Ecodesign: for environmentally and human-friendly economic development

In previous articles, we have discussed the history of plastics, grouped them by type and application of use, and seen that the only way to know the environmental impact of products is to measure it over their entire life cycle using empirical tools, such as the LCA.

In addition to measuring the environmental impact of production processes in order to reduce them, the life cycle assessment of a product leads to a significant change in design: we move from a design strictly linked to the product, to a design of the product-system, which includes all the stages of the life cycle, from conception to disposal. This is what Ecodesign is all about.

What is Ecodesign?

Ecodesign, or sustainable design, is an economic model that encompasses the entire process of a product’s conception, design, marketing and disposal, with the aim of reducing the overall environmental impact of the entire chain.

Ecodesign is not only an ethical choice for the conservation of the planet’s resources and its survival, as it takes into account both the raw materials used in the production processes and the energy consumed at each stage of the product’s life cycle, but also the first step towards the circular economy.

From industrial design to Ecodesign

Unlike industrial design, which focused on manufacturability – the rapid introduction of new goods that meet quality standards, at the lowest possible cost, without worrying about negative environmental and social impacts -, Ecodesign focuses on the design phase: combining technical, functional and economic requirements while minimising the environmental and social impacts of the entire life cycle of the product and its components.

Therefore, Ecodesign represents the new frontier of design: design based on the efficient use of resources and materials makes it, in fact, possible to reduce both the environmental impact of manufacturing and the amount of waste generated, by intervening on the durability, repairability, upgradeability and recyclability of the products themselves.

FITT’s strategy: from research into new technopolymers to Ecodesign

FITT’s business strategy is based on materials research and the development of new technopolymers, both in its own laboratories and in partnership with research centres and universities, with the aim of finding innovative solutions capable of meeting the environmental challenges of today and tomorrow.
We also follow the Ecodesign philosophy and the application of its three basic principles: performance, reduction and recycling.

Performance

We are committed to complying with market studies on chemical and product safety; to guaranteeing the durability of products throughout the life intended by the application, maximising performance levels to ensure the longest possible life; to producing products that can be repaired by the user.

Reduction

We are committed to choosing the best materials in order to minimise their use and therefore the environmental impact; to considering packaging as a useful tool for transporting and preserving the product, limiting its use to the minimum necessary; to finding solutions that minimise the space taken up by its products during transport in order to limit CO2eq emissions during handling.

Circularity

We are committed to promoting the use of second-life materials; to favouring materials for which an established recycling chain already exists and creating or promoting the creation of new chains; to ensuring the use of single-component design solutions that can be easily separated to facilitate future recyclability.