Metsä Board has announced the winners of this year's packaging design competition "Better with Less - Design Challenge". The submissions to the current competition focussed in particular on sustainability and the dual function of packaging.
The winning concept "Expandable Eco Street Food Ware" is an intelligent and environmentally compatible solution that growing demand for street food containers and the desire for Alternatives to plastic packaging does it justice. It was developed by Christine Gamboa (Senior Art Director) and Gaudy Danao III (Associate Creative Director), both of whom are from the Philippines. They will receive the main prize of 7,000 euros.
Christine Gamboa (next to Gaudy Danao III), designer of the winning concept "ExpandableEco Street Food Ware" (Image: Christine Gamboa and Gaudy Danao III)
"The demand for street food has grown strongly worldwide in recent years. Our idea was to find alternatives to the common disposable plastic used for street food containers. Our concept is broad-based: We therefore believe that, with the appropriate adaptations, the product could be a Industrial application beyond street food packaging can achieve." Christine Gamboa (alongside Gaudy Danao III), designer of the winning concept "ExpandableEco Street Food Ware".
The concept is particularly flexible and plastic-free and therefore offers a simple and trendy alternative to plastic and polystyrene containerswhich are common in the fast food sector. When spread out flat, the cardboard container has a diameter of 25 centimetres. It offers at least eight different folding options, from a cone to a plate, and can be used for a wide variety of dishes. The concept saves material and minimises the space required for storage as well as the volume of material for disposal and recycling.
Ilkka Harju, Chair of the Better with Less Design Challenge (Image: Metsä Board)
"The winning concept is a simple, intelligent and practical solution that combines versatility with minimum material consumption and thus perfectly fulfils the motto "Better with Less". It provides a good user experience and is truly environmentally friendly and economical. The packaging is made from a plastic-free barrier cardboard is easy to recycle, compostable and biodegradable," explains competition chairman and jury member Ilkka HarjuPackaging Services Director at Metsä Board.
More winning concepts
"Bruk" is a sustainable beverage carton that is easy to recycle and contains less plastic. (Image: Metsä Board)
Endowed with 2,000 euros second prize goes to the developers of "Bruk"a sustainable beverage carton that is easy to recycle and contains less plastic. The design comes from Eric Smith from the USA.
The Third prize of EUR 1,000 goes to the "Razor Dispenser" design team. This packaging for disposable razors replaces the usual plastic with a minimalist paper box that only covers the razor heads and leaves the handles free. This means that the blades are packaged safely and hygienically, while the colour and shape are directly visible. The design comes from Magdalena Schmitz, Sarah Redlich, Mikayla Just and Alejandro Don Floreswho are all studying product design at the Münster School of Design.
With "Razor Dispenser", a minimalist paper box takes the place of the usual plastic. (Image: Metsä Board)
"The winning concepts took into account aspects of Sustainability and the circular economy well thought out and innovatively realised. The three best-placed companies were in a neck-and-neck race. There were many inspiring solutions that Shifts in consumer trends away from plastic and towards more sustainable packaging materials. In some concepts, the packaging fulfilled two functions at once, i.e. it became part of the product during use and thus increased the benefits of the packaging in terms of the circular economy," explains jury member Ilkka Harju.
Further prizes awarded
Additional price "Reload", where full and empty batteries can be stored and sorted in the same packaging. (Image: Metsä Board)
Metsä Board also has a Additional prize for a student is awarded. This person receives an internship at Metsä Board's new centre of excellence in Finland. In this category, the jury was impressed by the "Reload" conceptThe new system allows full and empty batteries to be stored and sorted in the same packaging. The full batteries can be removed from one side and the empty batteries put back in from the other side. Both are stored separately from each other. As soon as a red bar is completely visible, the pack should be taken to the battery recycling box. The packaging design comes from Hamzeh Za'balawi, Franziska Prior, Marcel Diederich and Oliver Ricker.
In addition, a special award (Honorary Mention) went to "Project FF" by Jasper Chou. This is a Sustainable, adhesive-free container for French fries and ketchup.
[infotext]Die „Better with Less – Design Challenge 2019–2020“ ist ein internationaler Verpackungsdesign-Wettbewerb, der von Metsä Board, einem Unternehmen der Metsä Group, ausgerichtet wird. Der Wettbewerb lädt Designer ein, umweltfreundlichere Lösungen für einige der weltweit am häufigsten genutzten Konsumgüterverpackungen zu entwickeln. 146 Teilnehmer aus 28 Ländern reichten Ideen ein. Der Jury gehörten Verpackungsdesignexperten aus der ganzen Welt an.[/infotext]
