Overview

Digi4Circular is a Horizon Europe project addressing the environmental footprint of the automotive sector, an industry responsible for 14% of global greenhouse gas emissions and a major consumer of raw materials, particularly aluminium.

The project promotes the use of secondary (recycled) aluminium and embeds circularity principles into product development, with the aim of significantly reducing emissions and material waste. At its core is a digital platform that brings together automated design workflows, machine learning, and life cycle analysis to support the creation of circular products.

A key part of this platform is the Digital Product Passport, which captures and shares life cycle data across the value chain to ensure traceability and regulatory compliance. The platform also supports workforce reskilling and reduces digital waste through AI-optimized data management, helping pave the way toward a more sustainable, digitally enabled future for manufacturing.

Objectives

Our goal is to transform product development by embedding circularity principles from the design phase onward, using advanced technologies to optimize workflows and material usage. By addressing the entire product life cycle, the project aims to deliver sustainable, economically viable solutions for the automotive industry.

  1. Build a shared information space to collect and manage data from all stakeholders involved across the product life cycle.
  2. Increase the use of recycled aluminium in automotive components, making production more sustainable.
  3. Design for circularity, assessing environmental impact throughout the full product life cycle.

Project facts

Acronym:

Digi4Circular

Full title:

Digital platform for data-driven and physics-based product development enabling a circular economy

Grant Agreement no:

101177586

Start Date:

01/11/2024

End Date:

30/4/2028

Duration in months:

42

Project budget:

€ 5 764 108.00

Funding scheme:

Research and Innovation Action (RIA)

Funding Programme:

Horizon Europe

Call identifier:

HORIZON-CL4-2024-TWIN-TRANSITION-01

Keywords:

Mechanical engineering, Digital product development; Circular product design; Environmental impact calculation; Circular material design; Digital Product Passport; Knowledge Extraction; Engineering platform

Impact

We aim to deliver meaningful environmental, economic, and technological benefits by transforming how products are designed, manufactured, and managed across their life cycle. By fostering a circular economy, the project works to reduce waste, lower emissions, and support sustainable industrial development.

  • Environmental benefits: Reduces the environmental impact of aluminium casting in the automotive industry by promoting secondary aluminium use and optimizing end-of-life scenarios.
  • Innovative solutions: Delivers advanced computational methods and digital tools for sustainable product development.
  • Data-driven decisions: Enables informed decision-making through comprehensive, integrated life cycle data.