Fabien Bouton, a designer at heart

Fabien, head of the Goods and Services division at EVEA, has followed a perfectly balanced path, shaped by creativity, technical expertise, and a strong sense of human connection.

On the creative side, it all began in childhood. Raised in a family of artists, with a mother who was a packaging designer, Fabien had an early window into the world of design. As a teenager, he dreamt of becoming an automotive designer — a field that demanded both technical prowess and a refined sense of aesthetics. What fascinated him then, and still drives him today, is the user-centred approach: designing things that are useful, usable, and truly used. He even sent his sketches to a famous car manufacturer, who encouraged him to pursue this path.

Naturally, Fabien earned a degree in product design at the École de design de la Grande Tourrache in Toulon, France. Over time, however, he realised he needed more scientific methods and technical skills to bring his English-speaking vision of design into dialogue with engineering. He went on to complete a master’s degree in design innovation at the Université de technologie de Compiègne (UTC) — a designer among engineers. “I was a bit of an alien,” he smiles, adjusting his round glasses.

It was during this period that Fabien first heard about EVEA, thanks to a course on eco-design delivered by Jean-Baptiste Puyou at UTC. That lecture left a lasting impression. For the first time, he saw a way to unite his three core interests: design, engineering, and the environment.

Determined to deepen his understanding of environmental issues, Fabien headed to Université de Montréal and Polytechnique Montréal, where he took part in an academic exchange programme on design and complexity. It added another string to his bow, with a specialisation in environmental studies. It was there he had his first encounters with life cycle assessment and eco-design.

On returning from Quebec in 2005, Fabien became one of EVEA’s very first interns. His project explored two major themes championed by EVEA in partnership with research laboratories at UTC: how to integrate environmental value into value analysis processes, and how to account for user pleasure from the earliest stages of design, without compromising environmental impact.

“It was in one of the very first offices,” he recalls, “an old bar converted into a workspace, with a woollen carpet just laid down by Jean-Baptiste and Arnaud [Roquesalane, Ed.]. What was incredible at the time was the total trust, freedom and kind support Jean-Baptiste gave to the small team. It was this spirit that laid the foundations of EVEA’s mission, forging its identity around the blend of creativity and scientific analysis (LCA).”

Fabien was involved in the first collective eco-design initiatives in Midi-Pyrénées and Pays de la Loire regions, and contributed to the writing of the Guide Éco-Faire, one of the very first guides to structure the methodology and tools helping companies integrate environmental considerations throughout their product development cycles.

Over the years, Fabien’s relational skills have flourished through close contact with clients and teams alike. In his current leadership role, he values supporting new generations of consultants. He admires their drive and strong commitment to advancing EVEA’s mission of building shared knowledge. He also enjoys staying connected to the field, working directly with companies, and promoting a positive vision of environmental progress. He believes there is always room for improvement — and that every product and service can be designed with eco-thinking at its core.

Fabien has countless fond memories of his time at EVEA: from housewarming parties at the early Nantes offices — first on Rue de la Fraternité, where meetings were sometimes held in the garden, to Rue des Olivettes, where a dedicated eco-design showroom was created.

When not immersed in EVEA projects, Fabien finds escape in hands-on work. He single-handedly renovated his home from top to bottom, almost stone by stone. He also enjoys rowing, photography, and drawing. A true artist, through and through. ▪