Environmental sustainability analysis for plastic furniture: a case study

This paper will examine the significant environmental challenges resulting from the rapid growth in production during the twentieth century, highlighting the necessity for a departure from the prevailing "buy-use-dispose" culture. With the global population reaching around 8 billion, the planet's resources are under severe strain, illustrated by the concept of "overshoot day," when the resources generated in a year are depleted. In Italy, this occurs on the 15th of May. The shift towards sustainable development gathered momentum in the 1970s as a reaction to the unsustainable way of life. Sustainable development aims to combine economic and environmental growth to satisfy present and future requirements, paving the way for concepts like the circular economy. Businesses and interested parties have progressively emphasised sustainability, complying with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Specifically in this work a particular emphasis is on SDGs 13, 12 and 7. Sustainability surpasses resource exploitation and entails investments in technological advancement for sustainable development. Objective analysis of this issue was made possible thanks to the experience of Impact Prototypes Labs, allowing for a thorough examination of sustainable themes and potential strategies. Amongst the product sectors, the production of plastic goods presents considerable sustainability obstacles. Regulations have been implemented to promote sustainability, encouraging the use of materials such as biobased and biodegradable plastics. Besides, the European Commission supports the approach of eco-design, which incorporates environmental considerations throughout the product lifecycle. The primary objective of this master's thesis is to address the challenges of environmental sustainability in the plastic industry, through the development of two modular sustainable products; a waste bin and a brise soleil. They are made from 100% recycled PVC, aluminium, and steel components. A life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology has been applied to evaluate the production system to contribute to the scientific discourse. The calculations for this analysis were carried out in the Excel appendix file. Additionally, the entire business surrounding these two innovative products was evaluated, and real data was collected through surveys, which are reported in the appendix file.