How Natural Are the “Natural” Materials? Proposal for a Quali-Quantitative Measurement Index of Naturalness in the Environmental Sustainability Context

The overall purpose of the paper is overcoming misunderstanding “naturalness” attribute materials. This due to always-increasing innovative materials considered “environmentally sustainable” and “natural” by producers, material libraries, designers. investigated research problem is: how simply effectively evaluate degree naturalness a material, preventing complete complex LCA analysis? basic design study was focused on (i) creating multicriteria quali-quantitative method—Material Naturalness Index (MNI)— in order assess materials’ scientifically, (ii) test it running evaluation 60 MNI set considering least number parameters Material Life Cycle (i.e., resource kingdom, resource, processing, post-use processing). latest selected from family six international libraries were index. data analysis based Theory Attractive Quality, attractive, must-be, or reverse qualities. Major findings concerning index utility found as result. demonstrated support different actors with aims: designers, independently evaluating using real evidence pursuing critical point view not influenced marketing claims; facing challenge naturalness; (iii) which are collocated between two other actors, proposing measurable information naturalness. In conclusion, key-concept should be assumed an rather than family.