The CircularID™ Initiative

The CircularID™ Initiative led by EON brought together leaders across fashion, technology, policy, and academia to develop a common language for digital identification of products. The group worked in collaboration to develop a pilot version of the Circular Product Data Protocol, which was tested by leading brands, and included consultation with organizations across the industry.

JANUARY 2019

EON brings together industry leaders and forms the CircularID InItiative, tasked with developing a shared language for products in the circular economy.

JUNE 2019

A first draft of the Protocol is shared with fashion and retail industry leaders and partners from circular businesses, brands, retailers, technology companies, policy and subject matter experts, NGOs, standards organizations and academia. Feedback is collected and implemented.

OCTOBER 2019

Following further refinement and development, the Protocol is shared across the industry in a second Public Comment period. This rigorous and open peer review ensured the Protocol considered all aspects, needs and existing efforts in the value chain.

JANUARY 2020

Leading global brands and retailers such as Target and YOOX-NET-A-PORTER begin to pilot the Protocol, providing usability insights that improve the significance, clarity and adoption of each data field.

JANUARY 2021

An Advisory Council is set up to oversee the development and management of the Protocol, composed of industry leaders from relevant aspects of the circular value chain, including Industry Standards and Certifications, Policy, Digital Strategy, Commercial Recommerce and topical experts. This Council is the decision-making body responsible for maintenance and revision of the Protocol.

SEPTEMBER 2021

After revisions have been made to the Protocol based on insights from the pilots, a third and final Public Comment period is launched to capture additional feedback from the industry and refine the Protocol for public launch.

NOVEMBER 2021

The Protocol is made publicly available to any brands, retailers and circular businesses to use freely under an open source license.