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The cosmetics industry is searching for efficient and sustainable substances capable of stabilizing emulsions or colloidal dispersions that are thermodynamically unstable because of their high surface energy. Therefore, surfactants are commonly used to stabilize the water/oil interface. However, the presence of a surfactant is not always sufficient to obtain stable emulsions on the one hand, and conventional surfactants are often subject to such controversies as their petroleum origin and environmental concerns on the other hand. As a consequence, among other challenges, it is obvious that research related to new—natural, biodegradable, biocompatible, available, competitive—surfactants are nowadays more intensive. This study aims to valorize a natural gum from Triumfetta cordifolia (T. cordifolia) as a sustainable emulsifier and stabilizer for oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions, and to evaluate how the nature of the fatty phase could affect this potential. To this end, O/W emulsions were prepared at room temperature using three different oils varying in composition, using a rotor–stator mixer. Resulting mixtures were characterized using optical microscopy, laser granulometry, rheology, pH and stability monitoring over time. The results demonstrated good potential for the gum as an emulsifying agent. T. cordifolia gum appears efficient even at very low concentrations (0.2% w/w) for the preparation and stabilization of the different O/W emulsions. The best results were observed for cocoglyceride oil due to its stronger effect of lowering interfacial tension (IFT) thus acting as a co-emulsifier. Therefore, overall results showed that T. cordifolia gum is undoubtedly a highly promising new bio-sourced and environmentally friendly emulsifier/stabilizer for many applications including cosmetics.

Proizvodnja i upotreba proizvoda su ljudske aktivnosti koje se zasnivaju na određenoj potrošnji energije i materijala te kao takve, u znatnoj mjeri utječu na kvalitetu okoliša i života na Zemlji. Trenutna stopa industrijskog razvoja, rast broja stanovnika i težnja za boljom kvalitetom života stanovništva imaju negativan utjecaj na okoliš koji je svakim danom sve izraženiji. Utjecaji proizvoda, tj. materijala na okoliš, danas se često proučavaju pomoću metodologije kao što je npr. tehnika Analize životnog ciklusa (eng. Life-cycle analysis-LCA). LCA metoda istražuje cijeli životni ciklus nekog proizvoda (od proizvodnje sirovog materijala do odlaganja ili recikliranja na kraju životnog vijeka proizvoda ) i procjenjuje njegov utjecaj na okolinu. Međutim, LCA je isključivo alat za procjenu i međusobnu usporedbu već postojećih proizvoda i ne može se smatrati alatom za ekološki dizajn novog proizvoda. Smatra se da oko 80% „opterećenja“ za okoliš, od strane budućeg proizvoda, nastaje u ranoj fazi dizajna dok se mnoge odluke još uvijek mogu promijeniti. Polazeći od p otrebe da se utjecaj na okoliš uzme u obzir u ranim fazama projektiranja, razvijen je alat za eko-reviziju. Alat za eko-reviziju, koji je središnja točka ovog završnog rada, utjelovljen je u programskom paketu „CES EduPack“. Navedeni alat pruža uvid u sve faze životnog vijeka proizvoda s aspekta utrošene energije i emisije CO2, ali i usmjerava projektante u potrazi za prikladnijim opcijama tijekom procesa eko-dizajna. U ovom završnom radu je prikazan ekološko održivi pristup metodičkog konstruiranja nosive konstrukcije auto prikolice. Uz metodički pristup, u radu je prikazan proces projektiranja, tj. razrade varijanti nosive konstrukcije automobilske prikolice. Potom je izvršena konstrukcijska razrada nosive konstrukcije auto prikolice. Primjenom CAD (eng. Computer Aided Design) programa predočeno je „utjelovljenje“ proizvoda te kontrola naprezanja i deformacija konstrukcije. Alatom za eko -reviziju, implementiranom u programskom paketu „CES EduPack“, izvršena je eko-revizija konstrukcije. Također je napravljen osvrt na cjelokupnu metodologiju eko-revizije te su izneseni zaključci., The manufacture and use of products are human activities that are based on a certain consumption of energy and materials and as such, significantly affect the quality of the environment and life on Earth. The current rate of industrial development, the growth of the population and the desire for a better quality of life of the population have a negative impact on the environment, which is becoming more pronounced every day. The impacts of products, i.e. materials, on the environment are often studied today using a methodology such as the Life-cycle analysis technique (LCA). The LCA method examines the entire life cycle of a product (from the production of raw materials to disposal or recycling at the end of the product's life) and assesses its impact on the environment. However, LCA is exclusively a tool for the evaluation and mutual comparison of alread y existing products and cannot be considered as a tool for the ecological design of a new product. It is considered that about 80% of the "burden" for the environment, from the future product, occurs in the early design phase while many decisions can still be changed. Based on the need to take environmental impact into account at the early stages of design, an eco-audit tool was developed. The tool for eco-auditing, which is the central point of this final work, is embodied in the program package "CES EduPack". The mentioned tool provides an insight into all phases of the product's life cycle in terms of energy consumption and CO 2 emissions, but also guides the designer in the search for more suitable options during the eco-design process. In this fina l paper, an ecologically sustainable approach to the methodical construction of the load -bearing structure of the car trailer is presented. The paper presents the process of designing, i.e. making variants of the load-bearing structure of the car trailer, using a methodical approach. After that, the constructive development of the load-bearing structure of the car trailer was carried out. By applying CAD programs, the "embodiment" of the product and the control of stress and deformation of the structure are shown. The eco-audit tool, implemented in the "CES EduPack" software package, was used to perform an eco -audit of the structure. A review of the entire ecoaudit methodology was also made and conclusions were presented.

V vsakdanjem času je embalaža enako pomembna kot izdelek, ki je v njej pakiran. V veliki meri je pomembno, iz katerega materiala je embalaža izdelana in ali je pri tem upoštevano tudi ekološko oblikovanje. Magistrsko delo temelji na izdelavi darilne embalaže za podjetje, ki jo bodo podarili poslovnim partnerjem ob koncu leta. Namen magistrskega dela je oblikovanje in izdelava embalaže, ki bo temeljila na principih ekološkega oblikovanja. V teoretičnem delu je najprej opisano področje trenutno uporabljenih materialov in načinov oblikovanja darilnih embalaž iz različnih materialov. Nato smo se osredotočili na ekološko oblikovanje in izbiro primernega materiala ter opisali kartone iz invazivnih rastlin, kot so akacija, zlata rozga in japonski dresnik. V Sloveniji že poteka predelava invazivnih rastlin kot del projekta Applause, ki ga je podprla tudi Naravoslovnotehniška fakulteta. V sklopu naše raziskave smo preučili tri vrste kartonov invazivnih rastlin in ugotovili, kateri izmed njih ima najboljše fizikalno-mehanske lastnosti za naše končne izdelke. Pri oblikovanju ekološke embalaže smo se držali smernic, ki so omogočale ustvarjanje okolju prijaznega izdelka in hkrati zagotavljale, da bo embalaža funkcionalna in trdna, pri čemer smo uporabili čim manj materiala in lepil. Hkrati smo stremeli k oblikovanju embalaže, ki bo vizualno privlačna za potrošnika. Oblikovali smo dve različni embalaži, v katerih so trije različni izdelki. Izdelali smo produkt, ki je izdelan iz invazivne rastlinske vrste kartona (akacija, japonski dresnik in zlata rozga), s čimer smo izboljšali segment sekundarnih darilnih embalaž, izboljšali ekološki vidik in zmanjšali količino porabe materialov v primerjavi s trenutno uporabljenimi. V eksperimentalnem delu smo predstavili ideje, preizkušali materiale z različnimi metodami, opisali načrtovanje embalaže in končno fazo izdelave, ki vključuje tisk in izrez embalaže. Zaradi različnih lastnosti uporabljenih kartonov smo analizirali tudi tiskarske lastnosti. Rezultat dela sta tako dve različni darilni embalaži iz kartona akacije, japonskega dresnika in zlate rozge. V delu so ob koncu predstavljeni končni rezultati raziskav, navedbe morebitnih izboljšav in smernice za ekološko oblikovanje darilnih embalaž. In everyday life, packaging is as important as the product it contains. The material used for packaging and whether it was designed with ecological considerations in mind are significant factors. This thesis focuses on creating gift packaging for a company to give to its business partners at the end of the year. The aim of the thesis was to design and produce packaging based on principles of ecological design. The theoretical part of the thesis first describes the current materials and methods used in gift packaging design using different materials. Then, it focuses on ecological design and the selection of appropriate materials, including cardboards made from invasive plant species such as acacia, goldenrod, and Japanese knotweed. In Slovenia, the processing of invasive plants is already underway as part of the Applause project, supported by the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering. In our research, we examined three types of cardboard made from invasive plants and identified the one with the best physical and mechanical properties for our final products. We followed ecological packaging design guidelines to create an environmentally friendly product that is functional, sturdy, and uses as little material and glue as possible. At the same time, we aimed to create packaging that is visually appealing to consumers. We designed two different types of packaging, each containing three different products. We created a product made from invasive plant cardboard, improving the segment of secondary gift packaging, enhancing the ecological aspect, and reducing the amount of material used compared to current practices. In the experimental part of the thesis, we presented our ideas, tested materials with different methods, described the packaging design process, and the final manufacturing phase, which includes printing and cutting the packaging. We also analyzed the printing properties of the different cardboards used. The result of this work are two different gift packaging designs made from acacia, Japanese knotweed, and goldenrod cardboard. The thesis concludes with the final research results, potential improvements, and guidelines for ecological gift packaging design.

The tendencies of the fashion industry in the modern world are considered. The focus is on sustainability. Eco-design as a sustainable approach to design that takes into account the impact of a product on the environment throughout its life cycle. Requirements for materials and clothing that meet the ECO AWARE standard. Management of intellectual property objects – on the experience of the Polish company GROUP LPP SA., Розглянуто тенденції модної індустрії в сучасному світі. Основну увагу приділено стійкості. Екодизайн як сталий підхід до проєктування, що враховує вплив продукту на навколишнє середовище протягом усього його життєвого циклу. Вимоги до матеріалів та одягу, що відповідають стандарту ECO AWARE. Управління об’єктами інтелектуальної власності – на досвіді польської компанії GROUP LPP SA.

Steel is one of the most used materials in the industry and the building sector. Its production causes severe environmental impacts due to direct emissions within extraction and processing stages (e.g. CO, SOx, NOx, and PM2), the intensive use of primary resources, contamination of wastewater, and significant amounts of hazardous and solid waste. In this context, the purpose of the current study is to perform a life cycle analysis (LCA) of four different types of steel used in the manufacturing of a steel-based radiator, namely: standard steel as a baseline scenario, steel with a recycling fraction of 40 % of scrap, steel with a recycling fraction of 60 % of scrap, fully recycled steel from scraps, and a hypothetical ‘Carbon-free’ steel production process. The baseline scenario relies on data from an existing company producing steel radiators. The LCA study is conducted within SimaPro 9.4 software with data obtained from the Ecoinvent 3.8 database and adjusted according to the defined scenarios and the functional unit of ‘1 kg of steel’. The environmental impact is assessed according to EN 15804 requirements for construction product sustainability. The results have shown that standard steel has the highest impact (176.87 μPt), followed by 40 % scrap steel (137.46 μPt), 60 % scrap steel (104.36 μPt), ‘carbon-free’ steel (76.14 μPt), and 100 % scrap steel (38.17 μPt). The climate change indicator is found to be one of the most sensitive for steel production. The selection of ‘carbon-free’ or 100 % scrap steel permits a decrease of impacts by 70 % and 84 %, respectively. The study concludes that the choice of steel is a fundamental point in reducing the environmental impact of construction products such as steel-made radiators within the whole life cycle perspective. Furthermore, the results obtained through the EN 15804 method, tailored explicitly for the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), can be reused or taken as a starting point for further studies in the environmental labelling sector.

Trabalho de projeto de mestrado integrado em Arquitetura, Um dos impactos significativos da atividade humana é a poluição. Este projeto não pretende dar uma resposta à poluição atmosférica, mas sim procurar reduzir os impactos ambientais resultantes da acumulação de materiais rejeitados, ou provenientes de indústrias, natureza morta, plantas endógenas, plantas infestantes e desperdícios provenientes da construção. Pretende-se criar uma eco cabana seguindo um modelo “circular” de gestão, integrado na arquitetura e na cultura local, em particular o artesanato da Ilha Terceira, que incorpore o máximo possível destes materiais. Neste sentido, assume como prioridade a economia circular na área da construção. Qualquer setor produtivo/industrial pode e deve refletir sobre a integração dos principais fatores de uma economia circular. Isto passa pela valorização social e ambiental nos seus projetos, planos de negócio e sua estratégia aplicada. O caso do estudo deste projeto localiza-se na Região Autónoma dos Açores, na Ilha Terceira. A Região destaca-se pelo papel socioeconómico que o sector da agricultura representa nas 9 ilhas dos Açores. Os Açores possuem uma grande riqueza na sua história e nas suas tradições. Representam uma referência nas artes e ofícios, desenvolvendo, ao longo de séculos, técnicas de trabalho artesanal com os mais diversos materiais, uns reutilizados e outros extraídos da terra (endémicas e infestantes). Esta eco-cabana pretende “ressurgir” e reinterpretar os antigos palheiros dos lavradores, com algumas inspirações em algumas técnicas utilizadas nas antigas cabanas de pescadores da zona da Comporta. Essas cabanas na sua construção são compostas por uma grande quantidade de criptoméria da Região. Os Açores foram também colonizados por alentejanos, dessa forma encontramos na construção vernacular das Ilhas algumas referências dessa ocupação territorial. O projeto tem como principal objetivo demonstrar que é possível, à semelhança das antigas cabanas de pescadores, fazer ressurgir os antigos palheiros de colmo, “denominado por festuca da ilha”, em espaços turísticos de alta qualidade e carácter cultural. É importante referir que, embora o contributo dos Açores para a poluição agrícola esteja distante dos principais países ou regiões poluentes, jamais deve abrandar em estratégias ou responsabilidades que reforcem a implementação de boas práticas, a sensibilização e a criação de mecanismos de proteção e preservação do mar e da agricultura, da sua espécie e da sua biodiversidade. Pretende-se com este modelo adotar uma postura mais pró-ativa que reflita uma preocupação prática sobre a cultura local e suas tradições, na gestão dos recursos materiais e também imateriais, na forma como podemos contribuir para afetar e transformar a nossa realidade e comunidade, numa vertente mais consciente e eficaz face aos problemas com as alterações climáticas, com a poluição em todo o mundo, com a extinção de inúmeras espécies ou a finitude dos nossos recursos naturais. Este trabalho pretende parametrizar e aplicar na arquitetura, construção, mobiliário e têxteis, conceitos com o empreendedorismo ecológico, o consumo responsável, economia circular e valorização do património local (artesanato). Intenta também refletir a forma como estes conceitos podem ser melhorados ou direcionados para a sociedade e para um país ou região mais próspero., One of the significant impacts of human activity is pollution. This project, it is not only about pollution by spilled oil, accidents and waste resulting from the illegal cleaning of deposits. Also included are materials, rejected, or from industries, still life, endogenous plants, weedplants and waste from construction. In this sense, this project takes as a priority the circular economy in the area of construction. It is intended to create an eco-hut following a "circular" model of management, integrated in the architectural and local culture in particular the crafts of Terceira Island. Any productive/industrial sector can and should reflect on the integration of the main factors of a circular economy. This involves social and environmental valorization in your projects, business plans and your applied strategy. The case of the study of this project is located in the Autonomous Region of the Azores, on Terceira Island. The Region stands out for the socio-economic role that the agriculture sector plays in the 9 islands of the Azores. The Azores have a great wealth in their history and traditions. They represent a reference in the arts and crafts, developing, over centuries, techniques of craftsmanship with the most diverse materials, some reused and others extracted from the earth (endemic and weeds). This eco-hut aims to "resurface" and reinterpret the old haystacks of the farmers, with some inspirations in some techniques used in the old fishermen's huts of the Comporta area. These huts in its construction are composed of a large amount of cryptomeria from the Region. The Azores were also colonized by Alentejo, so we find in the vernacular construction of the Islands some references of this territorial occupation. The main objective of the project is to demonstrate that it is possible in the same way as the old Comporta fishermen's huts, the old thatched haystacks " called the island's fescue " in tourist spaces of high quality and of great cultural character. It is important to note that the contribution of the Azores to agricultural pollution is far from the main polluting countries or regions, should never slowdown in strategies or responsibilities, continuing to carry out all work that reinforces the implementation of good practices, awareness and the creation of mechanisms for the protection and preservation of the sea and agriculture, species and biodiversity. This model aims to adopt a more proactive approach that reflects a practical concern about local culture and its traditions. The management of our material and also immaterial resources, in how we can contribute to affect and transform our reality and community, in a more conscious and effective aspect of the problems with climate change, with pollution around the world, with the extinction of countless species or the finitude of our natural resources. This work aims to parameterize and apply in architecture, construction, furniture and textiles, concepts with ecological entrepreneurship, responsible consumption, circular economy and valorization of local heritage (handicrafts). It also seeks to reflect how these concepts can be improved or directed to society and to a more prosperous country or region.

Un sistema económico basado en la producción de bienes y servicios bajo las pautas de “extraer-producir-comprar-usar-tirar” conlleva un uso intensivo de recursos naturales, así como una elevada presión sobre el medio ambiente con impactos negativos por la enorme generación de residuos, gases de efecto invernadero, contaminación de suelos y agua, etc. Ese modelo lineal se agrava a su vez con hábitos de consumo de “moda rápida” que no agotan el ciclo de vida útil de los productos (como ocurre, por ejemplo, en el caso de la ropa o en el de los dispositivos electrónicos). Para dar respuesta a esta situación, la alternativa de la economía circular pretende impulsar un nuevo modelo de producción y consumo en el que el valor de recursos, materiales y productos se mantenga en la economía durante el mayor tiempo posible, en el que se reduzca la generación de residuos y en el que se aprovechen al máximo aquellos que no se puedan evitar. La transición requiere rediseños de productos y procesos productivos vinculados a la prevención de residuos y a la preparación para su reutilización y reciclado, así como sistemas de etiquetado capaces de demostrar la huella ambiental, ya que la información que se haga llegar al consumidor será esencial en el apoyo al modelo de economía circular. Pero, además de aproximarnos al marco teórico, consideramos importante conocer qué estrategias y qué medidas concretas pretenden poner en marcha España y otros países de nuestro entorno, como es el caso de Francia, para lograr una economía más sostenible, descarbonizada y eficiente en el uso de los recursos; para establecer la mejora ambiental en el diseño de productos y servicios con el fin de reducir la generación de residuos; y para trasladar de forma clara y eficaz toda esa información al consumidor., An economic system based on the production of goods and services under the guidelines of extracting, producing, buying, using and throwing away leads to an intensive use of natural resources, as well as a high pressure on the environment with negative impacts due to the big generation of waste, greenhouse gases, soil and water pollution, etc. This linear model is aggravated in turn with fast fashion consumption habits that do not exhaust the useful life cycle of the products (as clothing or electronic devices). To correct this situation, the circular economy aims to promote a new model of production and consumption in which the value of resources, materials and products is maintained in the economy for as long as possible, reducing waste. The transition requires redesigns of products and production processes linked to waste prevention and preparation for reuse and recycling, as well as labelling systems capable of demonstrating the environmental footprint. The information provided to the consumer will be essential in supporting the circular economy model. But, in addition to approaching the theoretical framework, it´s important to know what strategies and concrete measures Spain and other countries such as France intend to implement to achieve a more sustainable and resource-efficient economy; to establish environmental improvement in the design of products and services in order to reduce waste; and to provide all that information clearly and efficiently to the consumer.

Based on the consideration of various environmental problems caused by human activities, energy transition solutions are starting to emerge. Power electronics will be central to these transitions. The level of knowledge linking power electronics and sustainability remains very limited today, and the study of the environmental impacts tied to the mass-scale deployment of power electronic systems across all sectors of activity is now essential. This study presents the life cycle assessment of a power electronic inverter capable of delivering a power of 150 kW, operating with an average 450 V DC bus for 15 years with 10,000 operating hours. The main hotspots are investigated to offer recommendations to designers. The most important impact highlighted is the depletion of mineral resources. Manufacturing and use are the two subsections with the highest environmental impact. Manufacturing is dominated by the casing and power module (specifically, the electric contacts, baseplate, and die). These results make it possible to orient an eco-design action with technologies capable of creating an evolution in hotspots. However, they also serve to consider scenarios involving a circular economy by setting up maintenance, recycling, and reuse loops in the inverter, combined with modularity and self-diagnostic functions.

This life cycle assessment (LCA) study focused on comparing the environmental performances of two types of synthesis strategies for polyethyleneimine (PEI) coated silica particles (organic/inorganic composites). The classic layer-by-layer and the new approach (one-pot coacervate deposition) were the two synthesis routes that were tested for cadmium ions removal from aqueous solutions by adsorption in equilibrium conditions. Data from the laboratory scale experiments for materials synthesis, testing, and regeneration, were then fed into a life cycle assessment study so that the types and values of environmental impacts associated with these processes could be calculated. Additionally, three eco-design strategies based on material substitution were investigated. The results point out that the one-pot coacervate synthesis route has considerably lower environmental impacts than the layer-by-layer technique. From an LCA methodology point of view, it is important to consider material technical performances when defining the functional unit. From a wider perspective, this research is important as it demonstrates the usefulness of LCA and scenario analysis as environmental support tools for material developers because they highlight environmental hotspots and point out the environmental improvement possibilities from the very early stages of material development.

The physical environment of airports plays a crucial role in improving travelers’ perceptions and well-being. Adopting a green physical environment may elicit customers’ cognitive and emotional responses and provide a convenient consumption environment. Brand experience and engagement are other important consumer–firm interactions that influence the attributes of the passengers’ well-being. The current study sought to assess the impact of the eco-design of buildings, brand experience and engagement on the well-being of travelers at an international airport in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, the current study investigated the possible effects of eco-design on airport experience and engagement. The results of the structural equation modeling analysis revealed that the eco-design of airport buildings was independently associated with passengers’ well-being and brand engagement, but not with brand experience. Additionally, well-being was significantly predicted by brand engagement and experience. Airport managers are advised to adopt an internal eco-design to help promote passengers’ connection with the brand and improve their well-being, which would eventually be reflected in their behavioral attributes and decision-making.

Social-ecological systems evolve in cycles of ecological adaptation increasing the resilience of places. The aim of this article is to present the design and implementation processes of the Outdoor Cinema and Activity Area Project which are applied on one of the valley floors in Mugla Sitki Koçman University’s Main Campus. The project was carried out by using the eco-design approach as the method of design and planning based on the concepts of panarchy and transect having roots in the studies of Patrick Geddes. The criteria adopted for the design of the project area were determined by the survey-analysis-design process within the framework of the opportunities offered by the land in the interaction of nature and human beings. In line with the basic design criteria, the application phase of the project was completed and the Outdoor Cinema and Activity Area were put into service. Los sistemas socio-ecológicos evolucionan en ciclos de adaptación ecológica aumentando la resiliencia de los lugares. El objetivo de este artículo es presentar los procesos de diseño e implementación del Proyecto de Área de Actividades y Cine al Aire Libre que se aplica en uno de los valles del Campus Principal de la Universidad Mugla Sitki Koçman. El proyecto se realizó utilizando el enfoque de ecodiseño como método de diseño y planificación basado en los conceptos de panarquía y transecto, que tienen sus raíces en los estudios de Patrick Geddes. Los criterios adoptados para el diseño del área del proyecto fueron determinados por el proceso de levantamiento, análisis y diseño en el marco de las oportunidades que ofrece el entorno en la interacción de la naturaleza y el ser humano. De acuerdo con los criterios básicos de diseño, se completó la fase de aplicación del proyecto y se puso en servicio el Cine al Aire Libre y el Área de Actividades.

Environmentally conscious design (ECD), also called as eco-design, is a systematic approach to reduce harmful environmental impacts of the products or services throughout their whole life cycle. IEC 62430:2019 is a standard addressing this goal. The motivation for organizations in implementing the standard can be driven by market demand, incoming regulations and laws, or a sustainable brand image. Organizations can have problems recognizing their current status in eco-design or challenges in implementing environmentally conscious principles in their processes and management. The first step in this research was to conduct a literature review of the main eco-design drivers and challenges and the most used eco-design tools. The drivers provide information about the benefits that implementing IEC 62430 in companies could bring. The drivers lead from innovation and lower environmental impacts to improved image and revenues. This thesis was conducted for the company Smart Power, a unit of ABB, which manufactures low voltage products. The case company has done many actions to achieve environmental improvement in its processes but wishes to continuously develop its principles towards circular economy. Smart Power’s documentation and processes were evaluated to analyse its ECD compliance. The main challenges to implementing ECD policies were recognized, and they were compared to challenges that were recognized in the literature review. Development suggestions were given to Smart Power, so the company is able to work on achieving IEC 62430 certification or compliance if it wishes. The next step was to compare the results from the target company to theory bases, to find similarities and differences. The most common challenges that were recognised from the theoretical bases and case study were related to management. Even a good strategy does not guarantee environmental improvement in processes and product design, the management’s commitment and allocation of enough resources to design processes and selecting sustainable suppliers has a big effect on implementing eco-design. Communication needs to work for internal and external stakeholders to add knowledge. Ympäristötietoinen suunnittelu (ECD), jota kutsutaan myös ekosuunnitteluksi, on järjestelmällinen lähestymistapa tuotteiden tai palvelujen haitallisten ympäristövaikutusten vähentämiseksi niiden koko elinkaaren ajan. IEC 62430:2019 on standardi, joka vastaa tähän tavoitteeseen. Organisaatioiden motivaatiota standardin käyttöönottoon voivat ohjata markkinoiden kysyntä, tulevat säädökset ja lait tai kestävä brändikuva. Organisaatioilla voi olla vaikeuksia tunnistaa heidän nykytilansa ekosuunnittelussa tai haasteita ympäristötietoisten periaatteiden toteuttamisessa prosesseissaan ja johtamisessaan. Ensiksi toteutettiin kirjallisuuskatsaus yleisimmistä ekosuunnittelun ajureista, haasteista ja käytetyimmistä työkaluista. Ajureiden selvittämisestä saadaan tietoa hyödyistä, joita IEC 62430:n käyttöönotto voi tuoda yrityksille. Tunnistetut ekosuunnittelu ajurit kuten innovaatiot ja pienemmät ympäristövaikutukset voivat johtaa muihin etuihin kuten parempaan yritys imagoon ja sitä kautta tuloihin. Tämä opinnäytetyö tehtiin Smart Powerille, joka on ABB:n yksikkö, joka valmistaa pienjännitetuotteita. Yritys on tehnyt monia toimia parantaakseen prosessejaan ympäristöystävällisemmiksi, mutta haluaa jatkuvasti kehittää toimintaansa kohti kiertotaloutta. Smart Powerin dokumentaatio ja prosessit arvioitiin sen ECD-yhteensopivuuden analysoimiseksi. ECD käytäntöjen toteuttamisen tärkeimmät haasteet tunnistettiin ja niitä verrattiin kirjallisuuskatsauksessa tunnistettuihin haasteisiin. Smart Powerille annettiin kehitysehdotuksia, joiden avulla yritys voi halutessaan lähteä parantamaan käytäntöjään IEC 62430 -sertifioinnin ja standardin vaatimusten täyttämiseksi. Seuraava vaihe oli vertailla kohdeyrityksestä saatuja tuloksia teoriasta saatuihin tuloksiin ja löytää niiden yhtäläisyydet ja eroavaisuudet. Yleisimmät teoriaosiosta ja tapaustutkimuksesta tunnistetut haasteet liittyivät johtamiseen. Hyväkään strategia ei takaa ympäristön parantamista prosessien ja tuotteiden suunnittelussa, vaan johdon sitoutumisella ja riittävällä resurssien allokoinnilla prosessien suunnitteluun ja kestävien toimittajien valintaan on suuri vaikutus ekologisen suunnittelun toteuttamiseksi. Viestinnän on toimittava, jotta sisäiset ja ulkoiset sidosryhmät voivat saada tarpeeksi tietoa ECD:n toteuttamiseen ja siihen panostamiseen.

Nanosafety is paramount considering the risks associated with manufactured nanomaterials (MNMs) whose implications could outweigh their advantages for environmental applications. Although nanotechnology-based solutions to implement pollution control, remediation and prevention are incremental with clear benefits for public health and Earth' natural ecosystems, nanoremediation is having a setback due to the risks associated with the safety of MNMs for humans and the environment. MNMs are diverse, work differently and bionano-interactions occurring upon environmental exposure will guide their fate and hazardous outcomes. Here we propose a new ecologically-based design strategy (eco-design) having its roots in green nanoscience and LCA that will ground on an Ecological Risk Assessment approach, which introduces the evaluation of MNMs' ecotoxicity along with their performances and efficacies at the design stage. As such, the proposed eco-design strategy will allow recognition and design-out since the very beginning of material synthesis, those hazardous peculiar features that can be hazardous to living beings and the natural environment. A more ecologically sound eco-design strategy in which nanosafety is conceptually included in MNMs design will sustain safer nanotechnologies including those for the environment as remediation by leveraging any risks for humans and natural ecosystems. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS: Our review manuscript deals with the central role of nanosafety in environmental nanotechnologies with a focus on nanoremediation. By starting from the building blocks of green nanoscience and LCA, here an ecologically-based design framework (eco-design), which relies on testing ecological risk assessment of manufactured nanomaterials (MNMs) along with their efficacies and performances prior to being marketed, is proposed. As such, the proposed eco-design will satisfy and support the development of environmentally safe and sustainable nanotechnologies by limiting/reducing any potential risks for humans and the environment in compliance with the European and International strategies on cutting pollution and supporting environmental restoration.

Eco-efficiency Management at RENIEC, where its 4 000 servers nationwide use and consume huge amounts of resources for their processes, which constitutes an environmental problem due to the generation of negative impacts. Through this research with a scientific approach, and methodology of experimental design and analysis of variance applied to a random sample of servers, forming two groups (experimental and control), who underwent a pre and posttest (both groups), and in turn, the experimental group was intensively trained in eco-efficiency and related topics. Likewise, reports of purchases and monthly consumption of the entity were analyzed; achieving the change of paradigms and better performance of the servers, such as: efficient and rational use of resources (electricity, water, paper, toner, fuel and others), green purchases and eco-design. The results obtained were the saving of institutional spending, reduction of negative environmental impacts and the inflection of consumption indicators such as: Water in 0.17%, electricity in 31%, bond paper in 80.9%, toner in 25% and waste generation. solids at 19%; evidencing eco-efficient practices of the servers in their processes., La Gestión de Ecoeficiencia en el RENIEC, donde sus 4 000 servidores a nivel nacional utilizan y consumen ingentes cantidades de recursos para sus procesos, lo cual constituye una problemática ambiental por la generación de impactos negativos. A través de esta investigación con enfoque científico, y metodología de diseño experimental y análisis de varianza aplicándose a una muestra aleatoria de servidores, conformándose dos grupos (experimental y control), a quienes se tomó un pre y post test (ambos grupos), y a su vez se capacitó intensivamente al grupo experimental en ecoeficiencia y temas conexos. Asimismo, se analizó reportes de compras y consumos mensuales de la entidad; lográndose el cambio de paradigmas y mejor desempeño de los servidores, como es el consumo racional y eficiente de los recursos energéticos y materiales (electricidad, combustible, agua, papel, tóner, entre otros); y a su vez fomentando las compras verdes o productos con ecodiseño. Los resultados obtenidos fueron el ahorro del gasto institucional, reducción de los impactos ambientales negativos y la inflexión de los indicadores de consumo como: Agua en 0.17 %, electricidad en 31 %, papel bond en 80.9 %, tóner en 25 % y generación de residuos sólidos en 19 %; evidenciándose prácticas ecoeficientes de los servidores en sus procesos.

The purpose of the articleis to reveal the possibilities’ potential of applying this ecological trend in clothing design through the arrangement of the concept’s meaning of "upcycling" and the analysis of its manifestation options. Research methodology.The research used methods of visual-analytical, system-structural and morphological analysis, objective observation, and the method of comparison. Result.The main traditional techniques of working with secondary textiles for creating new canvases, textures and ornamentation of modern clothes are described. The advantages of the upcycling direction in creative, practical, organizational and educational aspects have been revealed. When creating something new, it is necessary to use what has already been created, what no longer functions or has fallen out of use; the result of this process is not only beneficial, but also inspiring. A designer, working in the direction of upcycling, does not just process material and create a new product – he transforms an already existing object, giving it a new life, a new function, his deep philosophy, devoting much more time, effort, skills and own resources to it. On the basis of the conducted analysis, an intelligence map has been developed, which allows to organise the semantic content of the term “upcycling – secondary use of materials in clothing design” through the definition of all its essential features. Scientific novelty.The article is devoted to the analysis of upcycling as a relevant direction of eco-design, which is more economical and technically promising than the manufacture of new things. Collections of well-known global and Ukrainian brands that use the method of reusing (secondary use) of clothing and textile materials were analysed. It has been determined that upcycling develops imagination, teaches to fantasise, think creatively, and experience the diversity of the world. Upcycling combines different directions, techniques and methods in clothing art.

The purpose of the article is to reveal the possibilities’ potential of applying this ecological trend in clothing design through the arrangement of the concept’s meaning of "upcycling" and the analysis of its manifestation options. Research methodology. The research used methods of visual-analytical, system-structural and morphological analysis, objective observation, and the method of comparison. Result. The main traditional techniques of working with secondary textiles for creating new canvases, textures and ornamentation of modern clothes are described. The advantages of the upcycling direction in creative, practical, organizational and educational aspects have been revealed. When creating something new, it is necessary to use what has already been created, what no longer functions or has fallen out of use; the result of this process is not only beneficial, but also inspiring. A designer, working in the direction of upcycling, does not just process material and create a new product – he transforms an already existing object, giving it a new life, a new function, his deep philosophy, devoting much more time, effort, skills and own resources to it. On the basis of the conducted analysis, an intelligence map has been developed, which allows to organise the semantic content of the term “upcycling – secondary use of materials in clothing design” through the definition of all its essential features. Scientific novelty. The article is devoted to the analysis of upcycling as a relevant direction of eco-design, which is more economical and technically promising than the manufacture of new things. Collections of well-known global and Ukrainian brands that use the method of reusing (secondary use) of clothing and textile materials were analysed. It has been determined that upcycling develops imagination, teaches to fantasise, think creatively, and experience the diversity of the world. Upcycling combines different directions, techniques and methods in clothing art., Мета статті – через упорядкування змістового смислу поняття «апсайклінг» та аналіз варіантів його прояву розкрити потенціал можливостей застосування цього екологічного напряму в дизайні одягу. Методологія дослідження. У дослідженні використано методики візуально-аналітичного, системно-структурного та морфологічного аналізу, об’єктивне спостереження, метод порівняння. Результати. Описано основні традиційні техніки роботи з вторинним текстилем для створення нових полотен, фактур та орнаментації сучасного одягу. Виявлено переваги напряму апсайклінгу в творчому, практичному, організаційному та освітньому аспектах. Створюючи нове, доводиться використовувати вже виготовлене, те, що вже не функціонує чи вийшло з ужитку. Результат цього процесу приносить не тільки користь, а й стимулює натхнення. Дизайнер, працюючи в напрямі апсайклінгу, не просто обробляє матеріал та створює новий виріб – він перетворює вже наявний об’єкт, надаючи йому нового життя, нової функції, своєї глибокої філософії, присвятивши цьому набагато більше часу, зусиль, вмінь та власних ресурсів. На основі проведеного аналізу розроблено інтелект-карту, яка дозволяє упорядкувати смисловий зміст терміна «апсайклінг – вторинне використання матеріалів в дизайні одягу» через визначення всіх його суттєвих ознак. Наукова новизна. Стаття присвячена апсайклінгу як актуальному напряму екодизайну, що є більш економічно ощадливим та технічно перспективним, ніж виготовлення нових речей. Проаналізовано колекції відомих світових та українських брендів, що застосовують метод переробки (вторинного використання) одягу та текстильних матеріалів. Визначено, що апсайклінг розвиває уяву, навчає фантазувати, творчо мислити, відчувати розмаїття світу. Апсайклінг об’єднує між собою різні напрями, техніки та прийоми в мистецтві костюма.

International audience; The development of the aeronautical industry has brought about certain demands like the reduction of fuel consumption and, consequently, the weight of used structures. Therefore, topology analysis of aircraft components has played an important role in meeting these demands. Another factor widely studied in this context is the type of materials used in the manufacture of such components, hence, by presenting lower densities, composites have gained ground in this industry sector.Besides, an increasingly sought-after characteristic is the sustainability associated with the entire life cycle of any system or part, from its design, through the production phase, to its end of life. The assessment of such sustainability is often carried out by analysing the life cycle’s CO2 footprint, which tends to decrease when the raw materials used are less processed. Materials of natural origin, also known as "bio-materials", have therefore been the target of study, being the basis of the concept of eco-design. The accelerated development of 3D printing technologies has allowed the evolution of structural design methods. Additive manufacturing emerged in the 1980s and has since been expanding in the aerospace field. One of its great advantages is that it can be combined with the use of bio-composites, such as flax or hemp.The topology optimisation of any given structure brings great benefits in terms of the mitigation of the CO2 impact of a given part, as it translates into a reduction of its mass and fuel consumption. However, the combination of this method with the optimisation of the fibre path, in the 3D printing process, and the CO2 footprint of the part’s life cycle simultaneously can bring even more evident benefits. In this paper modifications to existing methods are proposed. In MATLAB, strategies are developed to study the topology and fibre orientation of potentially 3D printed thin structures.

Nowadays there is an urgent need for awareness and application of sustainable standards in mass production. The replacement of petroleum-based materials with more sustainable and environmentally friendly materials that can maintain the mechanical properties of the product must move forward based on the United Nations 2030 agenda for sustainable global development. This dissertation aims to test the properties of dry food pasta, in a cylindrical configuration, to develop a methodology for mechanical energy absorption, determine the behavior in uniaxial quasi-static compression tests individually and later in sandwich models of drilled rice crackers with the pasta inserted vertically. It was found that the crackers had a plastic deformation behavior very similar to a foam material such as EPS, when combined with the stiff pasta material, will perform better under compressive loads. The models with pasta are indeed resistant and crashworthy, possessing a low density and reducing the environmental impact with the materials used. A 3D model with the determined material properties was numerically simulated in Abaqus software for validation of the experimental results.The results show that these models contain the required mechanical properties with the combination of the two materials. This more environmentally friendly possibility of replacing other absorption structures should serve as motivation for further work with these models. Atualmente existe uma urgente necessidade de consciencialização e aplicação de normas sustentáveis na produção em massa. A substituição de materiais à base de petróleo por materiais mais sustentáveis e amigos do ambiente que consigam manter as propriedades mecânicas do produto tem de avançar com base na agenda de 2030 das Nações Unidas para um desenvolvimento global sustentável.Esta dissertação visa testar as propriedades das massas alimentares secas, numa configuração cilíndrica, desenvolver uma metodologia de absorção mecânica de energia, determinar o comportamento em ensaios de compressão uniaxial quase-estática individualmente e posteriormente em modelos sanduíche de bolachas de arroz perfuradas com a massa inserida verticalmente. Verificou-se que as bolachas tinham um comportamento de deformação plástica muito semelhante a um material de espuma como o EPS, quando combinado com o material rígido da massa, terá um melhor desempenho sob cargas compressivas. Os modelos com massa são de facto resistentes e resistentes ao choque, possuindo uma baixa densidade e reduzindo o impacto ambiental com os materiais utilizados. Um modelo 3D com as propriedades determinadas do material foi simulado numericamente no software Abaqus para validação dos resultados experimentais. Os resultados demonstram que estes modelos contêm as propriedades mecânicas necessárias com a combinação dos dois materiais. Esta possibilidade mais ecológica de substituir outras estruturas de absorção deve servir como motivação para desenvolvimento de futuros trabalhos com estes modelos. Mestrado em Engenharia Mecânica

The extensive disposal of plastic components into the environment requires an economically and ecologically feasible solution for the proper treatment or new uses for plastic waste. This study compares the environmental and mechanical performance of a sandwich panel based on disposed bottle caps core with different eco-friendly skins and adhesive. A cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment compares the environmental impacts of the manufacture of six-bottle cap panel designs with various skin (aluminum, recycled PET, and flax laminates) and adhesive types (epoxy vs. biopolymer) by calculating their ReCiPe midpoint impact indicators. An eco-mechanical indicator is additionally proposed to measure the efficiency of designs with greater strength/stiffness and less environmental footprint. The bio-based skin on the sandwich panel significantly reduces environmental damage between 32% and 87% compared to metallic skins. Recycled skin promotes the lowest impacts, while considerably reducing mechanical performance. The bio-based adhesive has emissions up to 15% lower than epoxy. The eco-mechanical balance showed up to 630% higher efficiency for bottle cap panel designs based on bio-based polymer, flax-based skins, and/or less adhesive depending on the mechanical response. Promising environmental performance with superior mechanical strength highlights the potential of bottle caps as an eco-friendly honeycomb for secondary construction and transport structures.

International audience; Power electronics converters are traditionally designed regarding efficiency, power density, cost, and reliability figures of merit. Today, with the extreme spread of power electronic applications in our modern societies, together with the earth limits in terms of materials resources, it is important to consider the ecological impact of the converter not only during its usage, but over its whole life cycle. This article introduces an eco-dimensioning methodology for analyzing and accounting for the energy consumption over the entire converter life. The analysis is applied on a small DC-DC converter considering the main components dual active bridge (DAB) converter. The planar transform is one of the key elements modeled in this article, including material and manufacturing conditions. The traditional and eco-dimensioning approaches are carried out and compared in order to emphasize the possible consequences on total energy cost.

Kako su se generacije kroz povijest razvijale, njihove životne preferencije i životni stil bili su definirani različitim povijesnim i ekonomski važnim događajima, što je tipično i za Generaciju Z. Jedno od esencijalnih obilježja mladih danas briga je za prirodu i okoliš. Ono što generaciju Z odvaja od ostalih prije nje je veća briga za okoliš i svjesnost o klimatskim promjenama koje utječu na globalnu ekonomiju. Ovo je generacija koja se odlučila intenzivno aktivirati na području zaštite okoliša i prirode, a kroz korištenje reciklirane odjeća generacija Z želi utjecati na promjene u modnoj industriji i tako smanjiti njezin utjecaj na okoliš. Uvođenjem eko-dizajna u modnu industriju potrošači su postali svjesniji kako je proizvodnja reciklirane odjeće čimbenik koji može donijeti pozitivne promjene u modnom svijetu, a samim time doprinijeti zaštiti i očuvanju okoliša. S tim u vezi, s povećanjem ponude reciklirane odjeće na tržištu njezina cijena će biti sve prihvatljivija za mlade potrošače., As generations developed throughout history, their life preferences and lifestyle were defined by various historical and economically important events, which is also typical of Generation Z. One of the essential characteristics of young people today is a concern for nature and the environment. What separates Generation Z from others before it is a greater concern for the environment and awareness of climate change affecting the global economy. This is the generation that has decided to become intensively active in the field of environmental and nature protection, and using recycled clothing, Generation Z wants to influence changes in the fashion industry and thus reduce its impact on the environment. With the introduction of eco-design in the fashion industry, consumers have become more aware that the production of recycled clothing is a factor that can bring positive changes in the fashion world, and thus contribute to the protection and preservation of the environment. In this regard, with the increase in the supply of recycled clothing on the market, its price will be more and more acceptable for young consumers.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is applied to eco-design the H3PO4-assisted hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) process converting biomass residue into high-value products. The main innovation of the process relies on the combination of the H3PO4-assisted HTC with the activation treatment of the obtained hydrochar, resulting in activated carbon that is then functionalized. In addition, the liquid phase obtained from HTC is eventually purified to extract levulinic acid. Under average conditions at the laboratory scale (reference), the LCA showed that electricity consumption is the main contributor (45–70%) to impacts on climate change, photochemical ozone formation, acidification, freshwater eutrophication, freshwater ecotoxicity and fossil resources use. Pyridine, the main chemical used in the functionalization stage, contributes to impacts on human toxicity and on marine eutrophication respectively by 77.3% and 47.3%. Building on these results, two further scenarios were studied, one considering the maximum capacity of each equipment and another one assuming the potential improvements once the process will be upscaled. The scenarios were validated in a series of laboratory scale tests. Depending on the environmental impact category chosen, the results showed a reduction potential of 30–65% as compared to the reference scenario. These findings confirm the added value of LCA in the ecodesign of technologies and pave the way to further improvements of the technology itself but also of the LCA methodology used for the assessment. This research was partially supported by the MICINN, FEDER (RTI2018-095291-B-I00). JCG thanks for her predoctoral scholarships (GRISOLIA/2018/105) and (BEFPI/2020/067) funded by the Generalitat Valenciana and DST thanks MICINN for the “Juan de la Cierva” contract (IJCI-2016-27636).

[ES] El presente Trabajo de fin de grado (TFG) consiste en el diseño y desarrollo de una nueva marca de bebida alcohólica (cerveza). Concretamente se abordarán los temas de: creación del naming, identidad corporativa, el logotipo, el diseño de los distintos envases, packaging (propuesta estructural y gráfica) y posibles campañas de publicidad. Se pretende que los envases estén hechos de materiales reciclados, para demostrar esa conciencia con el medioambiente que un diseñador, tras la carrera, debe tener., [EN] This Final Degree Project (FDP) consists of the design and development of a new brand of alcoholic beverage (beer). Specifically, the following topics will be addressed: creation of the naming, a corporate identity, the logo, the design of the different containers, packaging (structural and graphic proposal) and possible advertising campaigns. It is intended that the containers are made of recycled materials, to demonstrate that awareness with the environment that a designer, after graduation, must have.

The study is devoted to the modern eco-style and the use of Russian wicker furniture made of natural and ecological materials – vines in interior design. The subject of research is the design concepts in the interior eco-style design and artistic furniture from natural and ecological materials. The research topic is the relationship between folk furniture art and modern interior design, which can be considered as the basis for creating original furniture products from ecological raw materials for equipping interior space. The study applied a stylistic analysis in relation to the eco-style, project activities with the practice of interior design, furniture design, and art history analysis, considering the history of Russian wicker furniture production. The analysis of the history of folk furniture design from the creativity of Russian folk craftsmen – woven weavers to modern interior designers and the conceptual connection of furniture products and interior eco-style decoration items was carried out. The motives of the appeal to the creation of wicker furniture products of professional furniture designers are shown. The results of the study fill in underdeveloped areas in the design of modern interior space and the use of Russian wicker furniture in the interior design, made in the eco-style.

The production of textiles has a strong impact on the environment due to both over-consumption and the practice of production processes requiring the use of substances to manufacture, treat, and dye fabrics. In this context, finding new ways and solutions to transform used textiles into by-products or inputs for production is a trump card for the future of the textile sector. This may be accomplished by developing a circular economy policy, which involves large investments with a payoff only in a medium to long-term perspective. The main aim of the present work is to provide a set of guidelines to guide textile industries in the transition from traditional production processes to a systemic approach in consideration of the circular economy. This could leverage the efficient use of regenerated wool, the reduction (or lack) of waste production, and the management of the end-of-life of the product.

The paper aims to present the main tendencies on the global and European natural polymer markets in recent years from the point of view of the requirements and achievements of the European Commission that have been expressed in recent programs and Strategies, with special reference to the Circular Economy New Action Plan and the European Green Deal—the EU Strategies for Climate Neutrality. Natural polymers play an important role among biodegradable products whose role in the production and international trade has been systematically increasing, especially since the middle of the last decade of the new century (2015). Natural polymers are also recommended by the EU from the point of view of their specific importance in the group of biodegradable products.

Sustainability and circular economy cover the principles of designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use, and regenerating natural systems. Due to global trends (e.g. increasing e-waste and material consumption) and global sustainability goals also electronics industry has to consider how to increase sustainability in its products, operations and service models. VTT has demonstrated sustainable electronic solutions by developing bio-based and renewable material processing, by utilizing high-speed printing and hybrid integration manufacturing processes, and by evaluating environmental impact of electronic systems and devices. This paper covers the different aspects of sustainability and highlights solutions demonstrated at VTT.

O crescente consumo global de embalagens de plásticos resulta na produção de resíduos de plásticos em grandes quantidades, tornando-se premente a implementação de estratégias de economia circular, suportada por ferramentas que permitam quantificar o potencial impacte ambiental das estratégias definidas. O trabalho realizado foi ao encontro do interesse da empresa Sika Portugal - Produtos Construção e Indústria, S.A. em analisar o Eco-Design de embalagens. Neste sentido foi utilizada a metodologia de avaliação de ciclo de vida (ACV) para avaliar o desempenho ambiental de uma embalagem específica utlizada pela Sika, segundo uma abordagem do berço à porta. Esta embalagem é produzida a partir de polipropileno (PP) de origem fóssil, sendo este um dos termoplásticos mais comuns. Na ACV foram analisados três cenários: cenário base, que considera a embalagem atualmente utilizada pela Sika (100% PP virgem); cenário alternativo I, que considera a embalagem com incorporação de PP reciclado a 100 %; e o cenário alternativo II, que considera a embalagem com incorporação de PP reciclado a 60 %. De salientar que PP é reciclado internamente na empresa produtora da embalagem, sendo este proveniente de embalagens não conformes da própria empresa. Como método de impacte ambiental foi utilizado o ReCiPe 2016 midpoint, considerando as categorias de impacte ambiental aquecimento global, formação de ozono (ecossistemas terrestres), acidificação terrestre, eutrofização de água doce, eutrofização marinha e escassez de recursos fósseis. Os resultados da ACV, demonstraram que o cenário alternativo I é o que apresenta menor impacte ambiental para todas as categorias de impacte ambiental estudadas, seguido, por ordem, do cenário alternativo II e do cenário base. Isto deve-se principalmente à redução de PP virgem no cenário alternativo I, pois a produção de PP virgem tem grande influência no impacte ambiental em todas as categorias analisadas à exceção da eutrofização de água doce e marinha. Como hotspot na produção da embalagem no cenário base identificou-se a etapa da matéria-prima. Já no cenário alternativo I os hotspots passam a ser as etapas da matéria-prima e o consumo de eletricidade. Por último, para o cenário alternativo II identificaram-se as etapas da matéria-prima, consumo de eletricidade e materiais auxiliares. Foram ainda analisadas possíveis medidas de melhoria para outras tipologias de embalagem utilizadas pela Sika, como a substituição do filme estirável atual por um filme estirável de alta performance de polietileno (PE) na paletização. Foram realizados testes de paletização do filme on-site. Analisou-se também a substituição de cartuchos por cartuchos de polietileno de alta densidade com 40% de PE reciclado, tendo sido feitos testes de resistência química e física. A Sika irá continuar a avaliar estas hipóteses realizando mais testes para avaliar o desempenho dos produtos. Irá também avaliar as hipóteses, consoante possíveis despesas adicionais, condições operacionais e eventuais agravamentos de preço das embalagens. The global growing of plastic packaging consumption results in the production of plastic waste in large quantities. So, there is an urgent need of the implementation of a circular economy strategy, supported by tools to quantify the potential environmental impacts of the strategies defined. The present work was carried out to meet the interest of the company Sika Portugal - Produtos Construção e Indústria, S.A. in studying the Eco-Design of packaging. In this sense, the life cycle essessment (LCA) methodology was used to evaluate the environmental performance of a specific package used by Sika, according to a cradle-to-gate approach. This packaging is produced from polypropylene (PP) which is fossil-based and one of the most common thermoplastics. Three scenarios were analyzed in the LCA: the base scenario, which considers the packaging currently used by Sika (100% virgin PP); alternative scenario I, which considers packaging with the incorporation of recycled PP at 100 %; and alternative scenario II, which considers packaging with 60 % recycled PP incorporation. It should be noted that PP is recycled internally in the packaging manufacturing company, which comes from non-compliant packaging of the company itself. The environmental impact assessment method used was ReCiPe 2016 midpoint, considering the following environmental impact categories: global warming, ozone formation (terrestrial ecosystems), terrestrial acidification, freshwater eutrophication, marine eutrophication, and fossil resource scarcity. The results of the LCA showed that the alternative scenario I is the one with the lowest environmental impact for all environmental impact categories studied, followed, in order, by the alternative scenario II and the base scenario. This is mainly due to the reduction of virgin PP in the alternative scenario I, because the production of virgin PP has a great influence on the environmental impact in all categories analyzed except for the eutrophication of fresh water and marine water. In the base scenario, the raw material stage was identified as a hotspot in the packaging production. In the alternative scenario I the hotspots become the stages of raw material and electricity consumption. Finally, for alternative scenario II, the stages of raw material, electricity consumption and auxiliary materials were identified as hotspots. Possible improvement measures were also analyzed for other packaging typologies used by Sika, such as the replacement of the current stretch film with a high-performance polyethylene (PE) stretch film in palletizing. Palletizing tests of the film were performed on-site. The replacement of cartridges by high density polyethylene cartridges with 40% recycled PE was also analyzed, and chemical and physical resistance tests were performed. Sika will continue to evaluate these hypotheses by conducting further testing to evaluate product performance. It will also assess the hypotheses, depending on possible additional expenses, operating conditions, and possible price increases of the packages. Mestrado em Engenharia Química

Considering the construction sector’s impact on the environment, it is necessary amongst other measures to change the way in which new construction or renovation projects of buildings are designed and how solutions are proposed and integrated. Nowadays, an effort is being made by designers to implement more sustainable and circular design in buildings, but because of the lack of tools that can provide designers with knowledge about the impacts of the solutions to be chosen, the sustainability factor does not enter in the decision-making process as a key factor. In this sense, the development of an eco-design tool and procedure for the decision-making process will allow designers to integrate into the design phase a circular design methodology and, in a practical way, will also promote sustainability and circularity concepts as a decision factor in the construction of buildings. The present work introduces an eco-design tool that was developed to integrate circularity and sustainability information into building-renovation projects. This tool enables the evaluation and comparison of solutions based on information provided by Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) or other LCA-based calculations as well as life cycle costing information, through the generation of radar graphics that simplify the overall analysis at the decision moment. The tool was tested in a simple case study of a building renovation process and allowed designers to understand the environmental and economic impacts that each competing solution carries, either related to the materials removed from the building or to the materials coming into the buildings being renovated. In this test application, the eco-design tool proved to be able to gather quantitative information regarding environmental and economic impacts, facilitating designers to access knowledge on the different solutions impacts and help them to make a design choice based on sustainability and circularity considerations.

En el presente documento se muestra el desarrollo de un proyecto real con la finalidad de rediseñar un proceso basado en un sistema de aspiración centralizada, destinado a desechar los residuos generados por unas cortadoras. El objetivo principal es conseguir un ecodiseño para alcanzar un ahorro energético y logar separar los distintos materiales desechados en el proceso y así aplicar correctamente la Ley 07/2022 del 8 de abril, de Residuos y suelos contaminantes para una economía circular. Adicionalmente se mejoran sus seguridades y la interacción del operario con el sistema. Para todo ello se realiza un estudio y un análisis exhaustivo para poder exponer a la empresa una serie de propuestas resolutivas a los problemas existentes en él. Mediante la realización de las nuevas implementaciones, instalaciones eléctricas y la automatización del sistema, se ha alcanzado totalmente la premisa del propio proyecto, consiguiendo un ahorro energético del 52%. Además, la empresa no debe pagar ningún coste debido a la retribución monetaria que ahora obtiene por parte del aluminio vendido del proceso. Al mismo tiempo, en función del residuo generado, se obtiene entre ingresos y ahorros, una cuantía equivalente a un 171,39% de mejora respecto al proceso original. This document shows the development of a real project with the aim of redesigning a process based on a centralised suction system for disposing of the waste generated by cutting machines. The main objective is to achieve an eco-design to obtain energy savings and separate the different materials discarded in the process and thus correctly apply Law 07/2022 of 8 April, on Waste and contaminating soils for a circular economy. In addition, safety and the interaction of the operator with the system are improved. For all of this, a thorough study and analysis is carried out in order to be able to present the company with a series of proposals to solve the existing problems. By carrying out the new implementations, electrical installations and the automation of the system, the premise of the project itself has been fully achieved, achieving an energy saving of 52%. Therefore, the company does not have to pay any costs due to the monetary retribution it now obtains for the aluminium sold from the process. In addition, depending on the waste generated, between income and savings, an amount equivalent to a 171.39% improvement over the original process is obtained.

In the last few decades, industry has been facing a lot of changes in different fields of action which require a quicker response. The political environment and, in particular, the major changes in customers business and needs, is putting corporations under big pressure not only to develop innovative and more sustainable products, but also to depict the transparency of their ecological footprint. Customers, policy makers and the future require sustainability proofs: seeing how companies measure it, how does the environmental footprint looks like and how it is intended to improve it. This was the starting point and motivation for this project. Thus, within the Thermotechnology sector, and in a product development context, the goal is to integrate more sustainable materials within the Heat Pumps Superstructure and respective Packaging aiming to achieve Bosch group established targets regarding environmental sustainability in medium-long-term taking into consideration the perspective of a more demanding consumer. To achieve this, the project was split into three sub-projects following the Action-Research methodology and the PDCA cycle. The first consisted of investigating feasible alternative materials to replace the plastics being used within the modules of Superstructure and Packaging to reduce the environmental impact along the product life cycle. However, to comply with this goal, a second sub-project arose, based on assessing the Carbon Footprint of the use-cases being analyzed both before and after the changes to quantify the benefits of the implemented improvements, following the Life Cycle Assessment methodology. The third sub-project was based on standardizing the Eco-Design process focused on new materials selection, integrating the environmental and economic pillars of sustainability, to transparently assess the cost-drivers and guarantee that these are taken into consideration in decision making. The cost evaluation was conducted using the Life Cycle Cost approach, aiming to include all the costs along the product life cycle including both environmental and financial impacts. The results obtained with the proposed improvements, caused a reduction of 62.7% (Scenario 1) and 64.3% (Scenario 2) in the Carbon Footprint along the whole product life cycle, while assuring that the quality of the Heat Pumps technical performance was maintained. The cost drivers were quantified and reduced within the Eco-Design process integration into the product development process following a continuous improvement approach, in order to achieve Eco-Transparency. In its turn, the application of the Eco-Design Framework, modelled using BPMN 2.0, enabled to make the process more agile, reducing the time and effort inputs in 66.7%. Nas últimas décadas, a indústria tem enfrentado muitas mudanças em diferentes áreas de atuação que exigem uma resposta cada vez mais rápida. A legislação e, em particular, as grandes mudanças nos negócios e nas necessidades dos clientes, estão a colocar as empresas sob grande pressão, não apenas para desenvolver produtos inovadores e mais sustentáveis, mas também para providenciar transparência quanto à respetiva pegada ecológica. O mercado, governos e o futuro exigem provas de sustentabilidade: ver como as empresas a quantificam, qual a sua pegada ambiental e como se pretende melhorá-la. Este foi o ponto de partida e motivação para este projeto. Assim, inserido no setor da Termotecnologia e num contexto de desenvolvimento do produto, o objetivo é integrar materiais mais sustentáveis nas Superestruturas de Bombas de Calor e respetiva Embalagem, visando atingir as metas de sustentabilidade ambiental estabelecidas pelo grupo Bosch a médio-longo prazo tendo em conta a perspetiva de um consumidor mais exigente. Para isso, o projeto foi dividido em três subprojectos, seguindo a Metodologia Investigação-Ação e o Ciclo PDCA. O primeiro subprojecto consistiu na pesquisa de materiais alternativos viáveis para substituir os plásticos utilizados nos módulos de Superestrutura e Embalagem, visando reduzir o impacto ambiental ao longo do Ciclo de Vida do produto. No entanto, para cumprir esse objetivo, surgiu um segundo subprojecto baseado na avaliação da Pegada de Carbono das peças analisadas, antes e depois das mudanças para quantificar os benefícios das melhorias implementadas, seguindo a metodologia de Avaliação do Ciclo de Vida. O terceiro subprojecto baseou-se na standardização do processo de Eco-Design focado na seleção de novos materiais, integrando os pilares ambiental e económico da sustentabilidade, para avaliar de forma transparente os custos e garantir que estes sejam tidos em consideração aquando da tomada de decisão. A avaliação de custos foi realizada utilizando a abordagem de Custo do Ciclo de Vida, com o objetivo de incluir todos os custos ao longo do ciclo de vida do produto, incluindo impactos ambientais e financeiros. Os resultados obtidos com as melhorias propostas, provocaram uma redução de 62,7% (Cenário 1) e 64,3% (Cenário 2) na Pegada de Carbono ao longo de todo o ciclo de vida do produto, garantindo que a qualidade do desempenho técnico das Bombas de Calor se mantém. Os custos envolvidos foram quantificados e reduzidos na integração do processo de Eco-Design no desenvolvimento do produto seguindo uma abordagem de melhoria contínua, a fim de alcançar a Eco-Transparência. Por sua vez, a aplicação do processo de Eco-Design modelado em BPMN 2.0, possibilitou agilizar o processo, permitindo reduzir em 66,7% o tempo e esforço investidos. Mestrado em Engenharia e Gestão Industrial

Notice:The authors sincerely apologize for the citation mistake in the article "Principles of shaping in organic design in context development of modern architecture", namely, a lack of reference to Olena Pavlivna Oliynyk’s article. Relevant corrections have been made to the text on page 159 and the reference list. The aim of the article is to highlight the basic principles of formation in organic design and architecture at the present stage of development based on the study of existing buildings, design objects and innovative projects related to organic architecture, as well as analysis of historical background of organic design. Methodology. The main goal of present work is the analysis of constructivism and functionalism elements, as well as formal techniques peculiar to modern developments in this field of construction, in the context of modern research in organic architecture. The problem of synthesis plastic and color solution in the design considers in the current research. Results. The examples of modern buildings related to organic architecture and features of their formation were observed. The basic principles of organic design, on which designers and architects rely in the process of creating a project, are also formulated. The problem of shaping organic design objects has been investigated at the present study. Scientific novelty. The article’s novelty is the theoretical generalization of the principles of shaping in organic design, based on the considered design and multifaceted study of historical origins of style, varieties and techniques used to design products, and an example of applying this information in practice as an element. era for public institutions. Practical significance. This architectural style is in the process of active development, as a result of which the study of the principles of formation in organic architecture and design is an extremely relevant topic that needs the theoretical generalization for its further implementation in urban planning practice. Примітка:Автори приносять свої вибачення за помилку з цитуванням в статті «ПРИНЦИПИ ФОРМОТВОРЕННЯ В ОРГАНІЧНОМУ ДИЗАЙНІ В КОНТЕКСТІ РОЗВИТКУ СУЧАСНОЇ АРХІТЕКТУРИ», а саме: відсутність посилання на статтю Олени Павлівни Олійник. Відповідні корективи внесено в текст на сторінці 159 та у список використаних джерел. Метою статті є висвітлення основних принципів формоутворення в органічному дизайні та архітектурі на сучасному етапі розвитку на основі дослідження існуючих будівель, об’єктів дизайну та новаторських проектів, які відносять до органічної архітектури, а також аналіз історичних передумов виникнення органічного дизайну. Методологія: стаття є результатом комплексного дослідження проблеми формотворення в органічному дизайні в контексті розвитку сучасної архітектури. Основним напрямком даної роботи є аналіз елементів конструктивізму та функціоналізму в контексті сучасних пошуків у напрямку органічної архітектури, а також формальних прийомів, властивих сучасним розробкам в цій галузі будівництва. Розглядається проблема синтезу проектного, пластичного і колірного рішення даних об’єктів. Результати. Проаналізовано приклади сучасних будівель, які відносять до органічної архітектури, а також особливості їх формотворення. Також сформульовано витоки ідеології органічного дизайну, на яку спираються дизайнери та архітектори в процесі створення проекту. Як підсумування також виступає авторська розробка, що демонструє приклад застосування виведених принципів у процесі створення нових об’єктів. Новизною роботи є теоретичне узагальнення принципів формотворення в органічному дизайні, спираючись на розглянуті об’єкти і багатогранне дослідження історичних витоків стилю, його різновидів та прийомів, що застосовуються для проектування виробів й спруд, та приклад застосування цієї інформації на практиці в якості розробки елементів інтер’єру для громадських закладів. Практична значущість. Органічний дизайн перебуває в процесі активного становлення, внаслідок чого дослідження принципів його формотворення є надзвичайно актуальною темою, необхідною для теоретичного узагальнення задля подальшого її впровадження у містобудівну практику.

El present TFE es duu a terme en el marc del projecte PlasticPLA, una iniciativa amb l’objectiu de dissenyar, desenvolupar i implementar un procés industrial per a recuperar grans quantitats de residus plàstics a Barcelona, en forma de panells. Dins del projecte PlasticPLA, la finalitat del TFE és contribuir al desenvolupament de la iniciativa per tal d’incrementar-ne la viabilitat i robustesa. El treball se centra en tres àrees: Primer, la creació de coneixement sobre les propietats i aplicacions del material així com els potencials competidors. Segon, la mesura de l’impacte de la iniciativa en les dimensions ambiental, social i econòmica. Finalment, el disseny i desenvolupament d’un producte fet íntegrament amb panells PlasticPLA, com a mostra d’una de les seves possibles aplicacions. A partir del treball realitzat es conclou que els panels PlasticPLA són apropiats per a disseny interior domèstic i comercial i per a disseny de mobiliari. L’existència d’iniciatives similars a Espanya és residual, fet que unit amb el creixent desenvolupament d’iniciatives que fabriquen panells reciclats a nivell europeu, assenyala una oportunitat per a implementar el projecte PlasticPLA al mercat espanyol. Pel que fa a l’impacte, de forma general, es considera positiu. Ambientalment, l’ús dels panells PlasticPLA té un impacte inferior al de la majoria dels materials amb què ha estat comparat. L’impacte social del projecte rep la qualificació més elevada, contribució a solucions per als grups d’interès involucrats. Finalment, el projecte resulta econòmicament viable i genera una valorització econòmica dels residus plàstics d’un 70%. El resultat de l’exercici de disseny és una taula auxiliar que implementa estratègies d’eco-disseny que mostra una de les moltes possibles maneres de tancar el cicle iniciat amb la fabricació de panells a partir de plàstic reciclat. The present thesis is conducted under the umbrella of the project PlasticPLA, an initiative to design, develop and implement an industrial process to upgrade large amount of plastic waste in Barcelona by producing recycled plastic panels. Within the PlasticPLA project framework, this thesis aims to develop further the initiative to improve its viability and robustness by focusing in three areas. First, building knowledge around the material properties and applications as well as identifying potential competitors. Second, measuring the project impact according to the environmental, social and economic dimensions. Third, developing a product manufactured entirely with PlasticPLA panels, as an example of a potential application. From the present thesis it is concluded that PlasticPLA panels are suitable for furniture design and domestic and retail & hospitality interior design applications. The presence of similar initiatives in Spain is low. This fact, together with the increasing number of organizations manufacturing panels with recycled materials globally, points out a market opportunity in Spain to implement the project PlasticPLA. Regarding the project impact, it is altogether considered positive. Regarding environmental impact, panels generate a lower impact than most of the materials they are compared with. Regarding social impact, the project obtains the highest score, contribute to solutions for the involved stakeholders. Finally, the project is economically viable. Moreover, it leads to an economic revalorization of plastic waste around 70%. The result derived from the design exercise is an auxiliary table which implements eco-design strategies, showing one of many possible ways to close the loop, originated with the manufacture of recycled plastic panels.

Sustainability-related information affects people’s choices and evaluation. The literature has made significant efforts to understand the best ways of delivering this kind of information to shape consumer behavior. However, while most studies have focused on packaged products and direct information provided through eco-labels, preferences could be formed differently in other design domains. The paper investigates the effect of the perceived amount of indirect information on the evaluation of an architectural artefact. A sample of 172 participants visited a locally produced mobile tiny house, made with a considerable amount of sustainable materials. The same participants answered a questionnaire about their perceived knowledge, quality, appropriateness and sustainability of the tiny house. The general level of knowledge of the tiny house was used as a proxy of the amount of indirect information received. Although the knowledge of the tiny house was generally low, ratings regarding the other dimensions were overall extremely positive. In particular, no evident relation was found between knowledge of the tiny house and sustainability, while the latter is significantly linked to quality aspects. These outcomes deviate from the evidence from other studies; this might be due to indirect vs. direct information and the peculiarity of the study carried out in the field of buildings. The gathered demographic and background data of the participants make it possible to highlight the role played by gender and age in affecting the evaluations, but the absence of a significant impact of experience in the field, education and origin. The results are compared with findings related to the evaluation of sustainable products and green buildings in particular.

International audience; 5G is seen as one technology enabler to support the expected exponential internet data-traffic growth while digitization environmental impacts are growing. Base stations are estimated to represent the main contributor to mobile internet access network carbon footprint. In this work, life cycle assessment (LCA) of a 26 GHz transmitarray antenna is described taking into consideration the geographical location of the antenna use and providing eco-design leads to researchers, designers, LCA practitioners and industrials. Results show that energy consumption during operation is the main source of impact (between 72% and 94% for most impacts), while the material depletion is largely generated by the manufacturing process (99.3%). As a result, the eco-design must focus on product energy efficiency as well as material depletion during manufacturing. The impact of usage is highly dependent on the location due to the diverse electricity mix of countries. An ecodesign solution using phase-change material (PCM) technology switches is compared to a conventional approach using GaAs pin diodes. These results pave the way for reducing the impacts of transmitarray antennas and are a first step towards more sustainable solutions for millimeter wave (mmWave) networks.

Urban growth needs large cities, and the current emphasis on landscape preservation makes using underground spaces both an opportunity and a significant necessity. However, underground construction techniques significantly impact the sustainability of the built environment, including infrastructure systems and their entire supply chains. Nowadays, there is a shortage of quantitative methodologies to assess and measure the sustainability of underground building processes that effectively integrate the three pillars of sustainability (environmental, social, and economic). Thus, this study aims to solve the abovementioned issues by explaining how to incorporate sustainability goals into geotechnical projects to address measure-driven strategies and eco-design-based solutions appropriately. This study illustrates a novel methodology based on the Life Cycle Thinking approach, with a particular emphasis on geotechnical ground improvement techniques. Specifically, the suggested method incorporates the concept of the EU Taxonomy, following the EU Green Deal, with the Envision framework to guide decision-makers toward a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable infrastructure design. In addition, incorporating a cradleto-grave Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) into the suggested methodological approach will improve the quantitative estimation of the performance of construction processes. The definition of the proposed method will provide the guidelines to systematically assess the sustainability of geotechnical infrastructures to allow further the selection of an optimal solution to reduce their impact from an environmental, social, and economic point of view.

The strategic relevance of extracting raw materials from waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) in the EU is increasing due to value chain risks caused by geopolitical instability, accessibility of specific minerals, and decreasing reserves due to growing extraction rates. This article examines the quantities of so-called critical raw materials (CRMs) originating within WEEE streams from a depletion perspective. Presently, current recycling targets are based solely on mass collection and recycling rates. We examine the potential limitations of this approach using an exergy-based indicator named thermodynamic rarity. This indicator represents the exergy costs needed for producing materials from the bare rock to market. The case of Italy is used to explore the application of the indicator at the macro (national) and micro (company) level for the product categories “small electronics” and “screens and monitors.” Our estimations show significant differences between the mass and rarity of materials within Italian WEEE streams. While iron accounts for more than 70% of the weight of the product categories analyzed, it accounts for less than 15% of the rarity. Similarly, several CRMs with a small mass have a higher rarity value, for example, tungsten with less than 0.1% of the mass and over 6% of the rarity. The policy context is reflected upon, where it is argued that thermodynamic rarity can provide novel insights to support end-of-life WEEE decision-making processes, for example, target development and recycling standards setting to help prioritize material monitoring and recovery options.

Current production and consumption patterns are unsustainable, causing irreversible damage to the environment and human health and well-being. Designers play a vital role in resolving this problem—their decisions affect product manufacturing, distribution, use, and disposal—and hence they must be aware of the positive and negative impacts of their design decisions. Sustainable product design education is key to developing the knowledge, skills, and responsibility required for future generations of product designers and their educators to make informed and responsible decisions within their practice, and also enhance the social and environmental performance of their creations and effectively communicate the value of such decisions within a commercial context. In this article, we present insights and challenges in contemporary sustainable product design education in higher education. We document the experiences of six academics involved in teaching and researching sustainable product design in the United Kingdom, Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United States. We hope to provide a useful reference for academics seeking to adopt sustainable product design practices in their existing programs, develop new sustainable product design education programs, or reflect on their own existing product design practice.

The aim of the article is to present the environmental effects of changes in material composition in selected internal combustion engines used in passenger cars using LCA analysis. The levels of energy consumption and emissions of pollutants related to material inputs occurring at the stage of engine production have been determined. The simplified LCA model presented in the paper shows the energy consumption and total CO2 and SO2 emissions on the basis of the mass of materials from which the engine is made. The research results presented in the paper give a picture of a modern passenger car engine on the basis of wear and the degree of recovery of materials used for its construction.

Oral care products and especially toothpastes, are vital for the human daily hygiene. Nowadays tooth brushing is, without a doubt, an integral part of pre-ventative dentistry, but on the other hand the extensive use of toothpastes has a great impact on the environment. Traditional toothpaste tubes have many negative aspects, in terms of usage and recycling. Their modest size, mixed and merged materials, remnant toothpaste inside toothpaste tubes and other tube based containers, make them difficult to disassemble and recycling almost impossible. The main objective of this study, is to investi-gate the disadvantages of the toothpaste packaging and the proposal of new innovative packaging solutions, which will not only reduce the environmental impact that traditional toothpaste tubes cause, but will also be user-friendly. In this paper, a combination of literature survey and market research is being presented. Finally, based on the findings and well-established techniques, a number of innovative, user and environmental friendly toothpaste packaging is proposed.

Interaction between industry and environment is crucial for industrial business performance as environmental impacts are constantly increasing pressure on industrial businesses. The creation of eco-industrial parks aims at transforming industrial systems into industrial ecosystems by including some measures like infrastructure and material/energy flows sharing. The introduction of industrial symbiosis scenario in which one firm’s waste becomes another firm’s feedstock represents a further development of eco-industrial parks design. This principle may be extended to cities and, doing so, an integration of socio-economic and ecological systems will be promoted. At the industrial park level, the practice of the circular transformation through waste exchange enhances circular economy. The application of the same principles to cities promotes the circular urban metabolism, where the conversion of natural resources into society occurs with zero-waste production.

14 pags., 8 figs., 3 tabs. -- This article belongs to the Section Polymer Applications, In this paper, we describe a method for determining polymer compatibility, which will aid in establishing the requirements of polyolefinic materials for the eco-design of multilayer films for mechanical recycling while avoiding the use of reactive tie layers. Our ultimate goal is to define the molecular characteristics of the polyolefinic structural layer that improve compatibility with the tie layer during mechanical recycling. We have investigated the melting temperature depression of single crystals of various polyethylenes embedded in commercial polymeric matrices with various functionalities (ester, acrylate, acetate and methacrylic acid sodium ionomer), which can be potentially used as tie layers. We demonstrate how the concentration and molecular architecture of the matrices affect the melting temperature of the embedded single crystals differently depending on the latter’s molecular architecture. The main finding indicates that the tie layers are more compatible with linear polyethylene than with branched polyethylenes. Indeed, our results show that the heterogeneous Ziegler–Natta linear low-density polyethylene is incompatible with all of the tie layers tested. The depression of melting temperatures observed are in excellent agreement with the results obtained by investigating the rheological behaviour and morphological features of solution-mixed blends in which segmental interactions between polymeric chains have been, in theory, maximized. Because Ziegler– Natta linear density polyethylene is one of the most commonly used polymers as a structural layer in multi-layer applications, the findings of this study are useful as they clearly show the unsuitability of this type of polyethylene for recycling from an eco-design standpoint. The specific molecular requirements for polyethylene layers (branching content less than 0.5/100 carbon atoms) can be specified for use in packaging, guiding the eco-design and valorisation of recycled multi-layered films containing this material., The authors would like to thank the financial support of the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación and Agencia Estatal de Investigación (Spain) through the Project PID2019-107710GB-I00

Critical raw materials, such as Cobalt and Lithium, are at the heart of the EU's sustainability ambitions. This policy brief examines the current design flaws in the current eco-design policy and waste policy for electronics. It shows how current policies fail to adequately integrate critical raw materials and explores possible legal pathways forward.&nbsp

Les actions menées par un design à la fois écologique et participatif dans un milieu préscolaire, où les différents acteurs collaborent au même titre d’égalité - y compris les enfants - ont donné lieu à des produits design matériels et immatériels riches de sens pour une prise en charge de l’enfance sensibilisée à la responsabilité environnementale. Le champ d’intervention se focalise sur le moment du goûter. La conduite de changement a permis de modifier les habitudes alimentaires et d’augmenter le cycle de vie de ses déchets.

From the point of view of environmental protection, it is reasonable to stop using disposable tableware that has been made from polluting plastics and to start using biodegradable and compostable products. Biodegradable and compostable tableware is significantly more environment and nature friendly than disposable plastic tableware and drinkware. The by-products (mostly bran) from the milling of wheat, corn and rice and palm leaves are used for the production of tableware. In the Baltic States, including Estonia, it is reasonable to use wheat bran, rye bran and buckwheat bran and the mixtures of these brans. The aim of this research was to provide the technical and technological know-how for the production of environment friendly disposable tableware and to verify the suitability of the new technological means. In order to achieve the aim, a punch and a die were modelled to produce disposable plates with desired parameters, materials and work modes for the material were chosen and, thereafter, the plates were produced from bran using a physical punch and die and using a suitable moulding mode or temperature and compression duration and using prescribed compressive forces. The mechanical properties like density and flexural strength of the moulded plates were determined.