Lessons from Salone del Mobile 2025 towards Ecodesign and the Circular Economy
Salone del Mobile Milan 2025 has just closed its doors, presenting emerging trends in the furniture sector that offer new benchmarks for understanding how design is evolving. This year, the event highlighted the growing importance of two key concepts very dear to Forethinking: ecodesign and circular economy. The solutions presented at the show offer an insight into how the industry is adapting its vision to meet environmental challenges, with the aim of creating a more sustainable future for design.
Ecodesign as a New Frontier
Ecodesign is becoming the central strategy in the design of products, looking at their complete life cycle: from material selection to production, from distribution to end-of-life. Increasingly, design is not only about aesthetics and functionality, but also about environmental impact. Companies are moving towards using recycled materials, designing modular solutions and promoting low-impact production processes to reduce their ecological footprint.
Introducing these principles into design is not an optional choice, but a necessity to respond to global challenges, reducing the use of non-renewable resources and optimising energy. This approach, which is increasingly gaining ground in the industry, responds to a growing demand for products that are functional, aesthetically pleasing and, above all, sustainable.
As Seen at the Salone del Mobile 2025
The Salone del Mobile 2025 highlighted these trends very clearly. Several companies presented innovative solutions that move in the direction of more ecologically conscious design. A significant example was the use of Orange Fiber, an innovative fibre made from orange peels, used to create sustainable upholstery. Solutions like this demonstrate how innovation can be combined with sustainability, without sacrificing aesthetics or functionality.
Other examples include Neolith, which created durable surfaces with eco-friendly, low-carbon materials, minimising the environmental impact of production. The DEDON brand, on the other hand, showed its commitment to the circular economy with the use of DEDON EcoCycle Fibre, a recycled and regenerable fibre that perfectly complements the design of high-quality outdoor furniture. These products are not only made from responsible materials, but are also designed to last and to be easily repaired or recycled.
Furthermore, the show confirmed how the circular economy is taking hold in the furniture industry. Companies are designing products that can be easily disassembled, repaired and recycled, giving them a second life. This approach reduces waste and makes the most of available resources, responding to increasingly stringent environmental regulations.
Extended Producer Responsibility: From the Salone a Pact for the Future of Design
A further concrete step towards the circular economy was announced during the Salone del Mobile 2025, with the signing of the experimental EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) protocol by the Ministry for the Environment and Energy Security. This programme agreement involves manufacturers in the furniture sector, formally committing them to the recovery and valorisation of end-of-life materials, similar to what already happens with packaging. The implementation of EPR systems represents a fundamental evolution for a sustainable management of products, putting ecodesign at the centre of industrial strategies. The French experience of Écomobilier, which has successfully applied the EPR model in the furniture sector for years, shows how this approach can generate environmental, economic and social benefits on a large scale. The signing of the EPR protocol at the Show thus confirms the event’s role as a platform for innovation and commitment to a circular future.
The Growth of the Circular Economy in Design
The Salone del Mobile 2025 also saw the emergence of products designed for the circular economy, where the product life cycle is at the heart of design. Companies such as Tarkett presented innovative solutions that integrate the concept of circularity. For example, Tarkett presented its collection ‘The Beauty of Circularity’, which explores the concept of reusing waste as a resource, with floors created from recycled materials such as cork and linseed oil, and designed to be easily disassembled and recycled.
Another example is Hydro, which introduced the R100 project, using 100 per cent locally produced recycled aluminium, significantly reducing CO2 emissions by minimising transport. This is a key initiative to demonstrate how materials can be recovered and reused to create new products, reducing environmental impact and promoting a circular economy.
The Future of Design: Integrating Natural Materials and Biophilia
Looking to the future, furniture design is set to evolve further. Emerging trends include an increasing use of natural materials such as bamboo, reclaimed wood and natural fibres. These materials are not only environmentally friendly, but also durable and aesthetically pleasing, responding to a demand for furniture that is both beautiful and sustainable.
In addition, biophilic design is gaining in popularity. This approach incorporates natural elements into spaces, such as plants, water and natural light, with the aim of improving people’s well-being and strengthening the connection between the built and natural environment. Design that embraces these principles improves the quality of life for users, meeting the needs of an increasingly sustainability-conscious public.
Conclusions
Salone del Mobile 2025 has confirmed that the future of design is inevitably linked to sustainability. The trends seen this year highlight an industry that is evolving towards increasingly responsible practices, embracing ecodesign and the circular economy as fundamental pillars. The innovations presented at the show are not only signs of change, but also represent an opportunity for the entire industry to reduce its environmental impact, create long-term value and meet the challenges of the future.
In short, the furniture industry is undergoing an evolution that puts sustainability at the centre. Companies are increasingly called upon to design not only for the present, but for the future of our planet, where every product must be thought of as part of a virtuous cycle.