As the world strives to move towards sustainable living, more and more individuals and companies are making changes to their products, systems and services. With this, the development of innovative solutions is well underway and these efforts are not left unnoticed by reputable awarding bodies recognizing the best in product design.
Starts at Home. The kitchen has the most usage when it comes to energy, not to mention that it has the most yield when it comes to waste on a daily basis. On a global scale, our waste accumulates about 1.3 billion tons of food annually, that is according to the Food and Agriculture Organization or FAO of the United Nations.
The Stats. High water usage is another sustainable concern when it comes to the kitchen. In a case study in four European countries conducted by Richter, C.P. and Stamminger, R., dishwashing covers at least half of the daily water consumption per person. With an average of 58% for the 4 countries.
The Trends. Sustainability Drives Innovation. We’ve got a list of the winners of the European Product Design Award.
Waste Management
Photo credit: Kennedy Castelli
- Lead Designer: Kennedy Castelli
If you live in a condominium or an apartment complex, having a waste treatment right in your very home seems far-fetched due to the limited space. But, with the Lotus Composter, the possibility of a zero-waste lifestyle becomes achievable with its compact design that can have you composting right in your flat. The perfect device to place in your kitchen where you can turn your vegetable and fruit peelings or other spoiled leftovers into the compost container.
The design is similar to a salad spinner that is sealed with two lids which allow the internal bucket to turn safely without spilling its contents. While the outer bucket captures the waste materials.
Efficient and Recyclable
Photo credit: Joshua Latner
- Lead Designer: Joshua Latner
Ergonomically designed with efficiency in mind, the C3 is a great prototype of how domestic kitchen space can be utilized in the future. With only 3 meters in length, it allows the flow of food preparation accurately and fast. With just an arm’s reach, you can cook and prepare food just like a pro-chef at home.
You’ll enjoy the exceptional kitchen design up to 30 years of its lifespan and the C3 is made from a material with high recyclable content.
Food Sustainability
Photo credit: Manuela Arroyave
- Lead Designer: Manuela Arroyave
With a fresh and simple design, it’s a humble item to keep in your kitchen. The ERBA is a fresh herb keeper that balances the water, oxygen and humidity to maintain the fresh flavour of live herbs.
It comes with three parts namely the glass keeper, the ceramic bottom and the pump/mist dispenser. The design allows you to have access to fresh herbs in your kitchen without worrying about their shelf life expiration. The novel concept makes way for new equipment and systems that allow for prolonging the life cycle of organic food in a healthy and environmentally-friendly approach.
Water-Saving
Photo credit: Rezi Microfaserprodukte Gmbh
- Lead Designer: Walter Intemann
Saving water can be done in the smallest of ways. The Eco-dishwasher is rather an ingenious device that can scrape off leftover particles efficiently, which can’t be done by purely wiping away. This eliminates the need to use water when pre-washing, saving valuable drinking water.
Its beautiful design is shaped like a water drop that comes with a silicone material. The scraper comes in four eye-popping colours.
Reduce Food Wastage
Photo credit: Chaozhi Lin
- Lead Designer: Chaozhi Lin
A home garden seems more viable than ever as self-sufficiency has its advantages, such as being ecologically responsible and having access to sustainable, safe and healthy productions.
We may not realize it but the food wastage is a major contributor to climate change. With a third of the world’s food supplies being sent as waste, we are looking at 1.3 billion tons of wasted food in 2019 alone.
Sustainability Family Farm allows people to plant right in their homes. With a compact and efficient design, it can process food anywhere at home. The design turns food waste into compost. It has 6 plots available for planting and at the end is a container where food waste is placed and processed with one-touch control panel adjustments.
