Cradle to Cradle announces winners of second Product Design Challenge

Cradle to Cradle launched the very first Product Design Challenge last year to encourage young designers to continuously rethink everyday design through sustainable, innovative practices. Launched in collaboration with Autodesk, the bi-annual competition returned for a second time, along with a new set of winning designs!

In tandem with Cradle to Cradle's core emphases on sustainability and working toward a circular economy, participants had to create products made of materials that can safely return to nature or be reused for industrial purposes. Entrants submitted their designs after completing a free 2-hour, online course "Designing Cradle to Cradle Certified Products for the Circular Economy".

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After receiving designs from 18 countries, the competition jury narrowed down the list to 11 finalists following three rounds of evaluations. They then selected one winner in each of the Challenge's four categories: Best Student Project; Best Professional Project; Best Use of Aluminum; and Best Use of Autodesk Fusion 360. Winners also received a US$2,000 cash prize.

Take a gander at this edition's winners below.

Best Use of Aluminum: AtoB Seat by Michiel Meurs

Project summary: "Michiel Meurs and his team designed the AtoB Seat, a seat for public transport made from recycled aluminum, recycled PET, and formaldehyde free bamboo plywood. At end of use, the AtoB Seat can be reclaimed by the manufacturer to determine which parts will be reused or recycled. It offers a sustainable solution for seating in public transportation infrastructure by allowing for easy cleaning, maintenance, disassembly, and recyclability."

Best Professional Project: BikeShare Helmet by Barent Roth

"Barent Roth, a designer and educator, is recognized for his BikeShare Helmet, a simple unisex style bike helmet designed specifically to integrate with the growing bike share community. The BikeShare Helmet uses a recycled aluminum foam shell and a sustainably grown cork liner to provide maximum protection with minimal bulk and weight while ensuring all materials are either recycled or composted."

Best Use of Autodesk Fusion 360: “Sweeping the Nation with Change” by The Engineers for a Sustainable World Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) 

"The Engineers for a Sustainable World Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Chapter developed a recyclable broom with a bristle head made of highly biodegradable material that can be replaced independently of the broom’s other components. With the functionality of three brooms, but with the material and monetary costs of one, the broom they named “Sweeping the Nation with Change” provides significant environmental and economic benefits. The entire model was assembled using Fusion 360 and allowed the team to compare and conserve materials through the animation feature, promoting a Cradle to Cradle approach to design." Additionally, the winners for this category will receive a full pass to Autodesk University and a $1,000 travel stipend.

Best Student Project: Onward Bag by Gabriella Jacobsen

"Gabriella Jacobsen, a student at Virginia Tech, designed the Onward Bag to address the issue of plastic bags being a major pollutant in oceans and waterways. It is made from 60-70 recycled plastic bags, a yard of organic cotton canvas, canvas thread, and biodegradable dye. The product is designed to be capable of reducing overall plastic waste and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by taking advantage of the embodied energy in the already processed plastic bags."