case study: ecodesign plan of métisse® insulation product ... · thermal and acoustic insulation...
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Case study: Ecodesign plan of Métisse® insulation product based on LCA results and collaborative brainstorming session
The Relais Métisse is a company that manufactures and markets a range of
thermal and acoustic insulation for the building.
Bio-based insulation, designed from recycled cotton, Métisse® is an innovative
recycling solution for cotton clothing non-reusable, collected by the Relais, which
would otherwise doom to incineration.
Description of
the company
The LCA of the thermal insulation has allowed
to achieve an EPD to helps Le Relais to
communicate the environmental performance
of their product and also to open up pathways
to ecodesign.
Short
description of
the project
Key
Objectives of
the Project
The expected results of the pilot project have
a dual outcome: on the one hand, the EPD of
the product needed to be updated, taking
into account new specific aspects to
communicate its environmental performance
and on the other hand, the company wanted
to incorporate an eco-design approach within
the production and development
departments. Indeed, an LCA was carried
out to produce the EPD, the company was
accompanied through a brainstorming
around the LCA results to develop an eco-
design approach.
Timeline
LCA (EPD), Ecodesign, LC communicationLC Approach
used in the
Project
SectorOctober 2015
–
June 2016
In the building sector, manufacturers are
expected to produce more and more EPD of
their(s) product(s). The company Le Relais
also knows that regulations will push things
further down in that direction (e.g. Product
Environmental Footprint). Besides, as Le
Relais is continuously working on the
innovation of its products, it therefore seemed
quite logical for the production manager to link
it with an innovative eco-design approach.
Motivation
Factors
• LCiP partner: Vanessa Pasquet –
plateforme [avniR] (France)
• Life Cycle Champion: Marie DARUL
(Cd2e)
• Entreprise: Vianney Sarazin (Le Relais)
Project team
Métisse® insulation
product made out of
recycled textiles
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The EPD was updated and integrated into the French dedicated tool: the database INIES. Building professionals can
now consult the product sheet.
Meanwhile, LCA results showed that the fire-proof treatment, the electrical energy required for the manufacturing
and collection and transport of the clothes are the hotspots of the Métisse® lifecycle. Priority actions have been
proposed to reduce the impact of these 3 process steps.
Case studies: Ecodesign plan of Métisse® insulation product based on LCA results and collaborative brainstorming session
Since a first EPD had
already been done, it was
easy to get data to update
the LCA.
A further issue was the
change of the 2 contact
persons in Le Relais in
the middle of the pilot
project. Indeed, we had to
re-explain the project and
up-skill 2 newcomers.
Implementation
challenges /
lessons learnt
Expected
Impact
Results of the
project
The Métisse®, thermal and acoustic insulation made from recycled textiles, is a recent innovation that is undergoing
continuous improvement. Indeed, fire-proof and antifungal treatments in the product subject to further ongoing
research, especially due to their environmental impact. The objective of the pilot project is identify potential
improvements of the environmental impact of the Métisse® derived from the LCA results.
In the past, Le Relais had already done an EPD, the first action of the pilot project was therefore to update that EPD.
Following this first action, employees of Le Relais were invited to a brainstorming session presenting the results of
the LCA to consider ecodesign further actions.
Description of
the Project
Environnemental Impacts
In terms of environmental impact, the
expected results are a reduction of the
energy required for the production of the
Métisse® and substitution of fire-proof
adjuvants. A substantive work with the
collection service would also significantly
reduce the environmental impact of the
process steps.
Economic Impacts
The updating of the EPD will allow the Métisse® to maintain
their market shares even to increase them, as the building
owners who wish to label buildings "biobased" may only use
construction products with EPD.
Social Impacts
Due to its positive social impacts, a growing number of Métisse®
insulating sold will generate recruitment.
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Case studies: Ecodesign plan of Métisse® insulation product based on LCA results and collaborative brainstorming session
Description of
maturity in LC
approaches
before the
project
The company Le Relais had had already
realised the importance of LCA before the
pilot project since an EPD of the Métisse®
had been done.
However, many people within the
company were unaware of this work,
especially the marketing and
communication services which are
supposed to value it.
Description of
maturity in LC
approaches
after the
project
Maturity and Strategy
Through brainstorming, which brought
together about 10 employees from
various departments, a skill on this theme
could appear. The sales department has
recognized the importance of the EPD in
its commercial speech. Likewise, through
the project, the manufacturing department
and the provider of the fireproof treatment
(Escotex) were able to discuss the
substitution of their products.
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LC Approaches(strategic level)
LC Approaches(operational level)
Assessment
Capability
ExternalCommunication
Internal…
Before pilot project
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2
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LC Approaches(strategic level)
LC Approaches(operational level)
Assessment
Capability
ExternalCommunication
Internal…
After pilot project
0
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2
3
LC Approaches(strategic level)
LC Approaches(operational level)
Assessment
Capability
ExternalCommunication
Internal…
Long term objective
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Case studies: Ecodesign plan of Métisse® insulation product based on LCA results and collaborative brainstorming session
Le Relais has historically 2 strengths: an environmental added-value as the product allows to recover tons of end-of-
life textiles and a social added-value since the jobs created help the reintegration of people in need. This project has
strengthened those forces and allowed Le Relais to better communicate the environmental performance of their
product via the EPD and train people from the sales department. The ecodesign approach allowed to further reduce
the environmental impact of the product.
One of the major difficulties was the changes within the project team, and the up-skilling of the people as the Life
Cycle Thinking is not yet widespread in businesses, an ongoing training is s in each case necessary and takes time.
Le Relais and its ecosystem prove to be exemplary in a perspective of circular economy, the pilot project has brought
an "ecodesign stone" to add to the building of a further process.
Evaluation of
the project
Economic
feasibility:
expected ROI
and payback
periods
Most of the activities engaged in the pilot project had a short return on investment. Some R&D actions will be
implemented over the long term because they require a significant investment.
During the brainstorming workshop, many discussions revolved around the economic benefits. In many cases,
reducing the environmental impacts will lead to a significant reduction in production costs, for example, optimization
of transport from the collection points to the factory.
For the LCiP consortium: Vanessa
PASQUET ([email protected])
Life Cycle Champion : Marie DARUL
Entreprise : Vianney SARAZIN
Website of the project : http://www.lifelcip.eu/
www.lifelcip.eu
Planned follow
up activitiesLe Relais has already begun to implement the
eco-design further actions identified during
the brainstorming workshop.
With a skill improvement of the production
manager, it is by no means sure that future
products developed within Le Relais will be
ecodesigned.
A more enhanced communication on
environmental and health performance of the
product will be integrated progressively.
Links and
contacts for
further
information
This project has been funded with support from the LIFE+ Programme of the EU. The views expressed here
are purely the authors’ own and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made
of the information contained herein.
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