At Hedgehog, we often speak with business owners who want to make their products more sustainable but are worried it will be a complex and costly process. Ecodesign offers a clear and structured way to integrate environmental thinking right from the start of your product’s journey.
Think of it as looking at your product's entire lifecycle—from the raw materials you choose to how it’s made, used, and eventually handled at its end-of-life. The goal is to minimise its environmental footprint while maximising its value and lifespan. By adopting this approach, you can develop products that are more innovative, efficient, and appealing to a growing market of environmentally-conscious customers, all while getting ahead of new regulations.
The core principles of ecodesign
Ecodesign is built on a few key principles that address a product's environmental impact at every stage. By focusing on these areas, your business can systematically improve the sustainability of your products in a manageable way.
- Choose sustainable materials: Start by selecting materials with a lower environmental impact. This could mean using recycled or renewable resources, avoiding hazardous substances, and sourcing locally to reduce transport emissions. Our Lifecycle assessment (LCA) consulting for start-ups can give you clear data on the impact of different material choices.
- Prioritise energy efficiency: Look at how much energy is used to manufacture your product and how much it consumes during its lifetime. Small design changes, like improving insulation or using more efficient components, can lead to significant energy and cost savings for both you and your customers.
- Design for durability and repair: A product that lasts longer is a more sustainable product. Focus on creating durable goods that can be easily repaired rather than replaced. This means using high-quality components, making spare parts available, and providing clear repair instructions. This approach strengthens customer loyalty and reduces waste.
- Plan for recycling and end-of-life: Consider what happens to your product when it's no longer needed. Design it so that it can be easily disassembled, allowing valuable materials to be recovered and recycled. Clearly labelling components helps waste management facilities process them correctly, contributing to a more circular economy.
How to put ecodesign into practice? The role of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
Understanding the principles is the first step. The next is to apply them. The most effective way to do this is by taking a data-led approach.
A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the best tool for this job. It is a comprehensive analysis that quantifies the environmental impacts of your product at every single stage of its life, from raw material extraction to final disposal.
An LCA provides the objective data you need to identify the biggest environmental hotspots in your product’s lifecycle. For example, you might discover that the largest portion of your carbon footprint comes from a specific material or manufacturing process. Armed with this insight, you can focus your ecodesign efforts where they will have the greatest effect. At Hedgehog, we offer Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) consulting to help you gather this crucial data and make informed decisions.
An LCA quantifies environmental impacts at every stage:
- Raw material extraction: assessing the impact of acquiring resources.
- Manufacturing: analysing energy use, water consumption, and waste during production.
- Distribution: calculating emissions from transporting the product to consumers.
- Use phase: evaluating energy consumed and emissions produced during the product's operational life.
- End-of-life: measuring the impact of disposal, recycling, or reuse.
The regulatory landscape: the EU's ecodesign for sustainable products regulation (ESPR)
Ecodesign is not just a market trend; it's increasingly becoming a regulatory requirement, especially in the EU. The European Union is leading this shift with its ecodesign for sustainable products regulation (ESPR), a key part of the EU's circular economy action plan. This regulation aims to make sustainable products the norm across the EU market.
The ESPR expands the scope of the previous ecodesign directive, which mainly focused on energy-related products. The new regulation will apply to a much broader range of goods and will set new requirements for:
- Durability, reusability, and repairability: products will need to be designed to last longer and be easier to repair, reducing waste.
- Recycled content: new mandates for the minimum percentage of recycled materials in specific products.
- Energy and resource efficiency: stricter performance standards to reduce the consumption of energy, water, and other resources.
- Digital product passports: a system to provide clear information about a product's sustainability credentials, from origin to recyclability.
For businesses operating in the EU, complying with the ESPR will be essential. Adopting ecodesign principles now is the best way to prepare for these upcoming regulations and secure a competitive advantage in a market that increasingly values sustainability. You can read more about how to comply with the ESPR in our detailed article.
The future of product design is sustainable
Ecodesign is no longer a niche concept but a fundamental part of modern product development. It provides a practical framework for creating products that are better for the environment, compliant with new regulations, and aligned with what your customers want. By embedding these principles into your design process, your business can drive innovation and build a more resilient, circular business model.
Ready to make your products more sustainable? At Hedgehog, our experts can guide you through implementing ecodesign principles and conducting a life cycle assessment to measure your impact.
