Graphit, a wood surface project that combines research and commercial development to the rhythm of the circular economy

On the occasion of the most important design week in the world, the benchmark brand for high-end parquet confirms its vocation by presenting Graphit, a contemporary wooden surface project born from an innovative production process which combines aesthetic function and technological experimentation.

Typically, the term Research and Development, applied to the industrial field, evokes images of laboratories populated by white coats surrounded by technological equipment and cutting-edge electronic devices. For Listone Giordano, this has always been an integral part of its DNA and in reality, this aspect is only a relevant, but certainly not exhaustive, part of the meaning attributed to the word “innovation”. This is closely linked to the identity heritage of the brand, which is not content with a simple graphic logo ensuring its notoriety, but which rather acts as a real witness in charge of representing the main values ​​of a company: some immediately visible and other intangibles, but no less concrete and decisive in the success of a company.

Listone Giordano places at the center of its own identity its knowledge and technology of wood, its aesthetic research while respecting nature and making an authentic interpretation of the values ​​of culture, artistic sensitivity and the Italian art of living.

We would like to highlight a perhaps less obvious but fundamental vocation for Listone Giordano, which consists of constantly seeking the synthesis between terms that are not always easy to reconcile: Aesthetics and Ethics, namely Ostensible Beauty and Substance, Appearance and Essence. And which on the other hand also translates into the harmonization between Technology and Nature, Industry and Environment, Performance and health.

Research, for Listone Giordano, is above all a path and a general involvement of the company rather than simple product innovation. It is in fact characterized by the strong attention dedicated to design in all its aspects, even the most profound, as well as at all stages of its manufacturing activity.

The commercial partnership with Alisea was born on the basis of common values ​​in favor of the future of the planet and the well-being of its inhabitants.

Alisea - Designer of Recycled & Reused Objects - has established itself since 1994 as the only operator to make Reuse and Recycling a form of corporate identity. All materials used for the manufacture of objects are treated with processes of innovative processing methods, which guarantee quality standards practically identical to virgin materials.

This is the case with “Graphit”, parquet created from an innovative production process. Its origin arises from the desire to give a new life to several tons of graphite, coming from the processing of industrial installations with the associated issues related to time, space and annual processing costs. Recycling contributes to the virtuous model of the circular economy which involves a progressive decoupling of economic activity from the consumption of finite sources to the conception of waste outside the system.

The Alisea team transformed this into an opportunity, giving new life to this inert material: “why not have it in writing? ". Thus was born Perpetua, a patented pencil composed of 80% graphite powder, derived from industrial production waste. The only pencil produced in Italy which, through writing, "consumes" and recycles 15gr of graphite which otherwise would have ended up in underground landfills, aggravating the already considerable disposal problems. Graphite is not only a precious, but natural mineral and non-toxic, recovered and transformed in Italy through a fully traceable upcycling supply chain and capable of generating social and environmental value for the entire community.

In line with Perpetua, this writing project opens new chapters of the “circular economy” touching on design objects and more. The idea was born from the custom of dyeing fabrics with graphite in very distant origins: an ancient history that has its roots in Ancient Rome. Listone Giordano "Graphit" parquet gives a new look to the texture of the wood thanks to a special industrial process, which requires certain manual interventions. This involves the application of a pigmented base onto which is applied a paste of graphite powder complemented by the application of a layer of protective opaque finishing oil, the result of a specially designed mixture. This overall treatment, which involves several manual steps, significantly affects the surface chromatic effect. It is enhanced by a greater depth of pigment and at the same time by the naturalness and transparency of the grain. A palette of colors ranging from gray to more intense shades of black while demonstrating optimal resistance to physiological processes of color oxidation (once exposed to UV).
A product with interesting technical characteristics and performances. Tests carried out to date have shown excellent performance under heavy traffic and good stability to color variations.

Alisea found in Listone Giordano, the driving force behind a supply circuit that connects those who have materials they do not know how to use with those who have ideas on how to use them to contribute to the development of a world where nothing is lost. By providing the Umbrian company with the materials and the right stimuli for the search for an innovative product, and combining them with the nobility of certified ash wood, a new story to tell is born at the heart of this virtuous cycle . Unlike other recycling philosophies, the Alisea team tends not to drown a material's previous life in a completely separate design identity. Here, the design object retains the trace and the memory of what it was. Reuse is not only a more efficient and sustainable way to have materials available (the currently debated topic of urban mining), but continues to represent a creative stimulus that brings new value to the project.

The spark born from the meeting with Listone Giordano was ignited by the curiosity and desire for experimentation inherent to the Margaritelli company. Materials of no value to one company, such as unavoidable waste or production scrap, can become raw materials for another. To transform ideas into commercial success, it is important to work together and create a network of actors with different experiences and knowledge, to open up to a new way of working on the basis of sharing, in order to carve out a new role in the global market.