For five years in Italy there has been a platform on the circular economy managed by Enea. A few days ago, 800 experts representing 290 institutions, companies and associations met in Rome to update the information system. The platform is called ICSP extension and refers to European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ECESP) of the EU. In five years the ICESP has prepared more than 200 good practices to accelerate the transition to a circular economy in industrial chains and cities. THEThe theme presents a complexity that crosses advanced economic systems and warns States against planning solutions that increase sustainability. The very concept of environmental sustainability is the subject of continuous studies and research. Eco-design, for example, which is spreading in the most industrialized countries and directly involves the European Commission.
What is eco-design
The definition of eco-design had a first classification by the Commission in a directive, where it is classified as «the systematic integration of environmental aspects in product design in order to improve its environmental performance throughout the entire life cycle ”. Paolo Azzurro and Donato Berardi laboratory researchers Ref Research has published a study on the subject that objectively questions the business models of companies. The approach is very analytical, because designing products based on their recycling means having adequate technologies available. It is the machines, in the first place, that will be able to make a contribution to reduction of the consumption of natural resources and environmental impacts of goods and services. To do this, a profound transformation of production and consumption models is needed, starting from the concept of limit. And what would be the most acceptable limit? “The presence of physical limits in natural systems that delimit the safe operating space within which we can thrive” answer the two researchers.
The circular economy takes into account the available resources
On a large scale, it is a question of breaking down the concept of disposable, reconsidering the duration of a product or an asset. The secret is in the passage from selling a product to selling a serviceor according to the PAAS “product-as-a service” model. When it comes to sustainability, then, the question should be asked about the physical limits of a product, given that natural resources are not unlimited. “Releasing development along the lines of sustainability means reducing anthropic pressure on natural systems, reads the text of the Ref. “Doing a little better or a little less worse does not mean being sustainable. Without references to the physical limits of natural systems and to the time needed to avoid irreversible consequences on the climate and the environment, sustainability becomes an abstract concept".
Looking at the data, the strong correlation between GDP growth, resource consumption and greenhouse gas emissions at a global level clearly shows how "technological innovation in terms of the environment of products and processes has not been until today capable of guaranteeing that absolute decoupling of economic growth from resource consumption and environmental impacts. The weak point is that up to 80% of the environmental impact of products is determined in the design phase.
Recycling in Europe and the prospects for Italy
What is the EU actually doing? “He proposed a Regulation on eco-design where the objective is to extend the range of products subject to regulation and to establish further rules in addition to those on energy efficiency relating to the characteristics that these products must have and the information they must be guaranteed to consumers” say Azzurro and Berardi. The substance lies in the general ability – between producers and consumers – to make the economic fabric available materials to be used in place of virgin raw materialsi.
On the other hand, they are already there standard of sustainability for SMEs. But in 2016, for example, only 6% of the demand for plastics in Europe was covered by recycled plastics. In Italy, on the other hand, the share of regenerated thermoplastic polymers (from post-consumer and pre-consumer) on total national consumption in 2019 was just over 17%: including imports. The remaining 83% was given by virgin raw materials.
What must Italy do to implement real recycling and energy saving objectives? “It is necessary to coordinate with the evolution of the Community reference framework”, the two researchers answer. “In the awareness of the fragility of the economyto iItaly, characterized by a chronic dependence on imported raw materials and energy".
The prospect of integrating environmental aspects into product design to reduce resource consumption and environmental impacts is a significant step forward. It is encouraging to see that the European Union is adopting regulations to promote Eco design and set higher standards for products. However, it is clear that there is still a lot of work to be done, particularly with regards to effective recycling and improving energy efficiency.