Sustainable development is a value shared by Artemide, a firm that has always devoted specific attention to sustainability in terms of eco-design, since it is well aware that design plays a fundamental role in the control and limitation of the impact that a product may have on the environment throughout its life cycle.

Within a policy of reduction of energy consumption and in advance of the coming into force of the EuP directive, Artemide's commitment in terms of eco-sustainability takes concrete shape through the promotion of its leading product, Tolomeo, in four versions with low energy consumption: Tolomeo Halogen Energy Saver, Tolomeo Fluo 18W, Tolomeo LED, Tolomeo LED My White Light.

22 years ago the Tolomeo lamp, designed by Michele De Lucchi and Giancarlo Fassina in 1987, already respected the conditions for project work that today have become essential strategies for designing a new lamp:

• low consumption of materials in the product and in its accessories;
• refraining from using materials that are being exhausted, respecting conservation and bio-compatibility;
• long product life;
• recyclability of the materials used;
• products that are easy to dismantle.

Analyzing the life cycle of a lamp such as Tolomeo, the main environmental impact occurs in the phase of use of the product. Energy consumption is significantly higher compared to the phases of pre-production, production, distribution and disposal. Even if the values of incidence vary according to the actual time of use of the equipment, it is possible to affirm that the phase of use of a lamp fitted with a traditional 100W incandescent source accounts for more than 90% of the overall environmental impact, estimating it being switched on for 3 hours a day.

In the light of this evaluation, it is fundamental to focus the attention on the use of low energy consumption light sources.