The result is impressive: A total of 51 entries in the three competition categories of Product, Concept and Young Talent won over the jury and have been nominated for the Federal Ecodesign Award. The excitement continues to build, with the prize winners due to be announced during the official award ceremony at the Federal Environment Ministry in Berlin on 22 November, 2012.
Assessment focused on degree of innovation, design quality and environmental features, with this being the first time that a design award has given equal weighting to environmental and design criteria. This new and transparent competition concept was developed by the International Design Center Berlin (IDZ), supported by a project advisory board, on behalf of the Federal Environment Agency and the Federal Environment Ministry. The award aims to draw attention to innovation in the area of environmental design, given that up to 80 percent of a product’s environmental impact is determined at the design stage, and is intended to support designers and companies that give consideration to the effect their products have on the environment.
Professor Günter Horntrich, chairman of the jury: "We were impressed by the range of work and consider this development in eco design to be very positive. We had a diverse spectrum of entries to choose from and assess, which meant that the decisions on nominees and which work to recognise with an award were only reached after vigorous and intensive discussion between the designers and environmental experts on the jury. We placed equal emphasis on good design quality, environmental benefits and sustainability - the only way for us to appropriately evaluate the eco design qualities of the work in the categories of Concept, Young Talent and Product."
An online exhibition of nominees can now be viewed on the website of the Federal Ecodesign Award. Those interested in eco design can find out more about the topic on the site, and take inspiration from the selected examples, as new entries will be accepted for the award in 2013. A travelling exhibition is also planned.
