From PDF to Proof: How the Circular Industry Can Finally Verify Itself
Executive Summary
In 2025, most circular operations in consumer electronics — such as smartphone grading, repair, or recycling — still end in a file format that belongs to the past: the PDF.
A grading report, a repair confirmation, a recycling certificate — once exported, it becomes static.
No one can verify its authenticity, check who issued it, or prove that nothing changed after download.
For an industry built on transparency, that’s a paradox.
Why Static Data Kills Trust
PDFs are easy to forge, impossible to track across systems, and invisible to verification engines.
A buyer on BackMarket or an insurer validating a warranty claim can only trust what’s written — not what’s proven.
Multiply that uncertainty across millions of devices, and it explains why resale values lag and compliance audits stall.
From Static Files to Live Proofs
DeviceStamp replaces exported files with verifiable lifecycle events.
Every grading, test, or inspection photo generates an EIP-712 signed event stored on an EVM-compatible blockchain.
The report doesn’t just say what happened — it cryptographically proves it.
Artifacts are stored on IPFS, and each file’s content hash is linked directly to its on-chain transaction,
so any future retrieval can confirm origin and integrity.
How It Changes the Circular Economy
- Auditors gain tamper-proof event history
- Partners trade using verified quality data
- Consumers click once to confirm authenticity
Proof replaces promises.
Circular systems stop reporting themselves — they start verifying themselves.
DeviceStamp — turning every lifecycle event into verifiable trust.