving toward a unified digital ecosystem for buildings, materials, and products, but it takes time... and this is where OpenCirc enters the picture.

Where OpenCirc Fits In – and Why It Matters

OpenCirc is designed precisely to solve the most acute technical problem between DBL and DPP:
→ the lack of an openly accessible, harmonized data model for material passports and component data in the construction industry.

OpenCirc Contributes in Three Key Areas

1. A Common Open Data Format for Material Passports

OpenCirc offers a neutral, open, and machine-readable data format (as also highlighted in the CEN/CENELEC JTC24 work and DS/CWA 18186:2025).
This enables manufacturers, consultants, and authorities to share and validate data without proprietary silos.

2. A Unified API Layer to Connect Material Passports with Both DPP and DBL

Where DPP is about product data, and DBL about building data, OpenCirc functions as:

a bridge that makes it possible to exchange structured material data between the two systems.

This applies to both full integration (1:1 data mapping) and partial integration with selected data types.

3. An Open-Source Foundation for the Future Circular Economy

The industry needs:

  • transparency

  • long-term data availability

  • technical robustness

  • neutral standards

OpenCirc is:

  • open source (MIT + CC-based licenses)

  • designed for 80+ years of data longevity

  • fully transparent

  • built on international standardization (IFC, DS/EN 17549-2:2023, Data Templates)

OpenCirc can thus become one of the central building blocks in the future national DBL architecture.

How OpenCirc Makes DPP and DBL Practically Usable in Everyday Work

For Manufacturers

  • one place to generate and maintain product passports

  • automated validation against standardized data dictionaries

  • clear path to upcoming CPR-DPP requirements

For Consultants and Architects

  • direct access to material data for design

  • better data quality in BIM models

  • possibility for automated LCA extraction

For Building Owners and Facility Managers

  • complete overview of materials and components

  • strengthened indoor climate, safety, and maintenance follow-up

  • better documentation for renovation and financing

For Authorities

  • structured documentation quality in building cases

  • clear connection between building materials, energy requirements, and climate documentation

  • strengthened control of CPR compliance and DPP requirements

Why OpenCirc Is Particularly Important Right Now

OpenCirc contributes here by:

  • offering a future-proof data model

  • offering open-source infrastructure

  • supporting long-term and distributed storage

  • making it possible to start before the EU's detailed requirements are established

In other words:
OpenCirc helps the industry get started now – without locking anyone in.

Want to Join?

OpenCirc is open-source and driven by the industry.
You can contribute with:

  • code

  • knowledge

  • pilot projects

  • user tests

  • collaborations

  • or simply interest

OpenCirc is a key player in operationalizing the EU's vision of a digital, transparent, and circular construction market – and does so on an open and collectively owned foundation.

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