Blockchain-based Plastic Traceability in Automotive Industry
Sector: Secondary sector · Industry: Plastics industry · Organisation: Porsche, Circularise, Covestro, Borealis, Domo Chemicals · Maturity level: Pilot
Porsche developed a blockchain-based solution together with Circularise and material suppliers for complete traceability of plastics in the automotive supply chain. The project was conducted as a pilot and included the creation of a prototype app for plastic traceability. The solution enables secure supply chain visibility and has been successfully completed, which is described as significant progress.
Documentation status
- Project status: Pilot
- Evidence: Evidence high
- Editorial review: Ufuk Avci, 15 April 2026
Description
Circularise (2016, The Hague) is a blockchain supply chain transparency provider focused on the circular economy. In November 2020, Circularise launched a blockchain traceability project as part of Startup Autobahn (Porsche Innovation Program): Borealis, Covestro and Domo Chemicals as material suppliers digitise their plastic batches as Digital Twins; Porsche demo app visualises the results.
A typical Porsche has about 30,000 parts from numerous materials, with a supply chain of over 20 tiers. Material information is often proprietary, incomplete or inaccessible. Circularise solves this with Smart Questioning: a verified statement can be made (e.g. "This material contains 30% recycled content") without revealing the underlying sensitive data. Each plastic batch receives a Digital Twin on the blockchain with: recycling content, CO2 footprint, water savings, origin of raw materials. Independent third-party audits verified the data before blockchain entry. Porsche developed a demo app giving consumers insight into the sustainability of specific vehicle parts. The project won the Porsche Digital Blockchain Innovation Award 2020. Later the consortium expanded to include Sika, Asahi Kasei, PPG, Mitsubishi Chemicals and a certification body; additional materials (aluminium, textiles, coatings, adhesives) were integrated.
Perspectives
B2B — organisations perspective
Automobile manufacturers and material suppliers can pass on verifiable sustainability attributes along multi-tier supply chains via Circularise without IP risk. This supports EU Digital Product Passport requirements and customer reporting.
B2C — consumers perspective
Porsche buyers can track the CO2 footprint, recycling content and origin of plastic parts in their vehicle via an app — sustainability communication with verifiable data instead of marketing claims.
Employees perspective
Procurement and quality management staff gain access to precise, verified material data, significantly improving their decision-making processes. The system reduces manual effort for collecting and verifying sustainability data and enables data-driven analyses instead of estimate-based assessments.
Benefits
General
- The solution creates full transparency over the origin and sustainability of materials in complex global supply chains.
- Companies can measurably track their sustainability goals and meet regulatory requirements such as Digital Product Passports.
- The immutable documentation on the blockchain prevents greenwashing and builds trust with consumers and investors.
B2B — organisations
- Companies gain competitive advantages through demonstrable sustainability and can justify premium prices for verified sustainable products.
Employees
- Professionals gain access to precise, verified data, significantly enhancing their work efficiency and decision quality.
Challenges
General
- Implementation requires collaboration of all supply chain actors and their willingness to share and verify data.
- High technical complexity in integrating various systems and the need for interdisciplinary expertise can complicate implementation.
B2B — organisations
- Companies must invest in new technologies and training, while ROI may only be measurable in the long term.
Employees
- Staff need training in handling blockchain technology and must adapt their working methods from traditional to digital processes.
Technology foundation
The solution uses a decentralised public blockchain combined with Circularise's patented Smart Questioning technology. This technology preserves data ownership and prevents manipulation, while ensuring authentication, decentralisation and encryption.
Implementation examples
Porsche plastics traceability pilot
Porsche wanted to solve the lack of transparency in assessing the ecological footprint and tracing recycled materials in the automotive supply chain. The company sought a way to measurably track sustainability goals and meet regulatory requirements.
Porsche developed a blockchain-based prototype for plastics traceability in the automotive supply chain together with Circularise.
The pilot project was carried out as part of the Startup Autobahn programme and involved collaboration with material suppliers such as Borealis, Covestro and Domo Chemicals, as well as other partners like Sika, Asahi Kasei, PPG and Mitsubishi Chemicals. The successfully completed prototype app demonstrates secure visibility in the supply chain and enables tracking of materials from manufacture to the end product. The project expanded from an initial focus on plastics to include other materials such as aluminium, fabrics, coatings and adhesives.
The system solves the problem of missing transparency in global supply chains and enables verifiable proof of recycling content and environmental impacts. At the same time, proprietary information such as material compositions is protected while sustainability data is made transparent.
Tags
Supply chain transparency, Sustainability, Traceability, Circular economy, Material management