Solid progress and poster presentation on the Social Life Cycle Assessment of SustaiNext

ECODESIGN presented its recent work on the Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) of the EU project SustaiNext, at the BioInnovation session of the BioCircular Summit held in Madrid last January 2026. The S-LCA methodology and the first phase results were successfully presented with a poster, available here.

The S-LCA started with a comprehensive literature review on similar value chains and published references. The S-LCA framework, aligned with ISO 14075:2024 and the UNEP Guidelines, was structured along the SustaiNext bio-refinery value chain and its social themes. The cradle‑to‑gate approach covered the feedstock cultivation and the sourcing of agro-industrial side‑streams to the productions of botanical extracts for B2B customers.

The project-specific data collection process considered three key stakeholders: the local farmers and feedstock supplier, the bio-refinery workers and the bio-refinery managers. The ECODESIGN company completed the data collection through questionnaires and workshops and conducted their analysis to understand how SustaiNext will create strong social value in Extremadura (Spain).

The S-LCA results will help design stakeholder engagement measures such as training programs for farmers, and long-term support mechanisms to strengthen their role as reliable biomass suppliers within the bio-based production system.

The next steps in this S-LCA are exploring the B2B users of the botanical extracts from the bio-refinery, and including their perspectives and social themes.

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Solid progress and poster presentation on the Social Life Cycle Assessment of SustaiNext

ECODESIGN Highlights Progress at the SustaiNext General Assembly

The SustaiNext project held its fifth General Assembly on 19–20 November 2025 in Turin, marking the midpoint of its work to develop sustainable processes for high-value botanical extracts in Extremadura, Spain. Across the consortium, progress is visible in plant construction, cultivation, biomass pre-treatment and early steps toward market applications. ECODESIGN’s Role ECODESIGN supports the project … Continued

18 February 2026 + 16 March 2026 // Two-Part Event on ECODESIGN: Strategies and Measures for Future-Proof Product Development

Together with Quality Austria, we are hosting a seminar led by Prof. Wolfgang Wimmer that explores how companies can design their products more efficiently, resource-consciously, and future-ready. The linear economic model is increasingly reaching its limits: raw materials are becoming scarcer, and emissions are subject to stricter regulations. With the new ESPR (Ecodesign Sustainable Product … Continued

First Year Consortium Meeting and Dissemination event of BeBOP in Milan (Italy), from 07 to 09 October 2025

In the context of the 1st year meeting of the European project BeBOP, the Italian partner Ente Italiano di Normazione – UNI hosted a dissemination event, attracting participants from research, academia, industry and motivated students who actively participate with their research posters. Read more about this event in the press release. Then the 1st Consortium … Continued

New ECODESIGN publication on the LCA of the EU project SUSTAINEXT

We are pleased to announce the publication of the paper “SUSTAINEXT: Validating a Zero-Waste, Dynamic, Multivalorization Route Biorefinery for Plant Extracts.” The study presents the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of botanical extract production, from feedstock sourcing to the final polyphenol-rich extracts, within the framework of the EU project SUSTAINEXT. The LCA results shows that: This … Continued

20 Years of ECODESIGN company GmbH!

In July 2025, we are celebrating 20 years of ECODESIGN company GmbH – two decades of innovation, collaboration, and commitment to a more sustainable future. Since 2005, we have been bringing ecodesign, circular economy, and sustainability from research into real-world application, supporting companies with: We sincerely thank our dedicated team, clients, and partners who made … Continued

ECODESIGN company at the e.nova 2025 Conference!

Again in 2025 Adriana Díaz from the ECODESIGN company participated at the e.nova 2025 in Pinkafeld, where she presented the paper titled “Insights on and prospects for energy efficiency labels for Data centres”. This research is carried out as part of the Workstream “Energy efficiency of Data Centres” of the 4E Efficient, Demand Flexible Networked Appliances. The paper … Continued

BeBOP Project: Workshop in Mannheim Highlights Circularity Potentials of Methanol Synthesis

As part of the EU-funded BeBOP project, ECODESIGN company GmbH hosted another Circularity Workshop on May 21, 2025. The event, organized by project partner ICODOS GmbH in Mannheim, focused on the circularity potential and challenges of the innovative methanol synthesis process. A central point of discussion was the 3D-printed methanol reactor, whose design enables superior … Continued