Supporting Informed End-of-Life Decisions : A Framework for Structured Information Sharing Across the Automotive Value Chain

Sammanfattning

The transition toward circular automotive value chains depends on the ability of end-of-life actors to apply high-value retention strategies to complex vehicle components. Lifecycle information needed to support these decisions is generated upstream but rarely reaches downstream actors in an accessible form. The purpose of the study is therefore: To understand what information is used and available for EoL decisions of complex vehicle components, and to explore how lifecycle information could be structured and shared across actors tosupport informed EoL decisions. Methodology - This qualitative study was conducted within the automotive industry involving five actors. It was guided by the three first stages of Design Research Methodology. Data collection included interviews, observations, document studies and a workshop. Data was analysed using thematic analysis. Findings - End-of-life decisions were found to be experience-based and demand-driven, relying on visual inspection, mileage and diagnostic trouble codes. These methods were found to be insufficient, contributing to a default toward recycling. The point of component and vehicle separation was identified as a structural breaking point where information continuity is lost. Software-locked components emerged as a distinct barrier that information sharing alone cannot resolve. Information asymmetry was found to be shaped primarily by organisational, commercial and governance conditions rather than technical limitations. Analysis and Synthesis - The Structured Information Sharing Across Automotive Value-Chains framework was developed to address the identified barriers, integrating Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, Digital Twin, Digital Product Passport and Decision Support System technologies in a layered architecture. Its central design principle is the transfer of lifecycle information from the Digital Twin to the Digital Product Passport at component separation, preserving information continuity for downstream actors. The framework was evaluated in a workshop and confirmed as conceptually relevant. Implications - The study extends existing research by identifying the breaking point and software-locked components as previously unaddressed barriers, and by combining Digital Twin and Digital Product Passport into an integrated solution that prior research has treated separately. Practically, the framework and the mapping of current information availability offer actors a basis for identifying gaps in cross-actor information flow and a starting point for cooperation and policy development. Limitations - The framework was not tested in a real industrial setting, and the findings are based on a limited number of actors within a single national context, which may constrain generalisability.