Early steps for a measurable and impactful ecodesign process : the case of urea production
Talens Peiró, Laura (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament d'Enginyeria Química, Biològica i Ambiental)
Petit Boix, Anna (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)

Date:	2025
Abstract:	As governments increasingly promote ecodesign through updated regulations, new products shall integrate this approach throughout the product development phase. This paper presents the steps performed to identify existing ecodesign criteria and product parameters to support ecodesign processes. The proposed criteria and parameters are taken from three main sources: the qualitative assessment life cycle criteria, the circularity scoring system, and the 2024 Ecodesign and Sustainable Product Regulation. Criteria and parameters are classified by life cycle stage, and an accounting method is proposed to facilitate their evaluation. As a result, a reference set of 15 criteria and 36 parameters is proposed as a general framework for the ecodesign of any product or technology. This set can be fine-tuned to specific product needs, which we illustrate with the case of novel technology for urea production. To do so, we conducted a participatory workshop with experts, which helped to narrow down the reference set to 25 parameters based on their relevance, ease of measurement and effects on functionality. Overall, the proposed ecodesign process is helpful to guide a more sustainable development of new technology prototypes under development.
Grants:	European Commission 101115182 Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación CEX2019-000940-M Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2021/SGR-00734
Note:	Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-M
Note:	Altres ajuts: Talent UAB Santander program
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades.
Language:	Anglès
Series:	32nd CIRP Conference on Life Cycle Engineering (LCE2025)
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Ecodesign ; Sustainability ; Circular economy ; Material efficiency ; Life cycle
Published in:	Procedia CIRP, Vol. 135 (2025) , p. 1170-1177, ISSN 2212-8271

DOI: 10.1016/j.procir.2024.12.117

8 p, 702.0 KB

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA) > Sustainability and Environmental Protection (Sostenipra)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles