Trendy and Sustainable

Finnish fibreboard producer Metsä Board had called for the “Better with Less – Design Challenge”. The winner was the “Expandable Eco Street Food Ware”, a sustainable solution to the growing demand for street food packaging.

Achieving more with less material: this was the challenge Metsä Board’s packaging designers had set. The jury was particularly impressed by the adaptable, plastic-free packaging solution “Expandable Eco Street Food Ware” by creative artists Christine Gamboa and Gaudy Danao from the Philippines. The winners received prize money in the amount of 7,000 euros.

Changeable design

In the opinion of the jury, the solution is a simple and trendy alternative to plastic and polystyrene containers. The cardboard container has a diameter of 10 inches when lying flat and can be folded in up to eight different ways, from a cone to a plate. The simple design can be used for many types of food products because of the many possible applications. In addition to saving material, the design minimizes the space required for storage, disposal and recycling.

Sustainable beverage carton

The second place went to “Bruk”, a sustainable beverage carton with a reduced plastic content that can be easily recycled. It was designed by Eric Smith from the USA. The packaging designer addressed the problem of making the paper and plastic parts of the cartons easy to separate. When it’s time to recycle the carton, the consumer simply tears “Bruk” in half and releases the liner. This makes it easy to recycle separately from the cardboard.

Razor blade dispenser

Third prize was awarded to “Razor”, a minimalist cardboard box as an alternative to the standard plastic packaging for razor blades. The box only covers the razor heads. This ensures that the blades are safely covered while the color and handle of the razor remain visible. The design is by Magdalena Schmitz, Sarah Redlich, Mikayla Just and Alejandro Don Flores, all students of product design at the University of Applied Sciences for Design in Münster.

The challenge

The international packaging design competition “Better with Less – Design Challenge 2019-2020” was organised by Metsä Board, part of the co-operative Metsä Group. The aim: to develop environmentally friendly solutions for some of the most commonly used consumer packaging. 146 participants from 28 countries contributed ideas. The jury included influential packaging designers from around the world.