Authors : Blanche Daliminer, Julien Boucher
At Earth Action, we don’t do sustainability for sustainability’s sake. We build decision-making tools. The study we conducted with the Watchmaking Ecodesign consortium on component washing is a case in point: rigorous technical work that led one member Maison to revise its procurement specifications and redirect a capital investment. That’s exactly what ecodesign should produce — and precisely the kind of project we’re proud of.
From scientific data to a purchase decision
One consortium Maison participated in the study across several of its sites. By accessing the results and ecodesign factsheets, its teams were able to benchmark their machine fleet against industry standards. The diagnosis was immediate: several pieces of equipment were oversized relative to actual processing volumes, with a per-kilogram impact well above average.
Those factsheets then served as the direct basis for revising the procurement specifications: machine type, target sizing, electrical consumption criteria to demand from suppliers. Environmental criteria quantified through LCA thus concretely guided the Maison’s investment in new washing machines. Not a broad-brush recommendation — a purchasing decision, backed by numbers and a clear rationale.
That transition from science to decision was only possible because the upstream work was solid. That’s the whole point.
Why washing, and why an LCA
The watchmaking industry faces a shortage of environmental data: existing secondary databases don’t represent its processes with sufficient granularity. To fill that gap, the Watchmaking Ecodesign consortium — co-led by Earth Action and 109°, a specialist in movement design — launched its first sector-wide life cycle analyses.
Washing emerged as the first topic following a multi-criteria prioritisation: highly strategic and immediately actionable. Every component is washed multiple times during manufacturing (degreasing, intermediate washing, finishing, after-sales service), yet its environmental impact had never been rigorously quantified.
The study covered 22 machines across 7 sites, belonging to 5 watchmaking Maisons and 1 subcontractor operating in Switzerland, spanning six machine types. Impacts were assessed using the EF 3.1 methodology — covering 16 impact categories, not just CO₂. Where a carbon footprint looks at a single dimension, an LCA evaluates the full picture: resources, ecotoxicity, water, energy.
Three findings that change the equation
Not all washing processes are equal. Impact varies by a factor of 4 between machine types, and up to a factor of 2,000 between individual machines — the gap between a machine running near-idle and one operating at full load. The choice of machine, and how it is used, matters as much as the products it uses.
The lever is energy, not water. The bulk of the impact comes from electricity consumption and solvent production. Water used directly on the workshop floor is secondary: it’s the upstream and downstream processes that dominate the calculation.
An underused machine pollutes more per kilogram. Utilisation rate is decisive: the data points to an optimum around 1,000 to 1,500 kg, beyond which electricity becomes the dominant factor, and below which products are wasted. Compact machines, often associated with low volumes, frequently fall outside this range.
Beyond emissions factors, the study produced ecodesign factsheets tailored by machine type, designed for direct use on the floor: maximise utilisation rates and cover baths on washing lines; extend bath life and close circuits on compact machines; compare output, consumption and sizing at the point of purchase. That is precisely the tool one Maison turned into a decision.
What’s next
Washing is the first entry in a database set to progressively cover the sector’s key processes and materials — steel and brass, precious metals, sapphire, surface treatments. The objective remains the same: to give every Maison specific data to steer their ecodesign, guide investment decisions, and meet regulatory requirements with reliable figures.
That is how we think about ecodesign at Earth Action: technical work that creates value and triggers decisions. We look forward to building more of it with you.