Why we need to scale the data economy sustainably now

A data-sovereign economy depends on trust. The ScaleTrust project addresses this by working closely with the Green Deal Dataspace (GDDS), a working example that shows sustainable, cross-sector data use can be scaled.

The challenge

Companies hold vast amounts of data. Legal uncertainty, a lack of standards, and high integration costs often block valuable cooperation. At the same time, supply chain disruptions, ESG regulations such as the CSRD (the EU’s new sustainability reporting requirement) and the CBAM (a carbon border tax on imports), and growing pressure to adopt circular economy practices are raising the stakes. Without secure, simple, and fair infrastructure, sharing data can be a business risk rather than a competitive advantage.

The innovation

The GDDS is not just another data space. It is a registered non-profit association and acts as a neutral provider of open infrastructure. Both commercial and non-commercial participants can contribute data and services without being locked into proprietary systems. Key features include:

Data trustee model: In the ScaleTrust project, we are creating legally tested standard contracts, governance rules, and technical blueprints. This model mediates between data providers and users, protects confidentiality and sovereignty, and enables automated accounting.
Cross-sector architecture: Supply chain and operational data can be linked for the first time. This is essential for CO₂ reporting, early warning systems, and resilience analysis.
Open connection points: Interfaces with IDSA, Gaia X, Catena X, and other initiatives ensure GDDS is a hub in the European data ecosystem rather than an isolated silo.

Practical use cases

Examples already in development include:

Supply chain risk management – Detect potential crises early and identify alternative sources. For example the Supply Chain Radar.
Regulatory reporting on demand – Generate CSRD-compliant carbon footprints without months of manual data collection.
Circular economy optimization – Make material flows transparent and plan second-life strategies.

Companies do not need their own infrastructure. A single login gives access to standardized services or allows them to offer their own. This reduces entry barriers while improving legal certainty and reusability.

The GDDS in the ScaleTrust context

In the ScaleTrust team, we believe that only by institutionalizing trust can data sharing become a core pillar of a climate-neutral economy. GDDS provides the framework for this — open, scalable, and designed for Europe. It replaces isolated pilot projects with a market where the value of data is shared fairly.

Call for early participants

The GDDS is in development. We are looking for companies, research organizations, and industry associations to:

Contribute real-world use cases.
Form clusters for specific sectors.

Those who join now will help define standards and gain early access to a resilient network and new business models. Sustainable data economy is not just a catchphrase. It can be a competitive advantage — if we scale it deliberately.