More eco-friendly toys in the future
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The ecological component of toys influences the purchasing choice of an increasing number of parents, who would do anything to leave their children a healthy planet. A company in the toy industry cannot therefore not be concerned about the impact of its products on the environment. Geomagworld, famous for its constructions made of plastic rods and metal balls that have been on the market for over 20 years, knows this well. It wanted to replace the material currently used for its toys with a new, more sustainable and environmentally friendly one.
To achieve this goal, the Novazzano-based company went in search of a technical partner, which it found in the Institute of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Technology (MEMTi) of the Innovative Technologies Department. After a year and a half of work based on materials engineering, 'XI', (from the Greek ΞI, 'csi'), a material made from recycled polypropylene and wood flour, was produced. In addition to the ecological requirement, the new material meets the strict safety criteria of the European technical standard EN71, which regulates the requirements for the production and marketing of toys.
The development of 'XI' also involved the Institute of Systems and Technologies for Sustainable Production (ISTePS), also part of the DTI, to assess the environmental impacts of sourcing, production, processing and materials used. With excellent results.
The road to the circular economy
Filippo Gallizia, CEO of Geomagworld, talks about how the idea of developing a material like 'Xi' came from a strategic vision developed within the company. "We could not fail to consider the impact of our products on the environment, an issue that affects everyone, not just our boys and girls. From this consideration, we started working on the production process and materials. Due to factors related to our specific sector, we realised that we had to move in the direction of the circular economy, which is not just an ideological model, but a true economic competitive model. We therefore looked for a technical partner who would be able to accompany us on this product development path, and we are happy to say that we have fully achieved the goals we had set ourselves thanks to the collaboration with SUPSI'.SUPSI Image Focus
An innovative material
Xi is the result of the fusion of two materials: recycled polypropylene, sourced from Geomagworld's established suppliers, and wood flour, sourced from the waste of local carpentry and forestry maintenance operations. The blending of these two elements has resulted in Xi, and to find out what makes it an innovative material, we can ask Andrea Castrovinci, Head of the Polymer Materials Engineering Laboratory at MEMTi.“"Polymeric materials with wood flour additives have been on the market for many years. However, the combination of these two components requires the use of compatibilisers, which are chemical additives. It is important to emphasise that substances such as compatibilisers are not in line with the aim of XI, i.e. to use recycled or waste materials. Consequently, it was imperative to develop a new and innovative formula to obtain a material with specific mechanical properties, but without certain chemical compounds. This process required a lot of materials engineering work: it was a challenge that took more than a year and a half of hard work, but one that we can say was won.
The results on environmental impact? They are very satisfactory
To quantify the reductions in the environmental impact of the production, processing and procurement of Xi, it was necessary to compare it with the material previously used by Geomagworld. Alessandro Fontana, lecturer-researcher at ISTePS, presents the results, which are definitely encouraging: "We recorded a 50 per cent reduction in climate change impacts (measured in kg of CO2 equivalents), a 35 per cent reduction in water consumption and an impressive 80 per cent reduction in the use of non-renewable materials.. This last figure is particularly relevant from a circular economy perspective, it is a result that has shown how the project has achieved its goal of producing a material based on the circular economy'.Xi is therefore a more environmentally friendly and circular economy-oriented material than the one currently used by Geomagworld. Once certified, it will be progressively integrated into the production chain. Given the characteristics of the product, which is free of toxic chemicals, we can venture to think of other fields of use besides the toy industry. For example, the gastronomy sector for the creation of a series of supports in contact with food such as plates, trays, glasses, etc. Or the furniture sector where the focus on sustainable and innovative materials is increasing.