What is ecodesign?

Ecodesign is the act of accounting for the environmental factor in the design, production and postproduction process of a product. It is about safeguarding the sustainability of a manufactured good from its conception to its installation and use.

It was the year 2005 when academics Conrad Luttrop and Jessica Lagerstedt published a decalogue with ecodesign golden rules. In said decalogue it is clearly visible that the aim is not just to minimize environmental impact, but to make the most of the resources that the product’s intrinsic characteristics offer when it comes to sustainability.

Let’s take a look at the ten rules proposed by Lagerstedt and Luttrop, and we’ll see how we implement and adapt those into our own techniques and production mechanisms.

the ten golden rules of ecodesign

1. Avoid toxicity. Our products don’t contain any toxic substances in them, nor are any used at any point of the manufacturing process, usually. When we do need to use chemicals for a specific finished look, we keep closed use cycles.
2. Minimize the energy use in internal management. We apply the highest possible efficiency in all peripheral processes without outsourcing them.
3. Take advantage of structural possibilities. Without ever compromising functionality, we take advantage of the material’s intrinsic structure during our production processes.
4. Energy consumption during the product’s lifetime. It is important to minimize energy and resources consumption during the product’s lifespan. The maintenance requirements of our terracotta floors, if taken care of properly, are minimal.
5. Customer service. At todobarro we offer an integral installation, maintenance and repair service. We also educate our clients about the best domestic maintenance techniques to lengthen and protect the life of the todobarro’s products they purchase.
6. Long-life products. If terracotta floors are anything, they are durable. The longer a product’s life, the lesser its production’s environmental impact, since the client only has to buy the product once.
7. Quality materials and finishes. In light of the former point, to ensure a product’s long life, it must be made of quality materials.
8. Needs assessment. To help clients correctly identify the needs and methods of repairment and recycling, we educate them on how to care for their fired clay floors and tiles in the best possible way.
9. Material hygiene. This point dictates that “a small number of different materials should be used, ensuring that they are simple, recycled, and not mixed.” Anyone familiar with what we do at todobarro will know that we fully comply with this rule.
10. Use a minimum number of fasteners. Our assembly system remains the same as it has been for centuries.

An integral strategy

The climate crisis the scientific community has been trying to warn about since the 70s has been precipitated, mostly, by an unsustainable production model. Ever since the late XXth century, short-lived, single-use, poor quality products with planned obsolescence have flooded the market in practically every industry. This means that clients need to buy the same product over and over as soon as this breaks or runs out or becomes outdated, without the option to repair or upcycle it. Cheap materials, mass production and outsourcing are common practices.

Ecodesign comprises a holistic product vision that is not limited to materials, but extends to the whole process. From an environmental standpoint, it does little good for a company to use recycled materials if the treatment needed to use those generates as much or even more pollution than raw material extraction would.

This same principle can be applied to material sourcing: sustainability is fallacious when ecofriendly raw material is sourced on the other side of the world and has to be shipped by boats or trucks that consume tons of fuel and generate amounts of CO2 unassumable by any ecosystem. That is why we make a point to keep all of our processes local, until they are ready for shipping.

for a real commitment

The durability of our flooring and tiles, the assembly and installation system, and our production methods comply with ecodesign standards. We reuse all materials and tools that come into contact with our tiles: from the molds to shape the pieces, made from biodegradable materials, to our packaging. We have eliminated plastic packaging and use returnable pallets that we collect and reuse once the product has been installed in its final destination.

At todobarro, we use centuries old techniques and methods. Our biofuel involves the reuse of discarded biomaterials from Malaga’s agriculture, and our production is on demand. We use a comprehensive process that respects good ecodesign practices without ever compromising on aesthetic quality.

Ecodesign is one of the few viable long-term paths

A planet with seven billion inhabitants needs to produce enough to meet their needs. We live in a globalized world where some of us make things for others, but in the medium and long term, the only viable alternative will be ecodesign.

Businesses and companies will have to find ways to design, manufacture, and install their products while making minimal environmental impact a priority. This will mean the gradual abandonment of cheap but polluting materials, such as plastic, and the replanning of the means of production.

Although ecodesign began more as a trend than an intention, it is becoming increasingly clear that it is no longer an option but a necessity. The question is how long it will take us to collectively reckon with this reality.

For our part, we will continue to refine our processes and review our techniques to optimize sustainability as much as possible. Consumers, for their part, will always have the option of choosing initiatives and companies that have a provable commitment to the health of our planet.

In this regard, misleading advertising, known as greenwashing, which some companies use to attract customers who are conscious of climate activism, is a problem. For example, in recent years, companies that use palm oil have begun to advertise their use of biofuel. In reality, the production of this oil leads to deforestation in producing countries such as Indonesia, which is seeing an unchecked decline in its biodiversity.