According to a European Commission Communication, “the consumption of textile products in the European Union most of which are imported currently represents on average the fourth-largest negative impact on the environment and climate change, and the third in terms of water and land use, from a global life-cycle perspective.”
Within this context, four Sicilian women founded a brand: “Coccadoro”, a handmade brand of bags and accessories with an original design, conceived and made in Palermo. It uses mainly textile production offcuts and leftover stock supplied by upholsterers and interior decorators as raw material, transforming them into new products.
Coccadoro was born during the pandemic period. In that context of uncertainty and change, the founders decided to create a growth model that encourages virtuous lifestyles, with the aim of spreading a culture of respect and environmental responsibility. The philosophy guiding their work is summed up in the motto: “You cook with what you’ve got.” This principle reflects their attitude of making the most of available resources. Sustainability is an indispensable condition of their entrepreneurial choice.
In order to ensure responsible environmental communication and compliance with European directives on the sustainability characteristics of its products, Coccadoro began a collaboration with the environmental consultancy Circular Srl of Palermo. This choice enables the Coccadoro brand to prevent the risk of greenwashing and to maintain high standards of transparency.
Circular Srl assessed the environmental impact of two of the brand’s most requested products a clutch and a backpack calculating in particular their carbon footprint, one of the outcomes of a product life-cycle environmental assessment (known as Life Cycle Assessment – LCA) in accordance with ISO 14040/44. The Product Carbon Footprint (CFP) quantifies greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with a good or service across its entire life cycle. In other words, it expresses the overall sum of emissions (and any removals) of climate-altering gases generated in the different phases, from production to use and end of life. It is a voluntary tool, governed by the UNI EN ISO 14067:2018 standard, which defines requirements and guidelines for quantifying the CFP (carbon footprint) according to the LCA approach.
In the environmental assessment of the two products, the focus was mainly on two stages of the production process: material collection and assembly. Material collection refers to when the founders go to warehouses to retrieve the raw materials that will then be used to create the products. In this phase, transport was considered above all that is, the travel needed to reach the warehouses and pick up the materials. The assembly phase, instead, concerns the making of the product and takes into account electricity consumption linked to the use of machines needed to assemble the materials, such as sewing machines. In this case, consumption is more limited, while the greater environmental impact is linked to transport, due largely to fuel use during the material collection phase. It should be noted, however, that this impact can be considered marginal, since materials are purchased only every three months and their effect is spread across all production in that period; as a result, the real impact is likely lower than the calculated one.
To further improve environmental performance, it was recommended to optimize travel related to the collection of raw materials (secondary materials sourced within the same territory), giving preference when possible to less polluting means of transport, such as bicycles or scooters. Where possible, it was also suggested to reduce the frequency of trips by organizing pickups more efficiently.
From the analysis, however, a particularly significant result emerged: the amount of recycled material used in the products. The clutch is made up of 79% recycled material, while the backpack is 76.5%. Based on these results, the products can be labelled as “low environmental impact products” according to UNI EN ISO 14021:2016.
Coccadoro is a virtuous example of how environmental sustainability can be integrated into the production process of a small business, in line with Goal 12 of the 2030 Agenda: “Responsible consumption and production.” Unlike large companies that respond to market pressures, Coccadoro shows a genuine commitment to sustainability an achievable goal through ongoing effort, specialized consulting, and compliance with international and European regulations.
Dr. Maria Antonella Cigno
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