Circular economy for the coffee machine

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The promotion of virtuous processes of Circular economy is also accomplished through the production of coffee machines, due to innovative industrial synergies and research courses on new high-performance materials. It is the case of “De-Manufacturing” research project, developed by Delta srl (company of Plados-Telma Group, one of the leader world manufacturers of kitchen sinks made of composite material) and Simonelli Group in the ambit of MARLIC project, co-funded by Marche Region in the framework of POR Marche FESR 2014-2020, which involves a large work team composed by as many as 27 subjects, including territorial companies and research bodies such as University of Camerino, Polytechnic University of Marche, CNR and ENEA.
The De-Manufacturing project is one of the two sub-projects that fuel MARLIC platform and one of its targets is the recovery of production wastes, of materials from composite components at the end of its life cycle and the recovery of raw and/or second raw material, from manufacturing cycles, to be reused for the design and implementation of new composite materials.
As underlines Mauro Parrini, Plant & Innovation Manager of Simonelli Group, “in the research project starting materials are the composites used by Delta for the manufacturing of sinks. From their grinding and successive machining, through innovative moulding tests, we have obtained the rear panel of Eagle One machine by Victoria Arduino, antibacterial, with high surface hardness and therefore long duration, unaltered stable colour in time”. This is joined by the cover of the coffee bell of Mythos grinder by Nuova Simonelli, produced by re-using the composite material deriving from the surface of a casting system. With De-Manufacturing “the aim is therefore concretizing the philosophy of the 4R, pillars of circular economy: Reduction, Reuse, Recycling, Recovery of resources. In such context, on one hand some collaborations are established with other partner companies, in the vision of the cross fertilization, on the other hand studies are carried out for the implementation of eco-sustainable products starting from industrial wastes”.

The rear panel of Eagle One coffee machine by Victoria Arduino.

Working in the wake of the Circular Economy means “tracing the company’s history while remaining coherent with the innovative spirit that has characterized Simonelli Group since its birth. We could have obtained a similar product starting from the virgin material: achieving a vacuum carbon bodywork would have been simpler for us. Therefore, the real reason for the challenge is producing components with recovery materials with higher performances and low environmental impact compared to previous models –Parrini further explains -. We were among the first that introduced the Life Cycle Assessment, a structured standardized methodology about the analysis of the life cycle of a product that quantifies eventual impacts on the environment. All of our novelties have been developed since the design phase and analysed by using this methodology for over one decade”. In particular, “in collaboration with the Polytechnics University of Marche we try understanding how to optimize our machines in terms of sustainability and circularity: the carbon footprint, that is to say the quantity of carbon dioxide that is produced at the extraction time of the raw material until the machine disposal at the life end, is one of the guidelines that we adopt when we create new technologies and new products”. The collaboration with prestigious research centres is completed by the cooperation with many local companies such as Delta, reality with a bent for innovation and linked with the territory, with a range of action very close to Simonelli Group. “We believe in the future of this collaboration and of this material. Actually, the irremissible condition remains the zero-kilometre recycling. Due to the same principle, we have participated for years with Symbola Foundation that takes care of favouring enterprises’ circularity on Marche territory: the R of the product recycling and reuse can be performed just at zero kilometre. Otherwise, the advantages in the carbon dioxide saving in materials’ transports are lost”.