How to combine high technical performance and environmental impact reduction? This question shaped the study published on May 20, 2025, in the Journal of Cleaner Production, one of the most authoritative international scientific journals on sustainability.
The study, titled
“Environmental impact of three different engineering thermoplastics: How much does it change when using recycled polyamide?”,
is the result of collaboration between the R&D team of LATI Industria Termoplastici S.p.A. and the University of Insubria in Varese. Its objective was to evaluate the environmental impact of three flame-retardant compounds based on polyamide 6.6, particularly analyzing the benefits derived from using recycled polyamide compared to virgin fossil-based polyamide.
The result is solid and concrete research that offers quantitative data, comparative scenarios, and operational indications useful for both industry and the research world.
This study doesn’t stop at theory but represents a tangible step in the journey towards developing more sustainable technical materials, without compromising on performance.
To reveal the behind-the-scenes of this project – the work done, the results obtained, and the significance of this milestone for LATI – we interviewed the protagonists of the publication: Davide Lotti and Sonia Giolo from the LATI Research and Development team, and Alberto Pietro Damiano Baltrocchi, a PhD student at the University of Insubria.
Let’s Start from the Beginning: how Did this Collaboration between LATI and the University of Insubria Come about?
Davide: The collaboration arose from a concrete need: to evaluate the environmental impact of our key products through LCA studies. The management trusted me to find an effective solution, and the collaboration with the University of Insubria was born thanks to the fortunate combination of agility in responding to a PNRR call from both the university and our management within the deadline. With the available resources, we initiated a very in-depth research, of which the published article contains only a part. It was the beginning of a three-year journey of growth, training, and collaboration that brought concrete value to both the company and the academic world.
What Was the Objective of the Study, and why Did You Choose these Three Materials for the Analysis?
Davide: The objective was to build an excellent long-term service for the customer and support Research and Development in designing new, more sustainable products. For this reason, the PhD project addressed key product families for the market, but also supported the growth of a junior resource, leading to the multiplication of results available even outside the project. The article contains the results for the three most relevant flame-retardant product families for LATI, including variants with recycled content, and aims to be a guide verified during a long external review for both customers and stakeholders on which the most relevant environmental impacts weigh.
What are the main results that emerged from the research? Is there any data that particularly struck you?
Alberto: The results clearly show that most of the environmental impacts of the compound’s production cycle derive from the extraction and processing phase of raw materials. LATI’s production process overall accounts for only 5% of the total. What’s most striking is that thanks to the selection and use of recycled polyamide 6.6, total environmental impacts can be reduced by up to 39% if 70% of the virgin polymer is replaced.
In more practical terms: what do these results mean for LATI? Are there concrete implications for the products or the company’s strategy?
Sonia: The study demonstrates that it’s possible to combine high technical performance and environmental sustainability even in flame-retardant compounds, thanks to the use of recycled polyamide. This opens up new concrete prospects for offering our customers more sustainable formulations without compromising on LATI quality.
At a strategic level, I believe it’s essential to continue promoting studies and collaborations like this, because they generate tangible value: they strengthen internal skills, offer solid and measurable answers to stakeholders, and contribute to making sustainability an increasingly integrated pillar in our industrial DNA.
What Was the Commitment Required to Carry out this Research?
Sonia: It was demanding work, but also very stimulating. To build the inventories and LCA models of the various products, we had to collect a large amount of data: extractions from SAP, requests to different company departments, research in scientific literature. It wasn’t easy to put all the information together, but thanks to internal collaboration and synergy with the University of Insubria, we managed to structure everything effectively, including through dedicated Excel sheets for data transfer. In the end, seeing the model take shape – both through Alberto’s work and through the SIMAPRO software of which we purchased the license and gained mastery – and contributing to a scientific publication was a great satisfaction. This project demonstrated how important teamwork is and how much value can arise from a well-orchestrated collaboration between industry and research.
How Does the Publication Fit into the Sustainability Journey that LATI Has Undertaken?
Sonia: I believe this publication is perfectly in line with the sustainability journey that LATI has been on for some time. It’s not just about communicating our commitment, but demonstrating it with scientific data and transparency. Having a peer-reviewed study in an authoritative journal like the Journal of Cleaner Production allows us to validate our technical and environmental choices and contribute to the debate on the role of technical materials in the ecological transition within the international scientific community. Many companies have already contacted us to delve deeper into some aspects of interest to them.
In your opinion, what distinguishes this research from other similar publications? What does it add to the scientific and technical debate?
Alberto: Studies published so far had only evaluated the impacts of thermoplastic compounds based on virgin polyamide. However, until now, there were no scientific articles that had systematically and rigorously evaluated the environmental benefits derived from using recycled polymer. Our study represents the first attempt to quantify the environmental impacts obtainable by replacing virgin polyamide 6.6 with polyamide 6.6 from mechanical recycling. This work can be considered an example of eco-design useful for increasing awareness of the importance of incentivizing the use of recyclable materials.
What Do You Take away from this Work?
Alberto: This journey has allowed me to grow professionally and appreciate the value of applied research. It has strengthened my awareness and the importance of studying and investing in new sustainable materials through synergistic collaborations between academia and industry. I am very grateful for the opportunity that LATI has been able to offer me, strongly believing that I have contributed to transforming ideas into concrete and impactful innovation. All this was made possible also thanks to the resources made available by the PNRR.
Davide: Innovation between public and private sectors is not without challenges, but being able to seize opportunities can lead not only to obtaining technical results but also to the growth of the work team and all stakeholders. Since 2016, I have participated in research projects funded by the European Union, but in this case, I delved for the first time into the design and management of a public-private co-funded doctoral project.
Sonia: From this work, I take away concrete skills in LCA analysis and the awareness that collaboration between industry and academia can generate useful and applicable results.
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