ECODESIGN
Whatever people put together should be able to be taken apart again
Recycling starts much earlier than most people realise – namely when a product is actually being designed. It is certainly true that composite materials are very useful for our everyday lives. They are, however, causing a real problem when they are no longer needed as it is practically impossible – or only with a huge effort – to separate the materials from each other so that they can be recycled for reuse. The only way to solve this problem is to systematically implement the principle of ecodesign, which takes the environmental compatibility of a product into account from its development all the way through to the end of its useful life. Including the recyclability of the product and to what extent recycled raw materials can be used to produce it in the first place.
So what exactly is ecodesign?
Ecodesign, also referred to as 'design for recycling', covers the principle of designing and manufacturing products so that they have a minimum – or ideally no – impact on the environment and climate. It takes the whole life cycle of a product into account.
From the initial clever product idea, to the amount of energy and raw material resources needed, to the production and use of the product, all the way through
to the recovery and reuse of the individual components when it reaches the end of its useful life.
The individual aspects of ecodesign
Greater efficiency
The amount of energy and raw materials used in a product should be reduced to a minimum throughout the whole of its life cycle.
Sustainable use of raw materials
Wherever possible, recycled raw materials should be used to make a product – while taking availability, regeneration rates and environmental effectiveness into account.
Optimum use
Products should be designed so that they offer end users the most possible benefits. This includes ensuring they have as long a service life as possible and are easy to repair while still making sure the individual components can be easily separated to guarantee recyclability (see next point).
High levels of recyclability
The products or rather their individual components should be able to be recycled using environmentally compatible processes when they reach the end of their service life (recycling-friendly design, reduction in material loss).
Fewer emissions
Throughout their life cycle, products should have as little an impact as possible on humans and the environment (i.e. minimum levels of pollutants, radiation, noise etc).
Maximum substitution
Materials that have a negative impact on the environment and/or human health should, wherever possible, be completely replaced by safe, environmentally friendly materials.
The calls for ecodesign are getting ever louder. And we should listen carefully
Ecodesigns are still far too rare in our everyday lives. The reasons for this are complex. And it is precisely this complexity that is the biggest hurdle preventing the idea of ecodesign becoming a success. One problem is the difficult balance between global environmental responsibilities and the need of individual companies to run a cost-effective business. It is, of course, easy enough to say that manufacturers should design and make products that take environmental compatibility into account.
The companies must, however, be compensated for the additional time and expense caused by this. This means that the right economic conditions must be put in place.
One possibility could be to ensure that companies using recycled raw materials are put in a better economic position – such as is currently being planned for the area of packaging in the latest statutory amendments. Another could be to charge for the carbon emissions caused along the whole of the supply chain – from the raw material to the end product – similar to the practices used for power stations. Companies would then benefit financially if they used carbon-cutting recycled raw materials.
REMONDIS is playing an active role when it comes to ecodesign – making the most of its knowledge of resources and recycling. Just one example of this is our proposal to introduce a recycling label
Ecodesign and the circular economy
It doesn’t take long to explain how ecodesign and the circular economy are connected – indeed it is really quite simple: the better one of them works, the better the other does, too. Which explains, of course, why REMONDIS is so interested in seeing the principles of ecodesign being established in as many production processes and in as many sectors as possible. This also includes us actively helping companies to design and manufacture products so that their individual components can be recycled in the best possible way once the products reach the end of their useful life.
Whether it means using raw materials that can be easily recycled or putting products together so that the different types of raw materials can be easily separated. It is essential that the individual components of a product can be separated from each other if the recycling processes are to be successful. And so once again, we have come full circle as new laws and political guidelines are needed here as well. Being a recycling business, we depend on manufacturers being genuinely interested in producing recyclable products. For this to happen, there must be appropriate incentives in place ensuring that it makes good financial sense for them to adopt such an environmentally friendly attitude.
Our recycled plastics are used in a wide variety of areas - for example, in the construction, packaging and automotive industry. Garden furniture is also made of recycled plastic
An ever greater number of companies are adopting the ecodesign approach and offering sustainable products. One of those spearheading the way is the Frosch brand, which we support by helping them produce eco-friendly packaging using recycled plastic. Find out more in the chapter on cooperations
Cradle to Cradle® – an example of ecodesign being put into practice
Cradle to Cradle® (C2C) (C2C) describes a principle, developed by the sustainability pioneer Professor Braungart, whereby all the components of a product can be processed and/or recycled without any loss in quality. This model is based on nature where everything is a nutrient and waste
simply does not exist. Cradle to Cradle® differentiates between two separate cycles:
Biological cycle
The biological cycle comprises products of consumption which can be returned to this cycle after they have been used. They become compost or some other kind of nutrient so they can be used to promote plant growth.
Technical cycle
The technical cycle comprises products of service and materials which can be recycled again and again – with all their individual parts able to be recovered and separated exactly according to type so they can be reused to make new products.
Compared to normal recycling methods, the greatest advantage of Cradle to Cradle® is that there are no downcycling effects whatsoever, i.e. the inherent value of the material is not reduced at all. By implication this also means, however, that the Cradle to Cradle® concept must begin at the product design stage. Only products that are made up of fully recyclable and non-toxic materials can be dismantled and treated in line with the C2C concept. Cradle to Cradle®, therefore, is not simply a processing or treatment system but also a strategic approach to foster innovations in companies.
Find out more about Cradle to Cradle® and their certification options at epea.com
The Ecodesign Directive. The right direction but still only half way there
The European Ecodesign Directive (2009/125/EC) has been in force since 2009 and is an extended and more detailed version of the 2005 Energy-Using Products Directive. To begin with, the Ecodesign Directive focused entirely on the energy efficiency and environmental compatibility of electrical and electronic appliances. Over the last few years, however, it has, for the most part, been amended to include all products rather than just electronic devices. What is still missing, however, is an extension of the Ecodesign Directive to encompass other important quality factors beyond the subject of energy. Just one key factor here is raw material efficiency. What percentage of a product’s contents is made up of recycled raw materials? How well can the products be dismantled into their individual parts and recycled once they reach the end of their useful life? These are fundamental questions that must be taken into account when assessing – both from an environmental and economic point of view – just how sustainable a product actually is. Politicians are currently making the most of the so-called Sustainable Products Initiative to move this issue forward. The goal here is to have a newly adopted Ecodesign Ordinance to replace the current Ecodesign Directive. The target date for this is 2026.
Walking the talk. REMONDIS is showing how
It is easy enough to carp and complain. It is far more difficult, though, to take matters into your own hands to try and move things forward. Which is why REMONDIS spent time thinking about how to develop an integral approach to the whole issue of ecodesign. Not as an isolated environmental measure but as a comprehensive raw material strategy for the industry of the future. This has led to us developing a recycling label to close the raw material efficiency gap in the Ecodesign Directive (see above). Just as the long-established energy efficiency label has been informing consumers about a product’s energy consumption levels, this recycling label aims to provide clear information about the raw material efficiency levels of a product. This means giving exact details about a product’s recycled content as well as letting people know to what extent the individual components can be recycled. This label enables consumers to see immediately just how sustainable a product is. And there’s something else that is just as important: it is a great opportunity for companies and manufacturers to communicate to their consumers that they are practising the ecodesign principles – providing a further way, therefore, of documenting their sustainable operations.
The recycling label could look like this
Politicians have at least started looking into the possibility of launching a recycling label. We’ll keep you updated of any developments.
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