Chiara Battistoni
When considering socio-technical systems, traditional product design struggles to comprehend the complexity of the current landscape—a comprehension that is vital for identifying underlying problems or new opportunities and, ultimately, for designing novel or enhanced solutions. Indeed, conventional design processes typically rely on marketing reports or datasets delivered by other corporate departments. Conversely, Systemic Design (SD) approaches can effectively aid in understanding this complexity, providing the tools necessary to tackle it with more robust solutions. While SD is widely employed to design large-scale systems—such as transportation, social, or healthcare systems—it is rarely utilised to support the development of individual products. This paper aims to address this gap by leveraging SD for product design, a focus of paramount importance for the creation of sustainable and circular products.
To support this thesis, an in-depth case study is analysed: a three-year research project titled “Design e sostenibilità per la ristorazione collettiva” (Design and Sustainability for collective foodservice), funded by the National Operational Programme (PON) through FSE REACT-EU resources. The project was contextualised within large-scale professional catering, a sector operating in a scenario where water scarcity is becoming increasingly urgent. Consequently, the study addressed the issues of drinking water consumption and wastewater management during food preparation and cooking processes. The objective was to analyse the implications of these processes to design new products tailored to this critical scenario. Specifically, this paper presents the findings regarding wastewater recovery within the vegetable-washing area. The methodology involved a monitoring phase of water consumption within an institutional canteen, followed by the generation of design concepts.
The systemic design approach applied to product ecodesign proved fundamental during the pre-project phase. It enabled the formulation of water circularity strategies and framed water as a “new actor” to be actively integrated into the design process. Furthermore, the research yielded tangible outcomes at the product design level. Ultimately, this research experience has led to the theorization of “systemic product ecodesign”—defined as the application of systemic design principles within the domain of product ecodesign.
Keywords: systemic design, holistic diagnosis, systemic product ecodesign, ecosystem, foodservice, professional kitchen, professional equipment