Eight companies from the piedmontese Network of excellence collaborated with students from the Master’s Degree course in Systemic Design to identify new models of sustainable development
The second year of collaboration between the Politecnico of Turin and Exclusive Brands Torino, the Turin Industrial Union Network that brings together twenty-nine Piedmontese companies to represent and promote a consolidated, expanded and contemporary concept of excellence.
During the final exam of the course held in the Salone d’Onore of the Castello del Valentino, the students of the Master’s Degree course in Systemic Design “Aurelio Peccei” had the opportunity to illustrate the projects developed as part of the partnership with the Network, which this year saw the involvement of eight local companies.
The main objective of the Open Systems module is to design an open and autopoietic system, defining a new model of sustainable development. Through the study of the flows of matter, energy and information in local production realities, Systemic Design aims to design systems in which the outputs of production processes become inputs for other processes, minimising environmental impacts and promoting the creation of value through connections and relationships between local stakeholders.
Over the last two years, 17 companies in the network have built meaningful relationships with students on the Open Systems module, supporting the development of systemic projects focused on their own realities.
Diverse ricerche realizzate all’interno del modulo rappresentano il punto di partenza per progetti di tesi sviluppati in collaborazione con le aziende della rete. One of the first, born out of a partnership with Building and focused on the home system, between building and living, was discussed at the beginning of the year and will be followed by two other thesis projects launched in the 2022/23 academic year. In the coming weeks, the work developed with the companies Costadoro and Vanni will be presented, which aims to translate the principles of Systemic Design applied to the realities of the territory into pragmatic and ambitious projects.
COMPLETED PROJECTS: SOME EXAMPLES
The team of students who collaborated with Lauretana designed a product and communication strategy to make the company’s returnable bottle system even
more efficient. At the same time, the positioning of the Biella spring water was strengthened, highlighting its unique characteristics in new consumption contexts.
Another example of value creation is the initiative proposed by the Oscalito group, which aims to enhance the company’s fabric archive by creating small series in collaboration with young fashion designers, allowing the company to enter new market segments.
In the case of Eurofork, the project focused on strengthening relations with the local area, improving welfare initiatives and advancing training programmes, key actions for the growth of a company that already excels in terms of production.
“We are grateful for our collaboration with Exclusive Brands Torino. For our students, this partnership has been an extraordinary opportunity that has allowed them to put our design approach into practice in real-world contexts, growing both professionally and personally. Systemic Design has long been established internationally, and collaborations such as this allow us to further root it in the regional and national context, making it a key player in the development of our territory.”
Silvia Barbero, Associate Professor and Vice-Rector for Communication and Promotion at the Politecnico of Turin, co-founder and director of Sys – Systemic Design Lab, coordinator of the Systemic Design course and the Open Systems module.
“Today marks the end of the second chapter of collaboration with the Politecnico, in a true synergy between local centres of excellence. On the one hand, there are the students of the Open Systems module, who aim to outline sustainable development models within a university centre of unquestionable value in the national academic landscape and beyond; on the other, the companies of the Exclusive Brands Torino Network, promoters of a concept of excellence that focuses on supporting new generations and their ideas, which are often capable of generating the change that companies themselves need in today’s complex scenario, where it is essential to respond to the challenges of the future today.”
Giulio Trombetta, CEO of Costadoro and Chairman of Exclusive Brands Torino.
“Creating value in the local area and reducing the environmental impact of our actions are two key points of reference in our journey as a network of companies, already included in our Ethical Charter, which has identified a common goal for all of us at Exclusive Brands Torino. We are proud of the results achieved again this year and would like this collaboration to serve as a model for bringing the academic world and local businesses closer together.”
Alessandra Girardi, Vice President of Vanni and Vice President of Exclusive Brands Torino
The Politecnico of Turin (www.polito.it) was founded in 1906 and originated from the School of Application for Engineers established in 1859. It is accredited by international rankings as one of the leading technical universities in Europe, with more than 38,000 students, 19% of whom are international, coming from 120 countries.
The Politecnico is a centre of excellence for education and research in engineering, architecture, design and planning, with close links and collaborations with the socio-economic system. It is, in fact, a well-rounded research university, where education and research are integrated and work together to provide concrete answers to the needs of the economy, the local area and, above all, students, with a view to the strong internationalisation of teaching, research and technology transfer activities. It collaborates with the best universities and research centres in the world and has agreements and contracts with large international industrial groups, as well as with local companies, where it acts as a reference point for innovation.
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ABOUT EXCLUSIVE BRANDS TORINO
Founded in 2011 on the initiative of Unione Industriali Torino, Exclusive Brands Torino is a network of Piedmontese companies that aims to represent and promote a consolidated, broadened and contemporary concept of excellence.
On the one hand, excellence in promoting products and services from Turin on international markets, which are increasingly complex and evolving, through partnerships, strategies and common objectives. On the other hand, the excellence of Exclusive Brands Torino has, in recent years, taken on a broader and increasingly essential value for doing business: that of social and environmental sustainability, summarised in the Network’s Ethical Charter.
The innovation laboratory that Exclusive Brands Torino aims to be therefore promotes a broader concept of excellence, capable of responding to the complexities of the contemporary global context and to customers who are increasingly aware and eager for companies that have a positive impact in all their processes.