Overview
ISO 59040:2025 - Circular economy - Product circularity data sheet (PCDS) - defines a general methodology for exchanging circular-economy information about products to enable interoperability while protecting confidential business information. The standard specifies requirements for completing a PCDS, the reporting format for PCDS templates, and provides guidance on managing, sharing and creating PCDS templates. ISO 59040 supports consistent digital exchange of product circularity data between acquirers and suppliers across sectors and organization sizes.
Key topics and requirements
- PCDS methodology and scope: A standardized approach to compile and present circularity-related product information for information exchange without revealing sensitive business data.
- Template and reporting format: Requirements for designing a PCDS template and for selecting/using product circularity statements according to product characteristics.
- Governance and stakeholder relationships: Governance for managing PCDS, including acquirer–supplier relationship strategy, agreements, risk assessment and change/incident processes.
- PCDS structure and modules: Defined categories and modules (examples include product identification, supplier and production site info, product composition, hazardous substances, reused/recycled/renewable content).
- Circular production and durability: Modules covering renewable energy use, water reuse, reliability, maintenance, upgradability, demounting, disassembly, reuse and refurbishing.
- End-of-life circularity: Guidance on dismantling, remanufacturing, recycling, composting/biodegradability and quantifying circularity benefits.
- Data handling requirements: Prerequisites for handling, sharing and conformity assessment of a PCDS, plus guidance on compiling data, use of ranges and managing data availability.
Applications and who uses it
ISO 59040 is intended for any organization involved in acquiring or supplying products that need to communicate product circularity information, including:
- Manufacturers and suppliers creating PCDS for products
- Procurement teams and acquirers evaluating circularity claims
- Product designers and sustainability engineers integrating circularity into design
- Data managers and IT teams implementing interoperable product data exchange
- Regulators and certification bodies assessing conformity and reporting
Practical uses include improving supply-chain transparency, supporting eco-design decisions, enabling circular procurement, and feeding digital product passports or sustainability databases.
Related standards
- ISO technical committee: ISO/TC 323 (Circular economy) - developer of ISO 59040
- Complementary standards in environmental management and product data (for example, the ISO 14000 series) may be relevant when integrating PCDS into broader sustainability and compliance programs.
Keywords: ISO 59040, product circularity data sheet, PCDS, circular economy, product circularity statements, interoperability, circular procurement, product data exchange.