Project details
Title:
ECO-FOOTWEAR 5.0
Acronym:
ECO-FOOTWEAR 5.0
Type:
National – Progetto del PIANO NAZIONALE DI RIPRESA E RESILIENZA (PNRR) – MISSIONE 4 COMPONENTE 2 INVESTIMENTO 1.3 – FINANZIATO DALL’UNIONE EUROPEA – NEXTGENERATION EU – Programma di ricerca PE00000004 “Made in Italy Circolare e Sostenibile – MICS” finanziato dal Decreto Direttoriale di concessione del finanziamento n.1551 del 11.10.2022 a valere sulle risorse del PNRR MUR – M4C2 – Investimento 1.3 – Avviso “Partenariati estesi alle università, ai centri di ricerca, alle aziende per il finanziamento di progetti di ricerca di base”
Start Date:
July 16, 2024
End Date:
September 15, 2025
Principal Investigator:
Michele Germani (UNIVPM Partner Responsible) – Sauro Longhi (DII Unit Responsible)
Other Units Involved:
UNIVPM (Lead Partner with DII -DIISM)
Keywords:
Eco-Design; Circular Economy; Sustainable Materials; Human-Centered Automation; Footwear Supply Chain
Description:
ECO-FOOTWEAR 5.0 aims to innovate design and manufacturing processes in the fashion sector, with a focus on footwear, to significantly enhance both environmental and social sustainability. The project addresses the fragmented and largely manual nature of the Italian footwear supply chain by developing user-friendly software tools for eco-design, environmental impact assessment, and supply chain integration. It also explores new eco-friendly materials derived from natural fibers combined with biodegradable polymers. Social sustainability is pursued through the design of adaptive automation systems that collaborate with human operators, reducing physical strain while preserving the added value of manual work. Additionally, the project will develop strategies and tools to measure and communicate product sustainability and circularity to consumers. ECO-FOOTWEAR 5.0 will directly involve companies from the Marche footwear district and aims to create scalable solutions applicable across the broader fashion industry.
Objectives:
The ECO-FOOTWEAR 5.0 project aims to innovate the design and manufacturing processes in the fashion sector, focusing on footwear, to enhance environmental and social sustainability. The main objectives are: (1) to develop dedicated LCA-based software tools, including AI-powered parametric models and web-based systems for supply chain data integration and sustainability assessment; (2) to study and prototype new eco-friendly materials by combining natural fibers with biodegradable polymers; (3) to optimize cutting processes to reduce industrial waste; (4) to design adaptive automation solutions that improve the quality of work for operators, including collaborative robotic systems for footwear polishing and end-of-life disassembly; (5) to develop models and software tools for measuring product circularity and assessing socio-economic impacts; (6) to explore new circular business models and re-shoring strategies to increase the sustainability and resilience of the Italian footwear district.
Application Contexts:
ECO-FOOTWEAR 5.0 is applied within the fashion industry, specifically targeting the footwear sector, which is crucial to the Italian economy and highly relevant in the Marche region. The project focuses on production contexts where prototyping and component manufacturing are often performed by small and micro-enterprises with limited digitalization and high manual labor. The goal is to introduce eco-design, sustainability assessment, and adaptive automation into these traditionally manual environments. The solutions developed will support both large brands and SMEs in adopting greener, more efficient production processes. Additionally, the project addresses the social dimension by improving working conditions through human-centered automation. The methodologies and technologies will be directly validated within the Marche footwear district and can be transferred to other sectors of the fashion industry, such as textiles and apparel, promoting circularity and sustainability throughout the supply chain.
Expected Results:
CO-FOOTWEAR 5.0 is expected to deliver a set of innovative solutions for the sustainable transformation of the footwear sector. Key results include: (1) LCA-based software tools for eco-design, featuring user-friendly interfaces and supply chain integration; (2) web-based platforms enabling suppliers to assess and share sustainability data; (3) newly developed eco-friendly materials combining natural fibers and biodegradable polymers, with validated prototypes of footwear components; (4) optimized software for material cutting to minimize waste; (5) collaborative robotic systems for polishing and disassembling footwear at the end of life, enhancing operator ergonomics and process efficiency; (6) software tools for measuring product circularity and socio-economic impact; (7) business models promoting circularity, reuse, and sustainable distribution strategies; (8) evaluated re-shoring strategies to improve the environmental and economic sustainability of the local footwear supply chain.
Achivied Results:
The project is still ongoing
Project Web Site:
www.mics.tech
Project Social Accounts:
LinkedIn (linkedin.com/company/mics-made-in-italy-circolare-e-sostenibile/?originalSubdomain=it)
Facebook (facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575809140991)
Instagram (instagram.com/mics.fondazione/)
YouTube (www.youtube.com/@MICSMadeinItaly)
Web Site of the DII Laboratory:
Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence Robotics (LAIR)
Automation Laboratory
Project Image:
Project Logo: