Old Newton Primary School
GS1-enabled Digital Product Passports for prefab construction
Overview
Natural Building Systems (NBS) partnered with Circuland and GS1 UK to deliver a standards-based Digital Product Passport (DPP) implementation for volumetric building pods. This project demonstrates how global product identification standards can be embedded into prefab manufacturing and seamlessly integrated with digital passport systems for complete traceability.
This collaboration put unique GS1 identifiers into every panel, enabling consistent, verifiable identification across design, manufacturing, logistics, and onsite use.
What Was Delivered
At the heart of this implementation is the integration of GS1 identifiers at the product level:
- Each individual panel and pod component was assigned a GS1 Global Trade Item Number (GTIN).
- These identifiers were incorporated into the DPP system to serve as the canonical key for product records.
- This ensures end-to-end traceability from the factory floor through installation, maintenance, and future reuse.
Working with GS1 UK gave the project global identifier credibility and interoperability - meaning data captured now can be reliably referenced by partners, regulators, and supply chain systems in the future.
The project integrated panel and pod manufacturing data directly into the Circuland platform:
- Production metadata, serialisation, and batch history were automatically captured from the factory system and linked to each GS1 identity.
- This eliminated manual entry and reduced errors, ensuring that each passport reflected the true source data from the manufacturer.
- All technical attributes, QA records, and production timestamps were tied to the GS1 identifier in the DPP.
This level of integration moves passports from documents to real digital infrastructure.
To connect the physical panels with their digital passports:
- Each panel was tagged with NFC and RFID data carriers.
- Site teams and stakeholders can scan panels with mobile devices to instantly retrieve the associated DPP.
- This bridges the physical automation and on-site realities with digital lifecycle data.
Outcomes & Impact
This project shows that:
- Standards matter: Using GS1 identifiers as the backbone provides a solid foundation for interoperable product data.
- Digital tooling integration works: Manufacturing systems, passports, and on-site workflows were linked with no additional manual re-keying.
- Physical tagging adds value: NFC/RFID tagging creates a real, practical bridge between the built object and its digital identity.
- Manufactured products can carry rich data: Not just compliance, but technical history, QA, and material traceability.
This is a meaningful reference for manufacturers seeking to bring manufacturing automation together with lifecycle digitalisation.