On October 22nd the event was held in Barcelona Intersectoral Meeting on Ecodesign, framed in the Barcelona Design Week, the annual event on design and creativity in Barcelona, created in 2006 by Barcelona Centre de Disseny. Topics such as the new eco-design regulations, strategies and success stories, and the digital passport were discussed, with the participation of professionals from different sectors.
The event began with a welcome and presentation of the day by Sonsoles Letang, Director General of Climate Change and Environmental Quality of the Department of Territory, Housing and Ecological Transition of the Generalitat de Catalunya, who stated that “ecodesign plays a fundamental role, it is a key piece because it allows us to reduce the impact of products from their creation.”
Next, the lawyer specializing in environmental law Irene Mataró, from Terraqui, spoke about the new ecodesign regulation, with new features aimed at making products more sustainable. Specifically, Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 establishes a framework for establishing ecodesign requirements applicable to sustainable products. The priority products are: textiles and footwear; furniture and mattresses; tyres; toys; plastics and polymers; chemicals, aluminium, iron and steel; paints and lubricants; other energy and ICT-related products, and detergents.
What will this regulation entail? “A new scope and new aspects of sustainability and design,” said Irene Mataró, as well as “greater harmonisation” (common eco-design requirements are established for similar products). Mataró also pointed out the importance of information obligations: digital passport and requirements regarding labels and product information. “Companies will have to adapt to the new eco-design regulations,” she added.
As for the timeframe, it came into force in July this year and the first work plan must be adopted before April 2025; not before July 2025, when the first delegated act with eco-design requirements comes into force.
Ecodesign strategies
Then Sofia Garin, from Inedit, spoke about the theoretical framework of eco-design strategies. Sustainability works on three fundamental pillars: environmental, social and economic; “it is important to maintain a systemic vision,” said Sofía Garín. In addition, “we must always keep in mind the value chain,” she added. It is important to have greater control over raw materials, more transparency and traceability and to offer innovative and sustainable value proposals. We must also think about other aspects: recycling, reuse, servitization, collaborative consumption and maintenance/repair. “Including services is very important, as well as the systemic vision to extend the life of the product,” she said.
Afterwards there was a round table in which success stories were explained and the following people intervened: Xavier Papiol, CEO of Cumellas; Carlos Jiménez, Head Circular Innovation at Lúcid; Ignasi Llauradó, founder and creative director of DearDesign Studio, and Jaume Simonet, R&D director of GirbauXavier Papiol spoke about his Trencadís project, a collection of custom-made modular carpets made from pre-consumer carpet leftovers, designed with the Nutcreatives studio.
Carlos Jiménez explained the circular redesign of the DBOX5, the “brain” of the photovoltaic parks, which has achieved a -18% carbon footprint compared to the previous version, as well as a -22% total dismantling time and a -16% unit cost.
Ignasi Llauradó, from the interior design studio specialising in design, spoke about the first project in 2017 to develop high-end eco-designed furniture. In the work carried out at the Mansartis offices in Paris, 70% recycled and reused material was used. “80% of the environmental impact is in the design, which is why it is so important,” he said. He also spoke about upcycling/waste diversion: analysing recycled material, how to transform the material and give it a new use, checking the life cycle of new materials (with certification) and thinking about subsequent dismantling.
Finally, Jaume Simonet from Girbau, a specialist in laundry solutions, spoke about the Genius washing machine, the new Girbau machine platform, where they seek to be a benchmark in: efficiency and sustainability, IoT connectivity, robustness and reliability, and ergonomics and user experience. They have used painted lids instead of pre-coated ones and have reduced packaging materials, especially plastics.
The Digital Product Passport
After a dynamic session led by Inèdit, Adriana Sanz, from Inedit, discussed the key points for the implementation of the Digital Product Passport, a new tool that will allow the collection and sharing of product data throughout their life cycle. The minimum information will be defined in a specific delegated act for the corresponding product group. It will be linked to a unique product identifier and in different formats: barcode, QR code, NFC technology.
The European Commission proposes its implementation to support transparency, traceability of materials, data exchange and sustainability throughout the entire life cycle of products.
The information it will contain will include product identification, materials and processes, sustainability data, and manuals and instructions.
In terms of timetable, following the CIRPASS initiative (2022-2024), the first work plan will be adopted in 2025; the first measures are expected to be adopted in 2026, with the publication of delegated acts; in 2027, the digital product passport is mandatory for batteries; in 2028 and 2029, new delegated acts will be published, and in 2030 the passport would be mandatory for textiles.
After her presentation, Adriana Sanz spoke with Elena Badía from Inèdit and Albert Pablo from Nomon, who spoke about their experiences.
Finally, Mireia Padrós, a technician from the Department of Prevention and Resource Efficiency of the Waste Agency of Catalonia, presented the bases of the Catalonia Ecodesign Awards 2025, which mainly value the incorporation of eco-design strategies and the contribution to the circular economy, the quality of design and innovation. They are aimed primarily at designers, product manufacturers and students with headquarters or studies in Catalonia and are convened every two years.
They consist of three categories: Category A – Best Product Award (15.000 euros); Category B – Best Product in Development Award (15.000 euros) and Category C – Best Young Design Award (3.000 euros). Registration for the first two categories is open until November 8 this year, while for Category C it is from January 14 to February 14, 2025.
