The LeNSlab

LeNSlab is a research laboratory coordinated by Carlo Vezzoli, active in the Department of Design at the Politecnico di Milano. For more than 20 years, it has been engaged in public and private research, consultancy and educational activities, with a focus on sustainable design and systems innovation (DIS).   

Today, LeNSlab is internationally recognised as one of the leading research centres for sustainable design. This is evidenced by the promotion and coordination of the Sustainable Development Learning Network.

The LeNSlab also consolidates its international reputation with continuous participation in international research through public funding (European Community and United Nations Environmental Programme) and by offering consultancy to private companies and other types of organizations since 1999.  

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LeNS Network

The LeNS Network is an international network of Higher Education Institutions, focused on the development and diffusion of the design for sustainability discipline in worldwide Higher education and research with a multipolar and open access etho. Today the network is composed by 155 universities/institutions organized  in 18 regional networks: 

• LeNS-Africa • LeNS-Brasil • LeNS-Colombia • LeNS-Argentina • LeNS-Mexico • LeNS-Peru • LeNS-Oceania • LeNS-China • LeNS-India • LeNS-Iran • LeNS-Vietnam • LeNS-Turkey • LeNS-France • LeNS-EU german countries • LeNS-Italy • LeNS-Europe. (European Community and United Nations Environmental Programme) and by offering consultancy to private companies and other types of organizations since 1999.  

The network has been established through the support of three consecutive EU funded multiregional projects promoted and coordinated by Carlo Vezzoli: (2007-2008) LeNS – The Learning Network on Sustainability (EU AsiaLink program) with 7 partner universities from Europe and Asia; (2013-2016) LeNSes – The Learning Network on Sustainable energy systems (EU EduLink II program) with 7 partner universities from Europe and Africa; and (2015-2019) LeNSin – The international Learning Network of networks on Sustainability (EU Erasmus+ program) with 36 universities as partners and associated  partners from Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, India, China, United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Finland, and Italy (Politecnico di Milano). 

LeNS Platform

LeNS Platform has been developed through the collaboration of partners from the LeNS International project and it is aimed at making Design for Sustainability resources  available on a global scale. The platform is open for anyone to register and view or download all the available learning resources free of charge as they have all been created under open access licenses. Resources are divided into five categories: courses, lectures, tools, case studies, and projects. They are developed and uploaded by different members of the LeNS International Network, including the LeNSlab, to support the diffusion and learning of the design for sustainability discipline.  

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Design For Sustainability

Design for Sustainability, in its broadest and most inclusive meaning could be defined as a design practice, education, and research that, in one way or another, contributes to sustainable development, hence to environmental protection, social inclusion, and economic prosperity.

Design for Sustainability has enlarged its scope and field of action over time. The focus has expanded from the selection of resources with a low environmental impact to the Life Cycle Design or eco-design of products, to the design of eco-efficient Product-Service Systems and to the design for social equity and cohesion.

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LeNSlab opportunities and offers

LeNSlab is active in the development and diffusion of knowledge about Design for Sustainability through its collaboration and activities with researchers, professors, designers, companies, organizations, education institutions, and students. 

Researchers, professors, and Higher Educational Institutions can become partners of the LeNS Network or can collaborate directly with the LeNSlab to develop joint research on the topic of Design for Sustainability. Designers/design studios, companies, and organizations can request the lab consultancy services in order to receive support for product /service/system design for sustainable innovation, to improve their design for sustainability practices and tools, to evaluate their sustainability level, and to envision a win-win sustainable scenario. 

Students can collaborate with the Lab by applying to an internship,
thesis development, or a PhD.

Design Department, Politecnico di Milan

Via Giuseppe Candiani, 72,  20158 Milano MI

TEL：+39 02 2399 7203

Contact us
   

Building B4

LeNSin – the International Learning Network of networks on Sustainability

2015-2019

Promoter and coordination of the EU-supported (ERASMUS+) project.

Multipolar and open network of networks for curricula development on Design for Sustainability, focused on Sustainable Product-Service Systems (S.PSS) applied to Distributed Economies (DE), funded by the European Union Erasums+ program (multiregional with 36 universities as partners and associate partners from Mexico, Brasil, South Africa, India, China and in Europe UK, Finland, The Netherlands, and Italy).

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LeNSes – the Learning Network on Sustainable energy systems

2013-2016

Promoter and coordination for the international research.

Multi-polar and open network for curricula and lifelong learning capacity development on System Design for Sustainable Energy for All (SD4SEA) focused on Sustainable Product-Service System applied to Distributed Renewable Energies (DRE), funded by the European Union Edulink program (bi-regional with Africa).

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Sustainability Maker

2012-2015

National coordinator for the international research, funded by the European Union Life+ program.

The Sustainability Maker project, promotes open innovation, crowd-sourcing, crowd-voting, crowd-funding platforms, and an online marketplace for Sustainable Solutions (www.sustainabilitymaker.org – www.innonatives.com). The platform combines a website and mobile application, to connect people who have identified sustainability-related problems with those who like to help to develop creative problem-solving solutions and support their implementation.

The SuM project has published on the platform several Design Challenges related to climate change, energy, resource efficiency, water, food, and agriculture/land use, urban environment, waste, and recycling; and encourages the innovation community of the Sustainability Maker platform to develop solutions to solve these problems. The ideas/concepts/solutions submitted are voted by the crowd (crowd-voting) and sustainability experts. The best solution(s) can be implemented either by the external actors who formulated the challenge or by other members of the platform and additional stakeholders (e.g. crowd-funding).

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TANGO – Towards A New interGenerational Openness, Project

2011-2013

National coordination for the international research funded by the European Union Culture program.

In this European level culture project, contemporary, sustainable and accessible design meets different European audiences of different age groups. The project brings forth issues of creativity, social design, and sustainability, and promotes intergenerational dialogue in three European countries: Finland, France, and Italy. The project explores different forms of sustainable design and how users, consumers, and audiences of different ages perceive them. One of the main results of the project is traveling exhibitions named TANGO, aiming at being a lab and a window to diffuse sustainable innovations.

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LeNS – the Learning Network on Sustainability

2007-2010

Promoter and coordinator of the international research, funded by the European Union Asia Links program, EuropAid, bioregional with Asia.

The Learning Network on Sustainability – LeNS is a 3 years project, involving 7 design schools in Europe and Asia, to develop an Asian-European multi-polar network for curricula development on Design for Sustainability focused on Product-Service System and to contribute to curriculum development, in a reciprocal understanding of cultures, by promoting a new generation of designers (and design educators) capable to effectively contribute to a transition towards a sustainable society.

LeNS promotes a new shared and articulated disciplinary ground on Design for Sustainability focused on Product-Service System, through a series of exchange activities and pilot courses at the partner institutions. LeNS has produced an open learning e-package, a modular package of teaching materials (texts, slide shows, audio, video, etc.) and tools for designers that design educators worldwide are able to download (free of charge), modify/remix and reuse (copyleft).

LeNS also promotes diffusion activities targeting the design community worldwide. As a project spin-off, the following affiliated HEIs network was established: LeNS Africa, LeNS South America, LeNS Central America, LeNS Oceania, LeNS German Speaking Languages, LeNS China, and LeNS India.

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SCORE! – Sustainable Consumption Research Exchanges

2005-2008

Coordinator of the design area for the international research, funded by the European Union, 6° Framework program.

Sustainable consumption and production (SCP) is key policy priority world-wide. In our view, sustainable consumption and production structures can only be realized if experts that understand business development, (sustainable) solution design, consumer behavior and effectiveness of (policy) instruments work together in shaping them. Furthermore, this should be linked with the experiences of actors (industry, consumer groups, ecolabelling organizations) in real-life consumption areas.

Since in the EU a network with these characteristics is absent, this project sets up a Co-ordination action on SCP, emphasizing “user awareness” for sustainable consumption, involving key expertise covering all relevant steps of the value chain in the priority consumption domain s Mobility, Agro-Food, and Energy/electronics. These domains contribute to over 70% of the life cycle impacts of household consumption, are a priority in the EU's Environmental Technologies Action Plan (ETAP), and give good examples of user awareness schemes (e.g. labeling).

The CA is organized around a series of Workshops and Conferences. The first workshop will provide a general exchange of views. The second phase of the project gives sustainable consumption cases in the domains center stage. These are used as vehicles for a positive confrontation of insights from different science fields, leading to true best practice generation, suggestions for implementation of user awareness approaches, research programming, and development of conceptual insights. The science and consumption domains are covered by 8 WP leaders and 21 Participants and will involve a much larger community of SCP experts from industry, government, and science. A close liaison with UNEP, promoting a 10 Year Framework of Programs on SCP will be organized. Finally, the CA should have to build a permanent, self-supporting research network in this field.

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System design for sustainable pilot project

2007-2008

Coordinator of the design area for the research.

Focused on the development of System design for a sustainable pilot project aiming at an introduction of locally-based and long-lasting mobility system for low-income contexts in Africa, within the international research Global UNIDO Network of University Chairs on Innovation, involving some African and some European universities (among which the Politecnico di Milano).

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MEPPS. Product Service Systems Methodology – Development of a toolkit for industry.

2001-2004

Coordination of the design area for the international research, coordinated by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), funded by the European Union, 5° Framework program.

The aim of this project was to develop an integrated methodology for the design of sustainable Product Service Systems (PSS), starting from three main thematic areas:

– PSS design (scenario development and sustainable PSS design)

– Assessment of environmental impacts (impact on micro, meso, and macro level)

– Success and failure factors (consumer acceptance, culture, and ethics)

These diverse approaches are converged in a unique methodology. The application of a common language as well as the definition of an ideal design process was crucial.

MEPSS is part of the Competitive and Sustainable Growth Programme of the Fifth Framework Programme, coordinated by PricewaterhouseCoopers N.V. with eight partners and 14 subcontractors.

The dimension of this project is strictly necessary, as its strength lies in its multidisciplinarity. This allows the chance to achieve one of the principle aims of the research: the development of an integrated methodology and theory on PSS.

Every scientific group of the project will provide its contribution to the development of this integrated methodology. At the same time, all of the results will be tested by an internal peer group and applied to pilot projects by other industrial partners (part of a larger group of participants who are coordinated through MEPSS).

The project proved promising because of its approach and because of the concreteness of the expected results, which were possible thanks to the direct application of the results and to the test of the set of tools and methods through pilot projects. All of the project participants agreed that the complexity of the problems raised from environmental degradation can be faced only through a complex approach made up of many different contributions. Communication among diverse disciplines is only possible through a common language and the overcoming of diverging purposes (industrial and private needs vs. social and public problems).

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The UNEP ecodesign guidance package

2004

National coordinator for the international research, funded by the United Nation Environment Program (UNEP).

Preparation of the UNEP ecodesign guidance package: modules on Product Service Systems (PSS) and a module on internal communications.

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Product-Service Systems and Sustainability

2001-2002

Coordinator for the international research, funded by the United Nation Environment Program (UNEP).

Product-Service Systems and Sustainability, Orienting an ongoing trend towards sustainable solutions

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Strategies towards the Sustainable Household

1998-2000

National and clothing care area coordinator for the international research, funded by the European Union, Environment and Climate program.

SusHouse is concerned with developing and evaluating scenarios for transitions to sustainable households. It focuses on ‘Shopping, Cooking and Eating’,’Clothing Care’ and ‘Shelter’. The project was carried out by six research teams from five countries – Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom – from January 1998 to June 2000. It was funded by the European Union (Environment and Climate Research Programme Theme 4: on Human Dimensions of Environmental Change, ENV-CT97-0046).

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Competitiveness and Sustainability: Synergies and opportunities

1998

Contribution to the international research.

System innovation and new business Idea, for the preparation of the 5° Framework program, coordinated by the CIR.IS research Centre of the DITec department of the Politecnico di Milano, funded by the European Union.

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EXPRES: Extended Producer Responsability for Complex Product.

1995-1996

Contribution to the international research.

Research Analysis of the Socio-Economic and Technical Implication of Devising and Implementing a Policy on this Principle, funded by the European Union.

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Sole, vento, acqua, vegetazione e tecnologia avanzata quali matrici di un nuovo approccio progettuale al territorio, architettura e disegno industriale

2005-2007

Co-coordinator of the strategic design area for the national (italian) research, Sole, vento, acqua, vegetazione e tecnologia avanzata quali matrici di un nuovo approccio progettuale al territorio, architettura e disegno industriale (Sun, wind, water, vegetation and advanced technologies as bases for a new design approach to territory, architecture, and design), coordinated by the Reserch Unit Pianificazione e progettazione urbano-architettonica INDACO dept. Politecnico di Milano, funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MIUR).Union.

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Package of 3 software multimedia tools

1999-2003

Promoter and coordinator of the national (Italian) research, Package of 3 software multimedia tools to support didactic activities on the themes of Life Cycle Design (LCD) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): Eco.cathedra, Eco.Oficina and Eco. disco, funded by the National Environmental Protection Agency (ANPA now ISPRA).

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Network of labs for environmental requirements of industrial

products

1999-2002

Promoter and coordinator of the national (Italian) research, Network of labs for environmental requirements of industrial products. Establishment of a network of coordinated University labs as centers for students and for vocational training on the discipline of environmental requirements of industrial products, funded by the National Environmental Protection Agency (ANPA now ISPRA).

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Handbook for participatory design for sustainability

1999-2001

Promoter and coordinator of the national (Italian) research, Handbook for a participatory design for sustainability, for the integration of Life Cycle Design of product and participatory design in the framework of system innovation processes, funded by the National Environmental Protection Agency (ANPA now ISPRA).

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Multimedia didactic LCD software system

1999

Promoter and coordinator of the project Multimedia didactic LCD software system. Design and implementation of a multimedia software system to support didactic activities on Life Cycle Design (LCD) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), funded by Politecnico di Milano “Young researchers” program.

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Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of

products, services, and systems

The goal is to identify the critical features of a specific product, or those related to a sector of the market, in order to give it an environmentally sustainable profile. The environmental impact of the product/service/system is determined considering all the processes involved with its entire life cycle. Through a Life Cycle Assessment is possible to trace its environmental footprint and its specific contribution to the environmental effects (global warming, acidification, ozone layer depletion, etc.)

Consutled Companies/ Organization

KONE; NECTA; BONAVERI; GIFCO; Bestack; Illy caffè; FEDERLEGNO-ARREDO; Artemide

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Company-specific guidelines for

low environmental

impact design

The goal is to provide an operative support tool for environmentally sustainable product / service / system design based upon LCD (Life Cycle Design) strategies. The handbook, containing strategies and guidelines, is a practical guide to help the person who is carrying out the project to generate sustainable ideas. After the analysis of a product/service/system and the identification of its critical features, this useful and strategic tool allows a company to have innovative ideas and organize them in order of priority and effectiveness.

Consutled Companies/ Organization

KONE; NECTA; BONAVERI; SOLIANI EMC; Caremi; Fumagalli; Combustion&Energy

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Tools for product/ service/

system design and assessment

for sustainability

The goal is to provide tools and procedures to help companies integrating environmental requirements within their product/service/ system development process. Starting from the analysis of the existing range of products and its critical features it is in fact possible to determine the competencies to acquire, the instruments to use, and the procedures to follow in order to introduce Life Cycle Design criteria in a company’s portfolio.

Consutled Companies/ Organization

SOLIANI EMC; Caremi; Fumagalli; Combustion&Energy

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Product/ service/ system design

for Sustainability support

The goal is to help companies to design eco-efficient products, services, and systems by giving them operative support. The assistance is intended to generate sustainable concepts but, if needed, can cover the whole design process until engineering.

Consutled Companies/ Organization

Artemide; GENERAL BEVERAGE; ARCHIMEDE ENERGIA; UNDIO;  ASM-Brescia; KONE; Tetra Pak; Vehicle Design Summit (VDS);

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Development of sustainable

design orienting scenarios

The goal is to propose innovative models of development for companies and market sectors, foreseeing potential future scenarios that are socially, environmentally, and economically sustainable. Visions and clusters of potentially sustainable ideas will be suggested, evaluated, and explained in detail.

Consutled Companies/ Organization

ASM-Brescia; KONE; Tetra Pak; Vehicle Design Summit (VDS)

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Company-specific training

courses on design for

sustainability

The courses offer constantly up-to-date information for the integration of sustainability requirements in products/service/systems. The goal is to provide competencies and a set of tools specifically designed for the reality where a company operates. The modules cover the themes of product Life Cycle Design, Life Cycle Assessment, System Design for Sustainability.

 

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Bonaveri

(mannequins)

Life cycle assessment for the development of a new generation of low environmental impact mannequins.
Life Cycle Assessment of a mannequin and handbook of design guidelines for the development of mannequins with a low environmental impact.

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Tetra Pak

(beverage packaging)

Eco-efficient scenario development and eco-efficient Product-Service System concept design.

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Kone company

(elevators)

Eco-efficient  scenario  development and eco-efficient Product-Service System concept design. 
SEED, Sustainable Elevator Eco-Design. Elevator-specific Ecodesign guidelines/checklist.
Design strategies for environmental quality improvement of Kone monospace elevators

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Area Tortona lab

(exhibitions/ events promoter)

Development of design assumptions for tortona design week/zone Tortona sustainable island.

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NECTA vending

(vending machine)

LCA of a vending machine with spirals and development of low environmental impact design guidelines.
LCA and development of low environmental impact design guidelines for vending machine.

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Artemide

(lightening)

Support to the design of an eco-efficient lighting system, with a prelaminar Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), the definition of design priorities and final assessment of environmental improvements.

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ASM Brescia company

(waste treatement)

Less waste other ways of doing. Design of scenario for the upstream reduction of wastes in the city of Brescia.

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Illy coffee

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of two different solutions for the disposal of Polypropylene coffee pod.
Comparative Life Cycle Assesment (LCA) of various coffe packagings and guidelinees for low environmental impact design.

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General Beverage

(vending machine)

Eco-efficient re-design of a drink dispenser,Design of an eco-efficient dispenser for draft cold drinks.

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Federlegno

(professional associations of

furniture producers)

Contribution to the applied research Environmental report of Federlegno arredo 2007, coordinated by the INDACO dept. of Politecnico di Milano.

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GIFCO

(professional associations of

corrugated cardboard producers)

Energy and environmental analysis of the life cycle of the production processes for the packaging in the fruits & vegetables sector.

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Dandy Line

(electric beds)

Environmental impact analysis comparing two electric hospital beds.

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The most important research projects are the following: (1998-2000) national coordination of the EU funded research Strategies towards the Sustainable Household; (2001-2004) coordination of design research area of the EU funded research, MEPSS. Product Service Systems Methodology – Development of a toolkit for industry; (2005-2008) coordination of the design research area the EU funded research SCORE! Sustainable Consumption Research Exchanges; (2007-2010) coordination of the EU funded research (Asia Link project) LeNS. The Learning Network on Sustainability. Network for curricula development on Design for Sustainability focused on Product-Service System; (2011-2013) national coordination of the EU funded research, TANGO-Towards a new Intergenerational Openness; (2012-2014) national coordination of the EU funded research Sustainability maker; (2013-2016) coordination of the EU funded research (EduLink program) LeNSes.

The Learning Network on Sustainable energy systems. Multi-polar and open network for curricula and lifelong learning capacity development focused on locally based Sustainable Energy System Design and Engineering; (2013-2016) coordination of the EU funded research (Erasums+ program) LeNSin. The international Learning Network of networks on Sustainability. A Multi-polar and open network for curricula and capacity development focused on design for sustainability and focused on Sustainable Product-Service Systems (S.PSS) applied to Distributed Economies (DE).

Among the consultancies done, some examples are the following: NECTA vending (vending machine), Dandy Line (electric beds), Illy coffee, GIFCO (professional associations of corrugated cardboard producers), Federlegno (professional associations of furniture producers), Caremi (furniture), Soliani (furniture), Fumagalli (building components), Kone (elevators), Tetra Pak (packaging), Artemide (lightening), General Beverage (vending machine), ASM Brescia company (waste treatment), Kone company (elevators), Tetra Pak (beverage packaging), Area Tortona lab (exhibitions/events promoter) and Bonaveri (mannequins).

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Design for sustainability involves three interlinked dimensions, which are: environmental protection, social equity and inclusion and economic prosperity.

Environmental protection refers to a respectful use of natural resources in order to reduce and avoid irreversible phenomena of degradation such as global warming, ozone layer depletion, acidification, and eutrophication.

Social equity and inclusion refers to the ability of future generations to meet their own needs and the achievement of social equity and cohesion, where a key issue is equal redistribution of resources following the principle that everyone should have the same access to global natural resources.

The economic prosperity refers to the promotion of inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment, and decent work for all.

These three dimensions are key elements in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) proposed by United Nations (UN). These goals are the main output of Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, that has been approved by the UN in 2015 as a mutual commitment to global development, in favor of human well-being and to preserve the environment. The 17 SDGs correspond to the main challenges to be achieved within 2030 in relation to the three dimensions of sustainable development.

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Soliani

(Electromagnetic protection)

Coordinator of the area design for environmental sustainability for the research BABYLANDIA, coordinated by the Politecnico di Milano.

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Tempotest Para​

(Textiles stain-, fire- and

acarus-resistant)

Coordinator of the area design for environmental sustainability for the research BABYLANDIA, coordinated by the Politecnico di Milano.

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Caremi​

(Furniture system for children)

Coordinator of the area design for environmental sustainability for the research BABYLANDIA, coordinated by the Politecnico di Milano.

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Fumagalli

(Seat for disabled children)

Coordinator of the area design for environmental sustainability for the research BABYLANDIA, coordinated by the Politecnico di Milano

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Bestack​

Energy and environmental analysis of the life cycle of the production processes for the packaging in the fruits & vegetables sector.

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Combustion&Energy

(Floor lighting system)

Product-specific lcd guidelines and product-specific toolkits for sustainable concept design sustainability.

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Braun

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Kenwood

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De’Longhi

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Nutribullet

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