Corus and Design Wales Award announces eco-friendly winners

04 Jun 2007

A ‘funky toaster’ and multi purpose washing machine have been declared winners at the 2007 Corus and Design Wales Eco Design Awards. The competition, which is now in its fifth year, invites product design students from the University of Wales Institute Cardiff, Glamorgan University and Swansea Institute of Higher Education to design products which follow eco-friendly design principles.

This year, the brief asked students to deliver an innovative and environmentally sound kitchen appliance. As one guest judge, Richard Eisermann Strategic Director of Prospect Design and former Design Director at Whirlpool, explains “the Eco Design Awards are all about challenging existing design concepts and principles, and demonstrating ability to conceive products designed for zero waste. The best people to achieve this are students unhindered by uniformed design constraints.”

The Eco Design Awards are organised jointly by Design Wales, an organisation that works closely with education institutions and businesses to provide opportunities and recognition for designers and Tarfarnaubach based Corus Consumer Products, which has also cultivated strong links with the design faculties of Welsh universities.

Winner Most Innovative Design - Funky Toaster

Kevin Jones, a student at the Swansea Institute of Higher Education won the Most Innovative Design Award for his ‘funky toaster’ – a rechargeable, and therefore portable toaster, manufactured from Motiva™ G, a dry wipe pre-finished steel from Corus which allows messages to be written on its casing.

Winner Most Marketable Design - Washer/Dishwasher Combo

A multi purpose washing machine that cleans plates and clothes won the Most Marketable Design category. With many white goods manufacturers aiming to build more eco-efficient products, the design concept by Peter Feakes from Glamorgan University appealed to guest judge and Indesit Industrial Design team leader Darren Holmes: “Emphasis on sustainable design and environmentally friendly innovations are central to white goods manufacture and my design role at Indesit, so it is encouraging that a new generation of designers who make these considerations are graduating from our universities.”