Hvilke dokumenter har jeg brug for til det digitale produktpas for stål?
For a digital product passport for iron or steel, three types of documents are typically needed: administrative documents that identify the product and batch, technical documents that record the composition and properties of the material, and data on origin and sustainability such as recycling percentage or CO2 footprint. For iron and steel, one document is clearly the focal point: the material certificate, also known as the test certificate or inspection certificate.
This is because the identity of a steel or iron semi-finished product depends almost entirely on chemical composition and mechanical properties. Where other product groups can be distinguished by a product photo or type plate, a steel profile or sheet is uniquely defined only by its composition. The exact set of data that the future delegated act will require is not yet fixed. What is described below is an account of the documents that are already common practice in the sector and which logically form the basis for the passport.
Administrative documents: where the product comes from
The first layer consists of documents that every trading company already knows: the purchase order, the delivery note or receipt, and the invoice. These documents record which supplier a batch comes from, on what date the batch was delivered and what quantity is involved. For the passport, they are mainly important for linking a batch to the correct technical data: without that link, you know that a certificate exists, but not which batch it belongs to.
Technical documents: the material certificate as the core
The second layer is the material certificate, usually drawn up according to the European standard for inspection documents of metal products. This certificate specifies the chemical composition, the mechanical properties such as tensile strength and yield strength, and often also the melt number by which the steel can be traced back to a specific production batch. There are different types of certificates, with increasing levels of independent inspection. Which type you receive from your supplier also determines how complete the technical basis of the passport can be. This is also the detail that most often is missing or incomplete in practice: certificates are archived per shipment, but not always digitally and not always traceable to the specific batch that ultimately reaches a customer.
Sustainability data: origin, recycling percentage and CO2
The third layer is newer for many companies in the chain: data on the share of recycled material, the origin of the raw material and the CO2 emissions from the production process. This data is typically supplied by the manufacturer or importer, not by the trader or processor themselves. For companies that buy and resell or process steel, it is mainly important to know that this data exists somewhere in the chain and does not need to be calculated themselves. Who does or does not have to do this depends on the role a company plays in the chain; that subject is covered in more detail in the overview per role in the chain.
What you can prepare now
Even without the exact requirements being fixed, it is worthwhile to check which of these documents your company already receives and how they are stored. An organized archive of material certificates, linked to the correct batches and suppliers, is work that is useful anyway and does not have to be done twice later. Companies that are uncertain whether their current documentation provides a sufficient basis can with a few questions get a first indication of where they stand. It is also advisable to discuss with your own software supplier whether certificates are already recorded digitally and in a structured manner, or whether this is still a manual step.
Hvad der endnu ikke er fastlagt
Den præcise liste over obligatoriske data, den form, hvori de skal indleveres, og tidsfristerne herfor, følger af den delegerede retsakt, som Europa-Kommissionen stadig skal offentliggøre. Så snart denne tekst foreligger, vil denne artikel blive suppleret med de nøjagtige krav. Indtil da er den sikreste forberedelse: få eksisterende dokumentation i orden og gør den sporbar, uden at løbe foran forpligtelser, der endnu ikke er officielt fastlagt. For den præcise oprindelse af hver enkelt oplysning, som vi offentliggør, kan du altid kontakte forklaringen på, hvor vores oplysninger kommer fra.
Har du behov for et konkret overblik over din egen situation? Foretag den gratis quick-scan eller gennemse emnerne i videnbanken; der finder du også svar på spørgsmål, som ikke behandles i denne artikel, for eksempel i listen over hyppigt stillede spørgsmål.