GLI ECO-LABELS DELLA LAVORAZIONE DEL LEGNO: REGOLAMENTAZIONI E OPPORTUNITA’ DI INTERNAZIONALIZZAZIONE PER L’AZIENDA LUBE

This research is essentially aimed at analyzing the various ecological certifications used in the production of wood furniture, together with their implications on the consumer linked to their improper use by professionals, with a specific focus on the company Lube, co-financier of this project. The research starts introducing the concept of sustainable development, defined as “development which satisfies the present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to satisfy theirs”. After that the analysis continues with a description of the new economic model of green economy, increasingly adopted by companies which intend to pursue a policy characterized by a strong Corporate Social Responsibility, as an answer to the increasing spread of a strong ethical consciousness among consumers. The second chapter is entirely focused on the reality of the company Lube, particularly how the company has already taken actions in order to adapt its own system to the green economy model. It is important to emphasize that within the industrial sector in which the company operates, characterized by the production of wood furniture, there are many issues related to the respect of the environment to which consumers pay great attention, especially when they are going to buy something. One of the most discussed topics related to the environmental issue to which consumers are really sensitive is the question of the trees felling and the importance of using recycled wood resulting from recovery processes. In light of the foregoing considerations, the company Lube and other companies producing wood furniture need to develop a strong Corporate Social Responsibility in order to be more competitive and to be able to satisfy the consumers’ needs. The research intends to describe the actions Lube has already taken in the field of green economy, including the installation of a photovoltaic system which is able to autonomously supply power to the production, the exclusive use for kitchens’ internal components of materials that ensure formaldehyde emission levels even lower than those expected by D.M. 10/10/2008, the exclusive use of ecological panels made with recycled materials, and finally the E-Kitchen project which involves the creation of intelligent kitchen models able to save on energy consumption. The next chapter is entirely focused on the ecological certifications and, in particular, on those which are the most important for companies which operate in the industrial sector of wood furniture production. Starting from the distinction between ecological process certifications and ecological product certifications, the research intends then to analyze each of the mentioned categories. It is appropriate to anticipate that the ecological process certifications ensure a company's ability to structure and manage its own resources and its production processes according to specific parameters. On the other hand, the ecological product certifications provide a direct approach aiming to ascertain the conformity of a particular product to specific ecological parameters. Afterwards, the research intends to study in depth the ecological product certifications, analyzing three categories in which they can be divided: eco-labels Type I, II and III. After the description of the ecological certifications and the different types which can be obtained by professionals, the analysis will be focused on the ecological certifications that the company Lube has already achieved, as well as on those which will be useful to obtain. The last chapter is finally dedicated to the problem of consumer protection from the improper behavior that professionals using ecological certifications may have within their own activity. In view of what has been said, it will be described the unfair commercial practices discipline introduced in Italy by the transposition of the 2005/29/CE Directive. The exam of different types of unfair commercial practices has proved that professionals who use ecological certifications may essentially incur in misleading commercial practices, for example providing false informations concerning specific characteristics of a product or creating eco-labels Type I or Type III or ecological process certifications without having the necessary authorization. Finally it has been considerate suitable to conclude this research with a specific case that required the intervention of the Antitrust Authority in order to sanction a company which has deceptively advertised its own product through a specific eco-label Type I, case that demonstrates how it is possible to mislead consumers by the wrong use of such delicate instruments.