What does eco design mean?

And how Revol has managed to create a unique Eco-designed collection

When it comes to designing a product meant to be purchased and used, there is a question that is worth asking: is the product environmentally friendly designed and what does eco design mean?

Consummerism has been for a long time a trend and a way of living. Today, consummers are expecting something different, they are showing concerns about where the products are coming from, how are they made, by who, and how long will they last.

A definition of Eco design

A simple definition of Eco design would be creating products considering their environmental impact during their entire “life”: from their manufacturing process, to their use and their disposal.

When it comes to housewares products and especially in Revol’s category, dinnerware and bakeware, porcelain is by nature very environmentally friendly since it’s made of primary materials that bring no harm to nature even when they are disposed.

However, it is important to look further into this process and as manufacturers, re-think how we can improve the manufacturing process in order to lower the product’s environmental impact.

An Eco-designed dining plate

When we look at the different stages of producing a porcelain plate for examples, along the way, there are many steps when material and time are wasted. The challenge Revol took around 3 years ago was to find solutions for each of those “wastes”. First, the the clay itself, and then by looking into the design of the collection No.W (for No Waste).

First, the process of making Recyclay

Recyclay is a unique, innovative clay, which only comes from utilized clay that has been cleaned for re-use. The Recyclay has the same properties than the “regular” clay.

This is how it works:

1. Every time a batch is produced, the operators clean their machines with water
2. The dirty water from the cleaning process is collected.
3. This mineral-rich industrial waste water is taken to the treatment station.
4. The water is separated from the minerals suspended in it.
5. On one hand we have purified water to either put back into nature or re-use in production
6. On the other we have a compacted mineral mass to sort and store according to its make-up.
7. Carefully selected batches of clay are put into a mill to create the new Recyclay.
8. Every piece made of Recyclay is marked with this symbol.

 

The Eco-design of the No.W Collection

Once the clay is ready to be used, the question was to conceive and draw a NEW collection which design also includes less human time and less perdition. We worked with a potter and we came out with a collection which irregularities and roughness bring charm and uniqueness. The fact that each plate is glazed by hand, with the exact amount of glaze needed, and that there is less “second choice” (products that would be toss because they do not match some aesthetical criteria) make this collection 100% eco-designed.

1. The designer puts his or her own vision into the plate’s design.
2. Hand-finishing gives the object soul and its own unique character.
3. Recycled enamel is spread in the plate in the right quantity to assure a random rendering.
4. The design works in tandem with the clay’s natural deformations to ensure a maximum of best-quality pieces from the oven as well as perfect stackability

Eco design can be qualitative

Revol takes proud into making a new collection with a new clay (Recyclay). By doing so, the factory has also made a commitment: to use 80 TONNES less of primary material.

No.W collection is available in 3 colors (all colors are also recycled enamel) and in different shapes: dining plates, coup bowls and tumblers. They have the same properties that any other collection. They are sturdy to thermal and mechanical shock.