Gruppo DESA measures group carbon footprint and integrates LCA into R&D processes
DESA Group
The context
The objectives
Circularity's contribution
The results
DESA Group
With iconic brands such as Chanteclair and Spuma di Sciampagna, Gruppo DESA has been a leading player in the detergent and personal care market for over a century.
Gruppo DESA is a reference operator in the household and detergent products sector, active through multiple legal entities across the Italian and European markets. In a sector where sustainability is increasingly measured on the shelf — through consumer purchasing choices, retailer policies and institutional stakeholder expectations — the group has chosen to build a solid and structured measurement foundation, capable of guiding both external reporting and product development decisions.
The context
In the detergent and fast-moving consumer goods sector, pressure towards sustainability comes from multiple directions: retailers requiring environmental data on shelf products, consumers increasingly attentive to the impact of their shopping basket, and a European regulatory framework pushing for transparency across the entire product lifecycle.
Gruppo DESA was already communicating its organisational carbon footprint, but lacked a structured system for measuring the environmental footprint of individual products and making this data available to the R&D team as an operational development tool. The objective was to move from reporting to design: integrating ecodesign principles directly into formulation and packaging processes.
The objectives
To build a GHG inventory and develop an LCA calculation model to support the Research & Development team.
Circularity's contribution
The project developed across two parallel and complementary workstreams.
Organisational GHG inventory 2024–2025
Circularity conducted the organisational carbon footprint measurement for the 2024–2025 period, covering all group legal entities according to the GHG Protocol. The inventory was structured to provide both a consolidated group-level view and a complete emissions profile for each individual entity, enabling every part of the group to have the data needed to respond to its own stakeholders' requirements.
LCA calculation model for R&D support
Circularity developed a dedicated LCA calculation model for the group's detergent products, built to be used directly by the research and development team as an operational tool. The model makes it possible to analyse the lifecycle of each product — from raw material to final disposal — mapping every ingredient and packaging material and calculating its contribution to the most relevant impact indicators. Based on the results, the R&D team can compare formulation alternatives, identify lower-impact raw materials and develop packaging designed for the circular economy, integrating ecodesign principles from the earliest stages of product development.
The results
Gruppo DESA now has a complete and structured GHG inventory across all its legal entities, usable both for group-level reporting and for dialogue with the stakeholders of individual entities. The LCA model has integrated ecodesign principles directly into R&D processes, transforming environmental impact assessment from a retrospective activity into a design tool. A system that does not simply measure sustainability, but brings it to the heart of product development.
Reduce your company's environmental impact
With us at Circularity, it's easier.