In other posts we’ve referenced Claitec’s commitment to innovation as one of the core values that guide our daily work. Innovation helps us improve the service we offer our customers, however, we also feel that sometimes innovation must pay lip service to a common goal for all which, in this case, is our care for the environment.
Claitec has been committed for a long time to becoming an increasingly ecofriendly company. That’s why our goal is to advance in that direction and that’s why we attained the ISO 14001 environmental management systems certification for our processes – so that our commitment goes beyond mere words.
Our next challenge, – and one we’ve already made some important strides in -, consists in implementing as many Ecodesign techniques in our products as possible. This way we will ensure we’re heading in the right direction to optimize the environmental impact of our products at each stage of their life cycle.
What does Ecodesign mean exactly?
To produce, use and dispose of products generates a flow of materials, many of which can have a negative impact on the environment, whether in the form of pollution or in the form of waste. The Ecodesign or Products Ecology is responsible for studying this flow of materials resulting from product manufacturing, and it develops methods to reduce the negative effects on the environment.
The main objectives of Eco-design include:
- To minimise the use of materials and energy,
- To replace other materials that demonstrate improved environmental performance,
- To recover materials that can be reused.
Ecodesign in the life cycle of an industrial product
In order to put the theory in practice, a breakdown of the Ecodesign goals in each of the stages in the typical life cycle of an industrial product was also created:
Design: While it appears that the design of a product cannot have a real environmental impact, it is in fact, the stage that decides the type of materials that will be used and their quantity. In other words, the designer will have a direct impact on all the other stages of the cycle as far as their level of environmental friendliness is concerned.
Manufacturing: The goal of this stage is to improve the knowledge and decisions on the use of materials, waste reduction and pollution prevention. It also aims to minimise the amount of waste generated during the manufacturing process, to facilitate as much as possible the reutilisation of the materials and, of course, to make energy consumption as efficient as possible.
Product use: There are two main dimensions as far as adopting the most environmentally friendly use of a product but both are achieved in the same way: using the product in a responsible and efficient manner. The first dimension consists in using the product the bare minimum so as not to process materials and consume energy in vain. The second is to take care of the product in order to extend its life to the maximum. The longer a product lasts, the less materials and energy will be needed to make a replacement.
Recycling: This is the ultimate goal of all products made ecologically, i.e. that the vast majority of their materials can be reused. As mentioned above, this stage depends directly on product design, but it is also important to respect, and ensure that we are effectively leveraging reusable materials.
