The Dutch Government has raised the offshore wind energy target from 11GW to 21GW by 2030, approximately 50GW by 2040, and approximately 70GW by 2050 (Agency, 2021). The trade-off between achieving sustainable energy sources and extracting raw materials for constructing these infrastructures gives rise to the efforts to transition towards a circular economy. This transition offers solutions to several societal challenges, one of which is resource security (PBL, 2023). Further, academic research emphasizes the necessity of a circular mindset from the beginning of life to achieve a high level of circularity and economic benefits at the end of life (Hall, Topham, & João, 2022; P. D. Jensen, Purnell, & Velenturf, 2020). However, reusing the components and materials of decommissioned wind turbines can act as a driving force for the future requirement of raw materials (Demuytere et al., 2024). In this regard, implementing circular strategies for the existing offshore wind turbines plays a significant role in the energy transition as well as the aim of having a fully circular economy by 2050.

However, circular strategies have limited applicability higher up the R-Ladder in the offshore wind industry due to various technical, economic, regulatory, and environmental challenges. The focus within science and industry has been either on developing circular strategies for the beginning of life or recycling materials to limit future ecological impacts (Hall et al., 2022; P. D. Jensen et al., 2020). The need to address end-of-life resource management for the existing offshore wind turbines is emerging but still needs a systematic approach for sustainable end-of-life decision-making (Delaney et al., 2021; Jadali, Ioannou, & Kolios, 2021; Vielen-Kallio, van Diest, Room, & Knol, 2021; Windemer & Cowell, 2021). Hence, to address the identified gap, the research developed a comprehensive circular decision-making framework that leverages a standardized data management system, specifically a Digital Product Passport. To achieve this research objective, the main research question is framed as follows:

“In what ways can a decision-making framework for a standardized data management system,
specifically tailored for the end-of-life phase of OWTs, contribute to enhancing circular practices by efficient resource management within the industry?”