What is a Product Circularity Data Sheet?
A Product Circularity Data Sheet or PCDS is verifiable data that is utilized by suppliers and manufacturers to share information about how "circular" their product is. What does it mean to be "circular?" While a linear supply chain describes a straight path from the sourcing of raw materials to production and disposal, a circular supply chain includes recycling raw materials back into the manufacturing operation. The goal of circular supply chains is to eliminate waste and reduce the carbon footprint of the product.
Development of the PCDS Format
In order for a circular economy to produce continuous material loops, there needed to be standard format for data to be recorded and shared throughout the process. The Circularity Dataset Initiative addresses this issue by supplying a standardized format for companies to utilize when presenting circularity data about their products. The Ministry of the Economy of Luxembourg launched the PCDS format and partners with 3E Exchange so users can store and export this data about their products. If you would like to know more about the history of this process, click here.
What Information is Included in a PCDS?
The PCDS is a three-fold system that includes a data template, a third-party verification process, and a standardized data exchange protocol system. 3E Exchange provides users with an easy way to fill out the PCDS template and export it from their product library.
The data template has 5 major sections within it that touch upon the key characteristics of product circularity.
General Information
Composition Data
>75-90% post-consumer recycled content by weight
Does not contain REACH Candidate List SVHCs above 0.1% by weight
Designed for Better Use
Produce can be maintained/repaired by untrained personnel at location of product use
Designed for Disassembly
Designed to be installed and demounted using reversible connectors
Designed for Re-Use
Re-use or with minimal modification
Composting in home composter
Where to Find this on 3E Exchange?
To create a PCDS using 3E Exchange, go to MY PRODUCTS or MY MATERIALS on the left-hand toolbar and select any product or material that you would like to create a PCDS for.
Next, within the product record, click on the CIRCULARITY tab on the middle toolbar. From here, you will be able to toggle to the PRODUCT CIRCULARITY DATA SHEET section of the CIRCULARITY tab to input your product data.
In this section, you will see the following 3 sections to fill out:
Section 1 - Product and Company Identification
Product Identifiers
Manufacturer Information
Product Site Information
PCDS Issuance
PCDS Revision
Section 2- Composition/Information on Product Constituents
Chemical Threshold
Product Composition Disclosure
Chemical Composition
Hazard Statements
Recycled Content
Sourcing Statements
Section 3- Design for Better Use
Demounting
Disassembling
Dismantling
Design for Re-use
Circularity Pathways
You will notice that some fields are automatically calculated by BOM data existing in 3E Exchange. For example:
After you've filled out this information, you can go to REPORT > CIRCULARITY > Product Circularity Data Sheet to generate a formal PCDS.
3E Exchange will generate a report in the system that you can review that will look similar to this:
You can click Edit BOM or Edit PCDS Data by pressing those buttons at the top of this screen. You can press EXPORT REPORT at the top of the screen to generate a PDF of the report.
Getting Help
If you have questions about using 3E Exchange or the material covered in this help article, reach out in chat in the bottom right-hand corner or email support@3eco.com.