A Digital Product Passport for Critical Raw Materials Reuse and Recycling

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

This paper presents the conceptual design of a circular supply management system for critical raw materials based on a digital product passport. The concept is interesting but the writing could be improved. Please check my comments and suggestion below.

- Line 4-5: Please check the format.

- Line 9: Please check the affiliation.

- Abstract: the abstract is not cover the whole study. Please revise.

- Line 137: "CircThread" What is the meaning of CircThread?

- Line 145: Where is the first stage?

- Table 2: Please, revise the table to be easier to understand.

- Figures 1 and 2: The figure caption should be under the figure

- Line 486: “WEEEE” It should be “WEEE”?

- Reference: Please check the reference format.

Author Response

Please see the attachment

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

Review: A Digital product passport for critical raw materials reuse and recycling

 

Overview

The topic is a very good topic.  The authors provided solid information and a good framework for understanding and working with critical raw materials.  The Digital Product Passport is interesting as a tracking/tracing component that provides important visibility to these global supply chains.  Finally, the authors have emphasised the framework for information dissemination and processing across the various organisations in the network – a solid contribution.   

 

Generally, the paper does not follow the ‘basic’ protocol of an academic paper but rather presents itself as a grant application with results and ‘practical’ framework developed to address a ‘practitioner’ study. However, there is very good information and a solid contribution to how information dissemination (i.e., the Digital Product Passport) within the supply chain network is crucial to increasing the sustainability of critical raw materials.  It is very easy to perceive that organisations would be able to use this process, outlined in Figure 1, as a template.   Yet, academically, there are solid opportunities for an academic paper that are inherent to the study which I would encourage the authors to pursue.  These areas would especially be associated with data analysis and its relationship with visibility/transparency, information management and the interface of decision-making with the proposed IT circular CRM SM architecture.  It seems that the underlying structure or mechanism that is being used for the critical raw materials (e.g., Digital Product Passport), would lend itself for use in other areas in the circular economy. These contexts can be explored

 

Overall, a nice, well-designed, interesting and timely study. 

 

Comments for author File: Comments.docx

Author Response

Please see the attachment

Author Response File: Author Response.docx