LIFE Green Composite: re-inventing kitchen sink production through circular innovation

What happens when Delta, a leading Italian manufacturer of composite kitchen sinks, sets out to reduce the environmental impact of a complex production process? Through the LIFE Green Composite project, led by Delta and supported by the LIFE close-to-market (C2M) initiative, this challenge resulted in the development of a new green product line, made entirely from recycled materials. The product line, called Rinnova , is now entering international markets across Europe, USA, China and Australia.

« Moulding composite kitchen sinks is challenging because the raw material undergoes a chemical and physical transformation from liquid to solid. It also generates a lot of waste, and defects can occur during manufacturing. The production of kitchen sinks has a high environmental impact, mainly due to the use of virgin raw materials [unused, newly produced materials], which themselves have a significant environmental footprint. Large quantities of manufacturing waste are generated as well», explains Project Manager Maria Savina Pianesi.

To address this challenge, the project focused on introducing circular solutions into an industrial context.

« The LIFE Green Composite aims to overcome barriers to greening the production of mineral composite sinks, made from synthetic or mineral-resin mixtures. We demonstrate a pilot industrial-scale circular solution by reusing the waste from Delta's production,» says Pianesi.

As part of the project, Delta deployed an industrial-scale solution that recycles its own production waste into new sinks,panels and worktops, cutting production scrap and reducing dependence on high-impact virgin raw materials.

A market-oriented project with significant environmental benefits

Using Life Cycle Assessment (a method to measure the environmental impact of products), the team quantified the following environmental gains:

• 65% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to traditional sinks
• 72% lower acidification potential
• 65% reduction in water consumption
• 20% less raw material use

During the project, over 4400 tonnes of raw materials were replaced with recycled inputs, marking a significant step towards more sustainable industrial practices.

C2M support helps boost innovation and international presence

The C2M experts supported project beneficiaries in translating innovation into market uptake.

«The LIFE close-to-market initiative helped us in several ways: finding new channels to turn technical results into commercial products, receiving guidance and templates to improve our business plan, identifying potential new applications such as industrial flooring, and supporting partner mapping and industrial symbiosis opportunities, [connecting with companies that can use or supply recycled materials], »Pianesi notes.

Reflecting on the support received the project's Project Manager adds: « My experience with C2M was excellent as it enabled direct contact with experts and the EU representatives, giving us the opportunity to ask everything we needed about business plans, markets, commercial issues and marketing. It was a very positive experience"

The consortium plans to expand the use of recycled materials across all production lines, further promoting circular economy principles,systems where waste is reused rather than discarded in manufacturing.

Learn more about the project solution in our project fiche, outlining its focus on recycling and reuse of waste and residues, industrial process, energy efficiency, reduced chemical use, and energy saving in the manufacturing industry.

The LIFE Green Composite project supports key EU environmental and circular economy policy areas, including the Commission Decision 2009/337/EC on the classification of waste facilities (extractive industries), , EC Communication on the European Green Deal, and contributes to the implementation of the EU Circular Economy Action Plan), as well as other relevant EU directives.