MC3 - Standardisation and EU Regulatory Compliance in Digital Circular Economy 

Understanding EU rules and standards for digital, circular, and sustainable business practices.

Empty space, drag to resize

Start Date

12 September 2026

  Credits

8 ECTS

  Semester

1 semester

  Delivery

Distance Learning

  Duration

13 Weeks

  Language

English

About This Course

This is a first-semester course in the MBA in Digital Deep Tech Driven Circular Economy
This course introduces postgraduate students to the EU regulatory and standardisation frameworks shaping the digital circular economy, focusing on how policy and law translate into concrete business obligations. It covers key initiatives such as the Green Deal, Circular Economy Action Plan, AI Act, ESPR, CSRD, CSDDD, and Digital Product Passports, alongside the role of European and international standards in enabling transparency, interoperability, and compliance. Through policy analysis and applied case studies, students learn to navigate complex regulatory environments, design compliance-ready strategies, and address ethical and governance challenges linked to digital technologies and circular value chains.
Write your awesome label here.

What You Will Learn


EU Policy & Regulatory Landscape

  • EU Green Deal and Circular Economy Action Plan frameworks
  • Key EU regulations shaping digital circular systems
  • Compliance requirements for sustainable business operations


Standards for Digital Circular Systems

  • Role of international and European standardisation bodies
  • Standards enabling interoperability and data governance
  • Integrating standards into Digital Product Passport ecosystems


Sustainability Governance & Accountability

  • Corporate sustainability reporting and due diligence frameworks

  • Measuring circular performance using recognised standards readiness assessment

  • Responsible governance of AI, sustainability, and environmental claims

Skills You Will Gain

Regulatory & Policy Analysis

  • Interpreting EU regulatory frameworks and sustainability policies
  • Assessing legal obligations across circular value chains
  • Identifying regulatory risks and compliance requirements

Standards & Compliance Integration

  • Applying international and European standards (ISO, CEN/CENELEC, ETSI)
  • Aligning organisational practices with EU regulations (AI Act, CSRD, ESPR)
  • Integrating standards into Digital Product Passport governance

Governance & Strategic Leadership

  • Leading cross-functional compliance initiatives
  • Managing sustainability due diligence and corporate accountability
  • Designing governance strategies for the digital circular transition
Empty space, drag to resize

Your 13-Week Journey

Here’s how your learning unfolds

Week 1 – EU Policy Foundations

Understanding the EU Green Deal, CEAP, and the logic of the twin transition.

Week 2 – Regulatory Strategy & Business Transformation

Interpreting EU regulation for ethical, circular, and digital business strategy.

Week 3 – Standardisation Basics

Exploring the role of standards in interoperability, trust, and market access.

Week 4 – Due Diligence & Compliance

Linking EU sustainability policies to corporate due diligence and value chains.

Week 5 – Global Governance & Climate Law

Analysing international environmental law and power dynamics in climate governance.

Week 6 – Ecocide & Corporate Accountability

Examining corporate responsibility and emerging ecocide frameworks.

Week 7 – Digital Product Passport Implementation

Understanding DPPs for traceability, compliance, and circular value creation.

Week 8 – Policy-to-Practice Case Studies

Connecting EU policies to lifecycle phases and corporate strategies.

Week 9 – Standards for the Digital Circular Economy

Applying circular economy principles in digital and technical standards.

Week 10 – Measuring Circular Impact

Using standards and indicators to assess circularity and compliance.

Week 11 – Future Standards & Policy Directions

Anticipating how technology shapes future standards and regulation.

Week 12 – Traceability & Regulatory Evolution

Navigating changing traceability rules and industry participation processes.

Week 13 – Understanding the EU AI Act

Assessing AI risks, compliance duties, and responsible system design.


Week 1 — Systems in Transition

See the world in systems.
Learn to rethink linear vs circular economies and explore planetary boundaries.

Week 2 — The Digital–Circular Nexus

Discover how tech enables sustainability.
Explore how AI, IoT, and data power circular innovation.

Week 3 — Policy as Infrastructure

Understand Europe’s circular blueprint.
Dive into the EU Green Deal, CEAP, and Digital Europe frameworks.

Week 4 — Designing for Re-entry

Design for durability, reuse, and remanufacturing.
Learn how digital twins and simulation tools extend product lifecycles.

Week 5 — Tracking Resources Through Data

Follow materials in motion.
Understand how IoT and data infrastructures create transparency in supply chains.

Week 6 — Blockchain for Accountability

Trust through transparency.
Explore blockchain’s potential for tracking, verification, and ethical assurance.

Week 7 — Learning Loops with AI

Let data drive regeneration.
See how AI and machine learning enable adaptive circular decision-making.

Week 8 — Cognitive Factories

Meet the new industrial symbiosis.
Examine how robotics and smart manufacturing create circular production systems.

Week 9 — Reverse Intelligence

Close the loop through recovery.
Explore reverse logistics, digital disassembly, and resource recovery networks.

Week 10 — Measuring Circularity

Turn data into progress.
Use metrics, KPIs, and dashboards to track circular performance.

Week 11 — Financing the Regenerative Future

Empower innovation.
Discover how deep-tech, investment, and valuation models support circular ventures.

Week 12 — Ethics and Mindsets

Lead with responsibility.
Reflect on ethics, human–machine collaboration, and the competences for circular leadership.

Week 13 — 2040 and Beyond

Imagine the future you want to build.
Learn to rethink linear vs circular economies and explore planetary boundaries.

Learn With Us

This course is co-created with academic and industry partners supporting circular innovation.
Giorgos Demetriou
Associate Dean of Research and Innovation
Giorgos Demetriou
Associate Dean of Research and Innovation
Giorgos Demetriou
Associate Dean of Research and Innovation
Giorgos Demetriou
Associate Dean of Research and Innovation
Giorgos Demetriou
Associate Dean of Research and Innovation

Co-Created for Change

Continue Your Journey