Eco-innovation based on Life Cycle Assessment and Green-Design. Strategies in manufacturing a Living Wall System.

Green-design of a product means reducing its impact in terms of environmental resources (e.g. materials, energy etc.) over its life cycle. Some constraints are ascribable to those building systems extremely heterogeneous in terms of materials and products, such as the Living Wall Systems (LWSs). Although several ecological benefits are recognized to LWSs they are built up through a large number of materials, intermediate goods, etc. Every material needs to be investigated to characterize as truly “green” a LWS. The environmental issues related to LWSs were tackled in a research project named GREen Envelope System. The paper deals with some Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) outcomes with regards to those activities expected in the project defined as: material sorting and selection; detailed design and prototyping workshopsl. Furthermore the LCA outcomes were helpful in establishing the premise of a novel enterprise within a spin-off initiative.