Politecnico di Torino
Università degli Studi di Firenze
The project will develop an experiment on process-product-strategies, with the aims of implementing the possibility of repair, replace, modify and integrate the different components of the product, through a design approach PSS, which provide forms of interaction and user participation, looking at the scenario of increasing connectivity of business processes of smart factory models.
The research will start from the lighting, which is a very representative sectors of the Made in Italy brand; a production that expresses a very high technical and expressive level, also for the strong orientation to innovation (technological, social, cultural) design driven.
Today, the research in the lighting sector is focused mainly on some approaches to sustainability: technological advancement in LED technologies, digitalization (Smart Lighting), the search for wellbeing for the individual (Human Centered Lighting). Advanced and complex technicalscientific knowledge and processes are already being applied, aimed at achieving objectives such as energy and material savings, the reduction of plastic parts within the assembled product; some critical aspects remain in the lighting supply chain, such as the production of electronic waste,
difficult to recycle. In fact, the current light sources are composed of a series of lighting and
electronic components consisting of various plastics and metals, responsible for a significant
production of waste, source of environmental pollution.
Today EU legislation on “Right to redress” (Regulation 341/2022) requires companies to place
electronic products on the market while respecting the principle of durability and at the same
time providing repair instructions and spare parts, with the aim of reducing the environmental
impact of waste, especially electronic, and to counter the planned obsolescence of the product.
These are legislative acts that are gradually asserting consumer rights and corporate social
responsibility. The repair of lighting devices acts primarily on the lengthening of the life of the
product that entail obvious environmental benefits such as the reduction of the use of nonrenewable
resources, energy consumption, electronic waste. Equally significant can be the
benefits that derive from the production of new forms of social innovation that implement skills
and awareness in territorial contexts, development of new production practices and working
environments.
The project, based on a human centered design vision, therefore proposes as objectives the
development of methods and models of adaptive and competitive productions (systemic
innovation, functional flexibility, technological resilience) activating the care and participation of
an experienced user, oriented to learning and awareness of the impact in the environment of the
production cycle and consumption methods.
The project Repair PSS proposes in lighting, an area of excellence of Made in Italy design, the activation of processes of systemic innovation focused on the issue of repair and care of objects, for further progress towards the objectives of full sustainability (environmental, economic, social and cultural); the results will cover:
– revision of design methodologies and production processes;
– the proposal of models and product systems that express a “regenerative” approach in the lighting supply chain;
– the development of innovative and competitive product-service systems,
– the implementation of collaborative and participatory social processes,
The expected results will be:
ECONOMIC. Through the lengthening of product life and the contrast to the obsolescence of lighting devices, a significant reduction in the use of raw materials and energy consumption is expected, with the possibility of re-importing repaired (or even customized) products through connection and collaboration enterprise/user. A reconfiguration of the corporate structures that leads to reduce physical production and develop services, will make possible both the repair and the correct disposal of electronic waste, also opening to the possibility – highly advantageous today – the recovery of rare metals.
SOCIAL. The repair processes managed by the manufacturing companies through services, supplies of skills and toolkits, can be provided through digital platforms and can involve local actors (associations, fab-lab, cooperatives, etc.) and activate creativity, learning, employment and social integration processes
CULTURAL. Promoting and incorporating in business strategies the theme of repair and care of objects, determines a decided reversal of the trend of an essentially cultural nature: the company is no longer only interested in selling its products, but also to transfer some of their skills and knowledge to users, with whom a relationship of collaboration and trust is established.
Specifically, the project will produce the following outcomes:
Deliverable 1. Socio-economic and regulatory framework of the issue of repair in production for home lighting
Deliverable 2. Report on State-of-the-art survey on Italian home lighting production (approaches to sustainability, levels and focus of technological innovation, supply chain models, processes of servitization, interaction with users). Practices, experiences and tools of social and cultural innovation inherent in the repair of objects.
Deliverable 3. Supply-chain models and guidelines for the design of objects and systems of objects that can be repaired, modified and integrable; models of services for collaboration and connection company- user: the report will develop specific graphic and infographic visualizations.
Deliverable 4. Report of proof of concept and design experiments; verification and evaluation of results with companies in the sector, experienced users, social actors. Tests of replicability and scalability of research in different sector of Made in Italy (Sofas and upholstered furniture, modular Kitchens).
