Kartell, founded by Giulio Castelli in 1949, has always been a creative laboratory in which designers are called to work on different materials to transform a project into and industrial product. Quality, innovation, ingenuity, research, materials, design, are the strategic cornerstones of the way of doing business that takes from the past and looks into the future. The history is intertwined with the commitment and the passion of three generations active in the development and evolution of the brand.

From the very beginning, Kartell helped define a design language that would become a symbol of the made in Italy.

At the end of the 1950s, thanks to a solid engineering culture and constant research, Kartell launched the Labware Division for the supply of technical articles for laboratories; a division able to valorise materials such as polypropylene, polystyrene, polyethylene and to offer plastic as a valid alternative to glass due to its lightness, strength, economy and safety.

In 1958, thanks to the experience in the Housewares Division, Kartell already gained a good know-how in industrial production and is ready to expand into new sectors. Giulio Castelli, a graduate in chemical engineering, can tackle the challenges of innovation with competence and vision.

The chemical-physical characteristics of the new plastic materials, such as unbreakability and durability over time, open up a new frontier in application also in the scientific field, allowing to produce articles such as beakers, cylinders, funnels and test tubes for professional use.

From the early stages, Giulio Castelli entrusts the design of Labware products to his designers, Gino Colombini first and Centrokappa after. This choice is one of keys to success of the Division, confirming the integrated approach between aesthetics and functionality.

As already done with housewares, Gino Colombini rethink technical objects by introducing formal and functional innovations: emblematic are the long stem funnels of 1962, with internal small ribs to prevent the filter paper from sticking to the surface or the modular test tube holder of 1959 with “X” comb elements. Also noteworthy is the “First Eyd” eye emergency station designed by Centrokappa in 1979 in which the support has also a signaling function.

To develop the Labware line, Kartell used over forty different plastic materials, making the division an advanced technological research laboratory. Each product is the result of a careful evaluation of the materials and technologies best suited to its function.

The choice of materials is oriented towards efficiency and safety: in the production process critical elements such as reaction to chemical agents, aging, thermal stress, exposure to UV radiations, sterilization and other environmental effects are considered.

Having always favoured quality, the use of advanced technologies, the wide range of items included in the catalogue, makes the Kartell Labware  image and name recognized worldwide.

CERTIFICATION ISO 9001: 2015

In 1996, Kartell decided to certify its Corporate Quality Management System in compliance with UNI EN ISO 9001:1994 standards.

In 2005, the company aligned its Quality Management Systems with the standard UNI EN ISO 9001:2000.

In 2008, the company renewed its ISO 9001:2000 certification.

In 2010 Kartell updated its certification standard and is now UNI EN ISO 9001:2008 certified. A guarantor for this certification process is the I.I.P. (Italian Institute of Plastics), which is itself accredited by SINCERT and CISQ, the Italian federation of accreditation bodies for Quality Management Systems.

In 2017, Kartell updated its certification standard to UNI EN ISO 9001:2015.

CISQ is part of IQNET (International Certification Network), a supranational body which guarantees mutual recognition of the ISO standard in countries worldwide. The attainment and maintenance of this certification, made possible by the commitment and perseverance of all company offices involved, testifies to the continued research into ever higher levels of quality in company management systems.

CERTIFICATION ISO 14001: 2015

In 2011 Kartell achieved UNI EN ISO 14001: 2004 certification for its support of an effective Environmental Management System, an international standard recognised throughout the world and developed about 10 years ago which defines development and implementation parameters in corporate processes in order to achieve an effective environmental management system.

This certification attests that the organization certified has implemented a management system capable of controlling environmental impact in its own business and systematically endeavours to improve it in a sustainable, effective and consistent manner.

ISO 14001 certification is not obligatory but is the result of the voluntary choice of the Company which decides to define, implement, maintain and improve its own environmental management system.

The production of high quality, safe and reliable design products with low environmental impact and which are recyclable. This is the challenge that Kartell is called upon to come to grips with as protagonist in the coming years.

In 2017, Kartell adapted the certification standard to UNI EN ISO 14001:2015.

A copy of the Quality Certification can be downloaded from the corporate website www.kartelllabware.com