Trace Circle

Every second, one garbage truck full of textiles is dumped and burned globally. And despite years of sustainability campaigns, less than 1% of used clothing is recycled back into new garments. Fashion systems were designed for • Faster production • Lower manufacturing costs • Seasonal trend cycles • Mass-scale consumption But not for • Repairability • Fiber recovery • Recyclability • End-of-life reuse The result? Millions of tonnes of textile waste entering landfills every year. Recycling challenge Many sustainable garments still become unrecoverable waste. Why? Because modern clothing often combines • Polyester • Cotton • Elastane • Chemical coatings • Foam inserts • Metal zippers These blended materials make recycling extremely difficult and expensive. In Ghana, nearly 15 million garments arrive every week and around 40% becomes waste immediately. Chile’s Atacama Desert has also become a visible symbol of global fashion waste overflow. One of the biggest problems in textile recovery is the lack of product-level information. Recyclers often don’t know • Exact fiber composition • Chemical treatments used • Dye information • Recycling compatibility • Repair history This is where Trace Circle comes in. Trace Circle helps businesses to track • Carbon emissions • Energy usage • Water consumption • Waste generation • Material Usage • Chemical Treatments Read the full newsletter to explore circular fashion systems, textile recycling methods, the role of Digital Product Passports, lifecycle-centric production and the future of transparent and recoverable fashion. Newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gZ2QS6h2 Jessika Roswall | Ruud Kempener | Andrea Orsag | Wopke Hoekstra | Andrea Bruno | Dan Jørgensen | Mauro CORDELLA | Eric Mamer Future Transformation | Trace Circle | European Commission | Herman Harkink | Shalini Rao | Prasanna Lohar #CircularFashion #SustainableFashion #TextileWaste #CircularEconomy #DigitalProductPassport #Traceability #FashionIndustry #ESG #Recycling #Sustainability #FashionInnovation

For years, sustainability was treated as a compliance requirement. Nature loss directly impacts supply chains, production, water availability, raw materials, operational costs and long-term profitability. A report by the World Economic Forum explores 50+ investible opportunities across industries that can generate business returns while reducing pressure on land, water, emissions and natural ecosystems. Nature-positive economy could generate up to $10.1 trillion in annual business value by 2030. Here’s what stands out 1. Nature-Positive Business Models • Global capital flows remain heavily concentrated in activities that degrade ecosystems and natural resources. • Companies are increasingly exposed to risks such as water scarcity, soil degradation, pollution and climate disruptions. 2. Visibility across the Product Lifecycle • Most organizations still lack visibility into the full environmental impact of their products and supply chains. • Businesses struggle to accurately measure carbon emissions, water usage, waste generation, and energy consumption across operations. • Fragmented supply chain data reduces transparency and slows sustainability reporting. 3. Circular Economy Models • Traditional linear production systems generate excessive waste and resource depletion. • Companies face increasing pressure to reduce landfill waste and improve material recovery. • Product disposal and inefficient recycling systems continue to create environmental and operational inefficiencies. 4. Data and AI • Lack of operational intelligence reduces the ability to scale sustainability initiatives efficiently. • Environmental reporting systems are often fragmented across departments and suppliers. Key Levers • Investing in precision agriculture, battery recycling, industrial water systems, sustainable materials, and circular production models. • Embedding sustainability directly into operations, sourcing and supply chains. • Building digital traceability systems across sourcing, manufacturing, logistics, usage and recycling stages. • Using connected data platforms to calculate emissions, resource usage and environmental impact in real time. • Using AI, IoT and connected platforms to monitor environmental impact continuously. Sustainability is shifting from static reporting → to real-time environmental intelligence. Jessika Roswall | Ruud Kempener | Andrea Orsag | Wopke Hoekstra | Andrea Bruno | Dan Jørgensen | Mauro CORDELLA | Eric Mamer Future Transformation | Trace Circle | European Commission | Herman Harkink | Shalini Rao | Prasanna Lohar #Sustainability #CircularEconomy #Traceability #DigitalProductPassport #ESG #ClimateTech #SupplyChain #CarbonEmissions #NetZero #EnvironmentalImpact #ResourceEfficiency #Innovation

Carbon Sink A carbon sink is a natural or artificial system that absorbs and stores more carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere than it releases. Common Carbon Sinks: • Forests • Oceans • Soil • Wetlands • Large green belt projects Global Carbon Emissions  • The world emits nearly 37 billion tonnes of CO₂ every year. • Manufacturing industries alone contribute around 24% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Real world example The Taklamakan Desert is becoming an example of how even harsh desert regions can help absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. They implemented • Millions of trees planted • Desert highways surrounded with vegetation • Drip irrigation systems • Solar-powered water support systems How it works? • Plants naturally remove carbon dioxide from the air. • The more vegetation grows, the more carbon gets stored. • This helps reduce the amount of greenhouse gases contributing to climate change. And product supply chains create massive hidden emissions during • Raw material sourcing • Production • Packaging • Transportation • Disposal Many companies still don’t know • How much carbon a product creates? • Where energy waste happens? • Which supplier causes the highest emissions? • How much water or material gets wasted? Trace Circle is a Digital Product Passport platform that helps businesses trace the complete product lifecycle. It tracks • Carbon emissions • Energy usage • Water consumption • Waste generation • Material sourcing #CarbonSink #ClimateAction #NetZero #Sustainability #CarbonCapture #EnvironmentalImpact #Decarbonization #CarbonEmissions #CircularEconomy

Is End-of-Life the Missing Link in the Circular Economy? Most sustainability conversations focus on how products are made. Very few focus on what happens after products are used. And that is where one of the biggest gaps in sustainability begins. According to global estimates, municipal solid waste is expected to grow from 2.1 billion tonnes in 2020 to 3.8 billion tonnes by 2050. Industries are losing • Valuable raw materials • Reusable components • Recovery opportunities • Lifecycle visibility Once products leave consumers, companies often lose access to critical information like: • What materials are inside the product • Which parts can be repaired or reused • Whether products can be refurbished • How much waste is generated • What can actually be recycled Without lifecycle intelligence, the circular economy remains incomplete. This is where Trace Circle comes in. Trace Circle is a Digital Product Passport platform that tracks the complete journey of a product lifecycle. From manufacturing → usage → repair → refurbishment → recycling → recovery. It helps organizations monitor: • Carbon emissions • Energy usage • Water consumption • Waste generation • Material flows • Circular resource management The future of sustainability is about keeping products visible, traceable, repairable and valuable throughout their entire lifecycle. Read the full newsletter https://lnkd.in/dhVXFF9P Jessika Roswall | Ruud Kempener | Andrea Orsag | Wopke Hoekstra | Andrea Bruno | Dan Jørgensen | Mauro CORDELLA | Eric Mamer Future Transformation | Trace Circle | European Commission | Herman Harkink | Shalini Rao | Prasanna Lohar #CircularEconomy #DigitalProductPassport #Sustainability #TraceCircle #Recycling #ResourceRecovery #LifecycleManagement #CarbonTracking

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Energy systems are becoming more complex than ever before. Rising electricity demand, renewable energy integration, grid instability, cyber threats and AI-driven power consumption are pushing traditional systems to their limits. Global electricity consumption could roughly double by 2030 due to AI expansion. A report by the World Economic Forum explores how quantum technologies could transform energy and utilities through advanced optimization, infrastructure security and real-time monitoring. Here’s what stands out 1. Energy Optimization • Utilities struggle with real-time coordination across generation, storage, transmission and demand systems. • Growing electrification and AI infrastructure are rapidly increasing pressure on power networks. 2. Clean Energy Innovation • Developing advanced battery materials, clean fuels and energy-efficient materials remains expensive and time-consuming. • Slow material discovery delays progress in clean energy technologies and energy storage systems. 3. Infrastructure Security • Utilities often operate legacy systems that are difficult to modernize securely. • Cybersecurity risks are increasing alongside the expansion of smart grids and connected infrastructure. 4. Real-Time Monitoring • Traditional sensing systems often struggle to detect operational changes across large-scale energy infrastructure. • Existing monitoring systems often lack precision in highly dynamic environments. 5. Quantum Adoption • Quantum hardware still faces limitations in scalability, stability and error correction. • There is a shortage of specialized quantum talent across industries. Key Levers • Quantum computing can help optimize grid operations, energy distribution and load balancing in real time. • Hybrid quantum-classical systems can improve scheduling, forecasting and energy flow management. • Advanced optimization models could improve renewable energy integration and reduce operational inefficiencies. • Quantum communication systems can improve secure data transmission across utilities and grid networks. • Real-time monitoring could strengthen resilience across renewable and distributed energy systems. Final Thought Quantum technologies are opening new possibilities for energy infrastructure. The shift From digitally connected energy systems → to intelligently optimized and quantum-enabled infrastructure Jessika Roswall | Ruud Kempener | Andrea Orsag | Wopke Hoekstra | Andrea Bruno | Dan Jørgensen | Mauro CORDELLA | Eric Mamer Future Transformation | Trace Circle | European Commission | Herman Harkink | Shalini Rao | Prasanna Lohar #QuantumComputing #QuantumTechnology #EnergyTransition #Utilities #CleanEnergy #ArtificialIntelligence #Cybersecurity #SmartGrid

𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁. 🌍 The average person’s carbon footprint is 𝟰 𝘁𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗢₂ per year. To meet climate goals, it must fall to under 𝟮 𝘁𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻. 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗹-𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀 •  Fossil-based production accelerates CO₂ accumulation in the atmosphere. •  Coal and diesel use increase smog and particulate air pollution. •  Environmental impact is spread across supply chains. 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁 •  Switch to renewable energy •  Choose energy-efficient appliances •  Reduce single-use plastics •  Conserve water and electricity daily •  Support sustainable and circular brands 𝗥𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 • Use recycled materials and renewable energy across production. • Design durable products and shorten transport routes to reduce fuel use and emissions. • Strengthen waste management and recycling systems. 𝗔𝘁 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗖𝗶𝗿𝗰𝗹𝗲, 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝘆 ✅ Tracing materials from raw materials to the end of the lifecycle. ✅ Energy use. ✅ Environmental impact. ✅ Green House Gas emissions across the entire value chain. Credits: VITU #CarbonFootprint #ClimateAction #Sustainability #EnvironmentalImpact #LowCarbonFuture #ClimateAccountability #ProductTraceability

Climate Change Climate change is forcing people to leave their homes, livelihoods and communities. Today, millions are being displaced by • Floods • Droughts • Extreme heat • Rising sea levels • Crop failure • Water scarcity By 2050, climate change could force more than 216 million people to migrate within their own countries. Rising Climate Displacement • In 2023 alone, over 26 million people were displaced globally due to weather-related disasters. • Nearly 75% of all natural disaster displacements are linked to climate and weather extremes. • Water stress could impact over half of the global population by 2030. Climate Impact Every product manufactured, transported, packaged and discarded contributes to: • Carbon emissions • Resource depletion • Energy and water overconsumption • Waste accumulation This is where Trace Circle comes in. With Trace Circle, businesses can • Measure carbon emissions across the supply chain • Track energy usage and water consumption • Monitor waste generation • Improve sustainability reporting • Build transparent and traceable product ecosystems • Make data-driven environmental decisions #ClimateRefugee #ClimateChange #Sustainability #DigitalProductPassport #Traceability #SupplyChain #CarbonFootprint #ESG #CircularEconomy

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Everyone is talking about electric vehicles, batteries, renewable energy and AI infrastructure. But behind all of them is one major challenge Where will the minerals come from? A report by the World Economic Forum explores how critical minerals like lithium, copper, nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements are becoming essential for the global energy transition. Here’s what stands out 1. Critical Minerals • The transition to clean energy technologies is rapidly increasing demand for minerals used in batteries, renewable energy systems & semiconductors. • Supply chains for many critical minerals remain highly concentrated in a few countries, creating geopolitical and operational risks. 2. Financing • Many critical mineral projects struggle to secure financing due to high upfront costs and long payback periods. • Investors often view mining projects as risky because of price volatility, geopolitical uncertainty and regulatory complexity. 3. Supply Chain • Geopolitical tensions and export restrictions can disrupt access to critical resources. • Limited transparency across supply chains creates uncertainty around sourcing and resilience. 4. Sustainability and Community Trust • Mining projects face increasing scrutiny around environmental impact, emissions, water usage and biodiversity loss. • Local communities are demanding stronger transparency, accountability, and social benefits from mining activities. 5. End-to-End Ecosystem Coordination • Mining, refining, financing, manufacturing, and energy systems are often managed separately rather than as connected ecosystems. • Fragmented policies and investment strategies reduce long-term efficiency and resilience. Key Levers • Expanding investment into mining, refining and mineral processing infrastructure globally. • Diversifying supply chains to reduce dependence on limited regions and suppliers. • Accelerating permitting and approval processes for responsible mining projects. • Improving supply chain visibility and traceability across the mineral lifecycle. This is where Trace Circle comes in • Tracks the complete product lifecycle journey. • Calculates carbon emissions across the value chain. • Monitors energy usage and water consumption. • Measures waste generation and material impact. • Enables transparent and traceable sustainability reporting Jessika Roswall | Ruud Kempener | Andrea Orsag | Wopke Hoekstra | Andrea Bruno | Dan Jørgensen | Mauro CORDELLA | Eric Mamer Future Transformation | Trace Circle | European Commission | Herman Harkink | Shalini Rao | Prasanna Lohar #CriticalMinerals #EnergyTransition #Sustainability #CleanEnergy #Mining #BatteryTechnology #NetZero #SupplyChain #ESG #ClimateTech

The Reinvention of QR Codes For years, QR codes were ignored on product packaging. Most scans led to ads, broken links or static webpages. Today, they are becoming the gateway to transparency, traceability and intelligent product ecosystems. The shift? ▪ 44.6% of internet users worldwide scan at least one QR code every month. ▪ Nearly 40% of QR code scans are connected to marketing campaigns. ▪ Around 79% of consumers are more likely to purchase products that provide additional information through QR codes. ▪ Over 70% of consumers say transparency influences purchasing decisions. Now single QR code scan can now reveal ▪ Product origin ▪ Material composition ▪ Carbon emissions ▪ Energy and water usage ▪ Repair history ▪ Recycling guidance ▪ Compliance documentation And today, they help to 1. Improve transparency Nearly 80% of consumers prefer brands that are transparent about sustainability. 2. Strengthen trust 71% of consumers are more likely to trust sustainability claims when verified directly on packaging. 3. Enable AI-driven ecosystems Digital Product Passports create standardized product data for ▪ AI-driven sustainability analysis ▪ Predictive maintenance ▪ Automated compliance ▪ Circular economy optimization ▪ Intelligent supply chain decisions The next time a customer scans a product, will they just see information or experience proof, trust and intelligence in action? Read the full newsletter https://lnkd.in/gDeWHBAw Jessika Roswall | Ruud Kempener | Andrea Orsag | Wopke Hoekstra | Andrea Bruno | Dan Jørgensen | Mauro CORDELLA | Eric Mamer Future Transformation | Trace Circle | European Commission | Herman Harkink | Shalini Rao | Prasanna Lohar #QRCode #DigitalProductPassport #Sustainability #ESG #CircularEconomy #SupplyChain #Traceability #AI #DigitalTransformation

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭 Factories once focused on automating repetitive tasks. Now, industrial operations are evolving into systems that can sense, learn, predict, adapt and coordinate in real time. A report by the World Economic Forum explores how connected systems are transforming industrial operations from traditional automation into autonomous and adaptive networks. Smart manufacturing could unlock productivity gains of 20-30%, reducing machine downtime by up to 50%. Here’s what stands out 1. Industrial Operations • Many industrial systems still operate in silos, limiting coordination between factories, suppliers, logistics and enterprise systems. • Organizations struggle with fragmented visibility across production, planning and supply chain environments. 2. AI is reshaping production operations • Human-dependent monitoring systems reduce speed and consistency in quality management. • Many production environments still rely on historical reporting instead of real-time operational intelligence. 3. Supply chains • Lack of end-to-end visibility limits resilience across supply networks. • Traditional planning systems struggle to adapt quickly to real-time market changes. 4. Human roles • Employees often lack the digital and AI-related skills required for intelligent industrial environments. • Trust in AI-generated recommendations remains a challenge across industrial settings. 5. Industrial transformation • Many industrial environments still lack connected and usable operational data. • Organizations struggle to scale AI because data remains fragmented across departments. • Many organizations still face large execution gaps between AI pilots and real operational value. Key Levers • Building connected ecosystems where factories, suppliers and logistics systems continuously exchange real-time data. • Using AI and intelligent orchestration systems to coordinate operations dynamically across the value chain. • Human-AI collaboration models where virtual process assistants support operational decision-making. • Intelligent production systems that continuously optimize output, energy use and performance. • Reskilling workers to collaborate with intelligent systems instead of replacing human expertise. • Building unified industrial data platforms across operations and supply chains. Final thought Industrial transformation is about creating systems that can learn, coordinate, predict and adapt continuously. The shift is From automated factories → to intelligent industrial ecosystems Jessika Roswall | Ruud Kempener | Andrea Orsag | Wopke Hoekstra | Andrea Bruno | Dan Jørgensen | Mauro CORDELLA | Eric Mamer Future Transformation | Trace Circle | European Commission | Herman Harkink | Shalini Rao | Prasanna Lohar #ArtificialIntelligence #IndustrialAI #SmartManufacturing #DigitalTransformation #Automation #SupplyChain #Manufacturing