The contest entries in the four categories 'product', 'service', 'concept' and 'young design' were presented to an interdisciplinary jury at a large exhibition at the former Tempelhof airport in Berlin on 6 October. Entries included ecological dyeing techniques, sustainable logistics schemes and reconceptualised everyday objects.
Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Environment Ministry, commented: "The Bundespreis Ecodesign has once again brought forward many outstanding entries this year. I have been especially impressed by the interplay of high environmental quality, functionality, innovation and attractive design."
The Federal Environment Agency's Vice-President, Thomas Holzmann, emphasised: "The diversity of the entries is proof of the many different ways good design can be successfully combined with environmental friendliness in a product. The number of entries and broad spectrum they represent are impressive." All the nominated projects can now be viewed in an online exhibition here: www.bundespreis-ecodesign.de/de/wettbewerb/2014/nominierte.html. The website includes background information on ecodesign and the list of criteria which is used to evaluate the entries.
Last year's prize-winning entries and nominations can be admired in a touring exhibition on 24-26 October at the Designers' Open festival in Leipzig: www.bundespreis-ecodesign.de/de/ausstellung
The Federal Ministry for Environment and the Federal Environment Agency have awarded the Bundespreis Ecodesign every year since 2012 in collaboration with IDZ Internationales Design Zentrum Berlin. The initiative is supported by a project advisory council. The prize honours innovative products, services or ideas that are convincing in their design and eco-friendliness.
Nominees
Click here for information about the projects nominated for the Bundespreis Ecodesign 2014: www.bundespreis-ecodesign.de/de/wettbewerb/2014/nominierte.html
Jury
Werner Aisslinger (designer, specialised in product design and architecture)
Dr. Kirsten Brodde (journalist and author)
Dr. Thomas Holzmann (Vice-President, Federal Environment Agency)
Prof. Günter Horntrich (Professor for Design and Ecology at KISD)
Theresa Keilhacker (architect, specialised in sustainable planning and building)
Dr. Dietlinde Quack (research assistant, Institute for Applied Ecology, research focus area: sustainable consumption and products)
Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter (Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety)
Prof. Dr. h.c. Erik Spiekermann (communications designer, typographer, font designer and author)
Advisory Council
Victoria Ringleb, Alliance of German Designers (AGD)
Anne Farken, BMW Group Designworks USA
Prof. Matthias Held and Sabine Lenk, German Society for Design Theory and Research (DGTF)
Lutz Dietzold, German Design Council
Prof. Susanne Schwarz-Raacke (product), Prof. Heike Selmer (fashion design) and Prof. Dr. Zane Berzina (textile and surface design), Berlin Weissensee School of Art (KHB)
Karin-Simone Fuhs and Dorothea Hess, ecosign/Akademie für Gestaltung
Dr. Stephan Kabasci and Hendrik Roch, Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety, and Energy Technology UMSICHT
Stephan Rabl, Association of German Retail Trade (HDE)
Dr. Dominik Klepper, German Brands Association
Johanna Kardel, Federation of German Consumer Organisations (vzbv)
Development and implementation
Internationales Design Zentrum Berlin e. V. (IDZ)
www.idz.de
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