Ecodesign methodology for textile coverings used in the European
construction and transport industry
A. Díaza,b, R. Pammingera, and W. Wimmera.
ECODESIGN company GmbH, Neubaugasse 25/2/3 A-1070 Vienna, Austria.
b
corresponding author: [email protected], phone: +43 1 40 35 611 33.
a
Abstract
Ecodesign is the systematic integration of environmental requirements into product design
and development, to improve its overall environmental performance. In this sense, an
Ecodesign methodology has been developed for design and product development of textile
coverings used in the European construction industry within the European Union project
EcoMeTex, with a specific focus on recyclable textiles. The application on two textile floor
covering products emphasise the importance of the materials used in the textile, and
underpins the specific focus of the project on the recyclability of the textile floor coverings. As
a result different new product concepts have been developed, which are being tested for
their suitability and feasibility. The transferability of the Ecodesign methodology is
demonstrated by its adaptation and application to a textile covering product for the transport
industry [EcoMeTex, 2014] 1.
Keywords
Ecodesign, product development, textile floor covering, carpet, automotive luggage cover,
close loop.
1. Introduction
The European construction and transport industry is to develop and implement an Ecodesign
methodology for the production of recyclable textile coverings. This is the main objective of
the EcoMeTex project, focusing on selected technical textiles. In Western Europe the
consumption of technical textiles in the transport sector is about 21.2 %, and in the building
sector about 15.3 % [Euratex, 2009]. Textile floor coverings in the European construction
sector (for example carpets) comprise products for residential and contract applications,
being this last segment the one addressed in the project. Particularly relevant is the issue of
closing the material loops. The role of the Ecodesign methodology is to support the
transformation from open loop life cycle to a closed loop life cycle for these products.
This is critical in light of the growing importance of environmental requirements for textile
floor coverings in the context of commercial buildings.
2. Ecodesign methodology
The Ecodesign methodology for textile floor covering developed in the EcoMeTex project is
structured in eight steps, according to [Wimmer, 2004]. The Ecodesign methodology aims at
improving the overall environmental performance of a reference product. As shown in Figure
1, possible areas for improvement are derived from the results of the product environmental
assessment (Step 2), the stakeholder analysis (Step 3), the process analysis (Step 4), and
1
Non standard abbreviations used in this document are included as follows:
CE marking: mandatory legal conformity requirement for products sold within the European Union which fall within
the scope of a CE marking directive.
GuT: The Association of Environmentally Friendly Carpets e.V.
Ü marking: conformity mark from the health and environmental related evaluation of construction products
(i.e.,floor coverings) for the German market, granted by the German Centre of Competence for Construction.
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the benchmarking of products (Step 5). Ecodesign tasks and ideas are derived from the
identified possible improvement areas (in Step 6). The Ecodesign tasks are then translated
into a new product concept (in Step 7).
Lastly, an environmental communication instrument is developed for the new product
concept. The application of the Ecodesign methodology has been completed by means of
webtools and templates, which facilitate collecting the relevant information and data on the
product and processes for its analysis. These data collection instruments build the backbone
of the Ecodesign methodology. The following sections describe the steps, and present the
example of an illustrative woven broadloom carpet, to show the use of the methodology.
Figure 1: Eight steps of the Ecodesign methodology for textile floor coverings adapted in the
EcoMeTex project.
2.1. Product description
The key leading question in this step is: What product is to be assessed/re-designed?
The Product description is the framework to support the following methodology steps with
key data on the product. The application of the Ecodesign methodology in EcoMeTex refers
to a product that serves as a reference. The different specifications of such product, together
with an examination of industry, technical, and environmental data, build up this product
description framework.
Data sources on European textile floor coverings reviewed include technical standards (e.g.,
classification of carpets [EN 1307, 2008], characteristics of floor coverings [EN 14041,
2008]), mandatory certifications (e.g., CE marking, Ü marking, and GuT license) and
voluntary labelling schemes (e.g., EU Ecolabel [Ecolabel, 2014] and Blue Angel for textile
floor coverings [Blue Angel, 2014]), economic, and environmental data (e.g., Product
Category Rules for floor coverings [PCR, 2008]).
Based on the review of all these information sources, a template for a reference product was
developed, aiming at collecting the data for the reference product in a structured description,
with specific criteria and their corresponding references to the technical data. The template
includes type of manufacturing, health and safety aspects, classification and quality, material
composition, and additional product characteristics. Data gathered with this template serve
as starting point for assessing the environmental performance of the reference product, and
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also provide the basis for the data collection of products for a comparison, as intended in the
benchmarking analysis.
2.2. Environmental assessment
The key leading question in this step is: What are the significant environmental aspects of
the reference product throughout its entire life cycle?
The environmental assessment deals with the description of the environmental aspects and
impacts of the reference product over its entire life cycle. The goal of the environmental
assessment in the Ecodesign methodology was to calculate the Global Warming Potential
impact (GWP) using the new web application ECODESIGN+ [ECODESIGN+, 2014] for the
assessment of the product carbon footprint in kilograms of Carbon Dioxide equivalents (kg
CO2-eq). This software tool allows product developers to calculate the product carbon
footprint (PCF), and identify the hot spots, with a reasonable product modelling time. The
summary report of the tool presents the most important results of the PCF, as shown in
Figure 2 for an illustrative woven carpet example. The results show how the PCF is
distributed over the different life cycle stages (bar chart), as well as how it breaks down into
the single contributions within a certain life cycle stage (pie charts).
Figure 2: ECODESIGN+ summary results of the PCF for a woven broadloom floor covering.
2.3. Stakeholder analysis
Key guiding questions in this step are: What are stakeholder requirements? What is
expected from the product?
The stakeholder analysis aims at identifying important stakeholders and their concrete
demands to be able to understand their requirements and further translate them into
concrete technical parameters. These can be understood by product developers, and should
be used for product improvements later on. The outcome is a list with the most important
technical parameters from the perspective of the stakeholders. In this step the relationship
matrix of the method Quality Function Deployment has been used.
The list of stakeholders for textile floor coverings included the international bodies setting
standards and labels, regulators, end customers, architects, contractors, carpet
manufacturers, and post consumers (e.g., waste managing organizations). The requirements
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of relevant technical product standards and legislations form the basis for the stakeholder
assessment. In addition, the requirements from end customers, architects, contractors,
manufacturers, and post-consumers were identified by the product managers in the project.
Twenty nine stakeholder requirements, gathered into five groups were included, ranging from
general requirements, classification and quality, requirements for carpet tiles only, aesthetics
and performance requirements. These requirements were weighted according to the
relevance to the stakeholders.
The product experts assessed which product technical properties or parameters influence
these requirements the most, and identified thirty four technical parameters, grouped in nine
categories: general characteristics, surface, pile fibre, pre-coat, primary backing, secondary
backing, additives, manufacturing, and use (including installation). The “relationship matrix”
shows which stakeholder requirements relate to which technical parameters, and how strong
this relationship is. This is completed together with company experts, by means of a
numerical scale (1, 3, and 9). The values 1, 3 and 9 correspond to a “weak”, “medium” and
“strong” relationship. These overall results help identify important technical design
parameters. An extract of the relationship matrix, is shown in Table 1 for the illustrative
woven carpet example.
Table 1: Extract of the relationship matrix for a woven broadloom floor covering.
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2.4. Process analysis
The key guiding question in this step is: What are the significant environmental hot-spots of
the manufacturing of the reference product?
Process analysis consists of performing a systematic quantification of key parameters of the
manufacturing and auxiliary activities to understand the environmental aspects and impacts.
The process analysis for textile floor covering manufacturing comprises an input-output
balance of the material and energy flows in the production. First the individual process steps,
and how they are connected in the manufacturing line, is defined and described. Then, for
each process, the input flows in terms of material (including the toxicity of materials) and
energy inputs, as well as the output flows in terms of product, wastes and emissions, are
defined. The data were collected in detailed tables for each process unit and for auxiliary
processes such as heating and lighting of the manufacturing plant (allocated on the basis of
the reference product). The result from the process analysis is the identification of hot-spots,
namely processes that need to be further investigated for their improvement, in terms of
material efficiency, energy consumption, and/or toxicity issues.
2.5. Benchmarking of products
The key guiding question in this step is: What are the strengths and weaknesses of the
reference product compared with other products?
Benchmarking refers to the gathering of information about “other” products such as
competitor products, prototypes, and best available products, to assess the degree to which
these products fulfil specific stakeholder requirements compared to the reference product.
The visualization of the differences between the reference textile floor covering and the other
products is conducted by referring to the same technical parameters and stakeholder
requirements already identified in the stakeholder analysis. The depth of the benchmarking
depends on access and availability of information on these other products, and could be
streamlined to include only those stakeholder requirements and/or only those technical
parameters which have the highest relevance, to support discussions on specific ideas for
product improvements. The example of a woven broadloom product and two other generic
products (Named product 1 and 2) are presented in Table 2, with a partial evaluation of their
differences.
All the instruments described so far gather the information and data on the reference
product, from different perspectives (core of the analysis), and are used in the synthesis or
interpretation phase of the Ecodesign methodology, namely, the identification of product and
process improvements, which leads to the description of new textile concepts.
EcoMetex Step 5a Benchmarking of Technical Parameter
Date
Product category
Product ID
Editor
Reference Product
Benchmark Product 1
Benchmark Product 2
Fulfilment
5.. very good, 1.. poor, 0.. not fulfilled
ImportReference Benchmark Benchmark Reference Benchmark Benchmark
Unit
ance
Product
Product 1 Product 2
Product
Product 1
Product 2
1
g/m2
550
600
660
2
1
1
3
g/m2
325
350
400
3
3
4
Technical Parameters
Nr
Mass per unit area of floor covering
1
Mass per unit area of use surface above substrate
2
Total thickness of floor covering
3
mm
4
5
4
Thickness of pile above the substate
4
mm
3
2
3
Number of tufts per unit area
Construction
5
/dm2
6
mm
3
3
0
3
4
4
Type of surface structure
7
4
1
3
Surface treatment
8
3
3
3
Surface pile density
9
g/cm3
3
3
3
Coefficient of friction
10
1
1
2
0
Surface
General
characteristics
Specific Values
Fulfilment
5
4
3
Table 2: Example of the benchmarking of products considering stakeholder requirements.
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2
1
0
2.6. Product and process improvements
The key guiding question in this step is: How to combine stakeholder requirements and
significant environmental aspects into improvement strategies?
The product and process improvements step summarizes all key results of the previous
steps, to identify a range of product and process improvement opportunities through
Ecodesign strategies. It is about creating a “landscape” of possible improvement directions,
considering all the product life cycle stages.
These improvement directions can be generated with various different creativity techniques.
Product improvement workshops were held with company and external experts, with the
objective of generating a list of improvement measures for the reference products. With the
list of possible measures for product and process improvements, the next step of the
Ecodesign methodology is the prioritization of these measures, looking more specifically
towards the development of a new textile floor covering concept.
2.7. New textile concept
The key guiding questions in this step are: Which improvement actions should be
implemented for the reference product? How to generate and select the new product concept
and its possible variations?
The improvement actions and strategies identified need to be assessed in greater detail and
prioritized. The criteria for the evaluation are based for example on benefits, effort, and risk
of the proposed improvement measures. The partners followed a qualitative approach for this
evaluation, placing greater importance on their specific views in relation to their
organizational capacity, and the resources to implement these measures. The consideration
of the timeframe (short term, medium term and/or long term viability of the measures) is
important when prioritizing. An extract of the template used to guide this discussion process,
and to evaluate the measures is shown in Figure 3, for the illustrative example.
Ideally, the improvement actions with high benefit, low effort, and low risk should be taken
into account. Nevertheless, not all improvement actions might be realized altogether in one
product. Next to the evaluation of the improvement actions, the possibility to combine
different actions is an important objective when formulating the new product concept(s). To
do so, different variations of a product concepts can be proposed, and the most promising
chosen for its realization.
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Figure 3: Extract of the template for the evaluation of improvement measures (e.g., M1 to M4).
2.8. Environmental communication
The final step of the Ecodesign methodology is to communicate the environmental
performance derived from the implementation of prioritized measures for the product (and
process) improvements, compared to the reference product, by using specific key
environmental performance indicators. Selected textile floor covering manufacturers are
already using Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) for their environmental
communications. These EPDs present a status report of the environmental burdens of a
specific product (or group of products), but do not provide additional information whether the
product has been improved in its most recent model (or type) or not.
The communication proposed within the Ecodesign methodology serves as a complementary
instrument to the textile floor covering EPDs. It considers life cycle thinking by referring to the
results of the Ecodesign methodology and the particular reference products in EcoMeTex. It
is also foreseen as an instrument to provide information on a possible accreditation program
for recycling of carpets. It is important for project partners to communicate their efforts in
developing a suitable textile covering for a closed loop system for the recycling of materials.
3. Case studies and results
Two case studies were selected for the implementation of the Ecodesign methodology. The
first reference product is a woven broadloom carpet with 100% Polyamide 6.6 (PA 6.6) pile
fiber, meeting the requirements for heavy contract rating. It is suitable for most commercial
installations, and the product is available in 25 different colours. The product´s weight is
approx. 1,5 kg/m2. The yarn, weft, and warp account together for about 73% of the product´s
weight, and the finish (backing) for 27% of the weight.
The second reference product is a tufted tile of 100% Polyamide 6 (PA 6) pile fiber, also for
commercial applications, with an average total weight of roughly 4,2 kg/m2. The yarn and
primary backing account for 15%, the pre-coat for 20%, and the secondary backing for 65%
of the product´s total weight per m2.
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These two reference products are different from each other, especially on their structure,
material composition, and weight; but both are used in the commercial (contract sector) for
areas of heavy traffic. Both products are made in Europe, have a GuT license, and comply
with the certifications required for the European market.
The functional unit used for the environmental assessment is one square meter of the
reference product, with a service life of 10 years. This assessment was streamlined to
complete the products´ carbon footprint with the software ECODESIGN+, by reporting the
Global Warming Potential impact (in kg CO2-eq). For both products, the largest impact
contribution is due to the materials in the pile yarn. The second largest contribution is due to
the energy consumption for cleaning the products during their entire service lives, and in third
place are the contributions from their manufacturing processes. The End of Life scenarios
considered the recycling of selected materials from the pile, with minor credits due to
material recovery. For both products and from the environmental assessment perspective,
the highest impact is associated with the material of the pile yarn, and therefore these are
“raw materials intensive” products. Strategies aiming at improving these products shall
particularly concentrate on the pile yarn materials.
For the stakeholder assessment the customer requirements were taken into consideration,
even with specific types of customers (e.g., mainly interested in performance or in the
aesthetics of the product). For the woven reference product the most important technical
parameters are the pre-coat material, the mechanical yarn construction, followed by the
construction of the product. For the reference tufted tile, the most important technical
parameters are the additive material in the pre-coat, the pre-coat material itself, and the
material of the secondary heavy backing.
The process analysis, by means of input-output assessment for both reference products,
provided details into the processes involving the construction of the upper layer by weaving
or tufting the supplied materials (i.e., the yarns), as well as the processes that combine this
upper textile with the backing compounds into a final layered product. The energy
consumption is a relevant issue, especially for the finishing of the carpets, namely the
processes involving heat for drying the backing compounds.
The benchmarking for the two selected reference products includes various products in the
European market, for the same commercial application, and for which publicly available
information such as technical specification sheets, EPDs, and websites are available.
Benchmarked products comply with mandatory requirements, but differ on parameters such
as luxury class, which is related to the amount of material in the pile. For the woven
reference product the comparison shows that most products are loop pile carpets with PA
6.6. The total weight and pile weight show differences (also different luxury classes), with the
reference woven carpet being the lightest product in this comparison.
For tufted tiles the benchmarking shows mostly recycled PA 6 loop pile products. Products
using recycled PA 6 yarns (e.g., Econyl®) show around 30% reduced PCF for the materials
and production phases, when compared to products with virgin PA 6. This information was
gathered from the available EPDs. The total weight, pile weight, and thickness are very
similar for the products in the same luxury class.
It is plausible to state that, in both cases, the total carpet weight and pile yarn weight vary
amongst products, although their expected (declared) performance remains very similar.
With all these insights from the five analysis steps of the Ecodesign methodology, the next
step was the generation of ideas and measures for improving the products. This was
accomplished in the context of workshops with company and external experts. The outcomes
include a list of fourteen improvement measures for the reference woven broadloom, and ten
measures for the reference tufted tile, ranging from new yarn compositions and mechanical
properties, to different the pre-coat compositions, and alternatives for manufacturing using
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different technologies, including those that allow pile fiber fixation without additional
components.
These measures were prioritized and combined for the description of three new product
concept variations for each of the reference products. These measures were also proposed
and selected to support the recyclability goals, primarily looking at the material compositions,
which allow physical and chemical recycling of the carpet layers.
As part of the project´s demonstration work, the industry partners are producing prototypes,
one variation per reference product. A woven mono-material commercial carpet concept is
being developed, using mostly Polyamide 6 for the whole carpet construction. The woven
structures are made of 70 to 80% PA 6, and the other materials in the carpet are chosen so
that they have no negative impact on the chemical depolymerisation of PA 6. In this way the
complete carpet can be sensibly conveyed in a chemical recycling process.
A new tufted tile concept with a recycled PA 6 pile is also being produced. It also includes a
primary backing consisting of a Polyamide based non-woven textile, a coating, and a
separation layer. The coating composition is adjusted to the requirements of the
depolymerisation process, for the chemical recycling of the carpet. The coating dispersion
allows using a separation layer for the tile, with special additives for a controllable, predetermined breaking point of the carpet structure. This facilitates the separation of the pile
thread and tufting medium and the carpet backing for recycling.
4. Summary and outlook
In the EcoMeTex project the Ecodesign methodology has been implemented to assess the
environmental performance of two reference textile floor covering products, their relevant
requirements and technical parameters coming from stakeholders, the important processes
and flows for manufacturing, as well as comparison with competitor products in the European
market. This systematic approach allowed the identification of clear areas for product
improvements, followed by the prioritization and combination of the corresponding measures
into new product concepts. These are being manufactured and tested for their feasibility and
for their potential to close the loop of materials through recycling.
This systematic approach of the Ecodesign methodology was transferred to a textile cover
used in the transport sector. The reference product in this case is a semi-finished luggage
cover fabric provided to automotive original equipment manufacturers. The woven structure
of Polyesther in the core is coated with layers of Polyvinyl chloride and varnish lacquer, for a
resulting weight of 0,66 kg/m2. The eight steps are adapted for the specifications of this
product according to the industry standards.
Preliminary results show that potential product improvements for this “raw material intensive”
coated fabric could include a new combination of materials and technologies, allowing a
more efficient construction of the whole layered structure of the product, with a possible
reduction on the overall weight. Prototypes are also being produced and tested for their
viability and performance.
5. Acknowledgement
The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union's
Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) [NMP.2011.3.1-1] under grant agreement
n° 280751.
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6. References
[Blue Angel, 2014] Blue Angel label for textile floor coverings, http://www.blauerengel.de/de/produktwelt/haushalt-wohnen/textile-bodenbel-ge/bodenbel-ge-textile, last
accessed September 2014.
[ECODESIGN+,2014] Web application for calculating the product carbon footprint,
http://ecodesignplus.com, last accessed, September 2014.
[EcoMeTex, 2014] EcoMeTex project, http://www.ecometex.eu/, last accessed September
2014
[EN 1307, 2008] DIN EN 1307:2008-08 (E) Textile floor coverings - Classification of pile
carpets.
[EN 14041, 2008]: DIN EN 14041:2008-05 (E) Resilient, textile and laminate floor coverings Essential characteristic.
[Euratex, 2009] European Apparel and Textile Confederation (Euratex); Key figures 2009.
[Ecolabel, 2014] EU Ecolabel for textile floor coverings,
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecolabel/documents/Textile_floor_covering.pdf, last
accessed September 2014.
[PCR, 2008] PCR - Product Category Rules. Environmental Product Declarations,
Harmonized Rules for Textile, Laminate and Resilient Floor Coverings, 2008,
http://constructionenvironment.com/download/CY3e2aa70X1402f0e04c8X74fe/PCR_floorcovering.pdf, last
accessed September 2014.
[Wimmer, 2004] W. Wimmer, R. Züst, and K.M. Lee, ECODESIGN Implementation - A
Systematic Guidance on Integrating Environmental Considerations into Product
Development. Alliance for Global Sustainability bookseries, vol. 6. Springer, 2004.
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