A recycled fabric with which to make work clothes, a container for cleaning products and a dock mooring defense system have been the three winners of the Premi Catalunya d’Ecodisseny, organized biannually by the Department of Climate Action, Food i Rural Agenda of the Generalitat to “recognize products designed, manufactured or executed in Catalonia that integrate considerations into their design to improve environmental performance during their life cycle”, according to the Department itself.
The awards were presented this Thursday by Josep Vidal i Fàbrega, secretary general of the Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda; Isaac Peraire i Soler, director of the Waste Agency of Catalonia (ARC); and Mireia Boya e Busquet, general director of Environmental Quality and Climate Change.
To choose among the 80 projects presented in this fifth edition of the award, the jury mainly valued “the incorporation of eco-design strategies, the contribution to the circular economy, the quality of the design and innovation,” declares this organization. In total, three category awards and seven mentions have been awarded.
The award for the ‘Product’ category went to the company Techni Tiger, SL, from Castellbell i el Vilar (Bages), for its Ecoloop UB fabric, which will be used to produce work clothing. “Up to 65% of its fibers are recycled, with viscose as a substitute for cotton and recycled polyester as a synthetic fiber,” the Department endorses its decision.
Added to this winner are two category mentions: a sustainable shopping cart and a network system for the retention of solid waste.
The shopping cart (baptized 8 Plus) is from the Innou company in Barcelona, ??from Rolser. Designed by Antoni Parera, it is the first shopping cart made exclusively from recycled plastics. Furthermore, “the structure and the folding system are designed with the minimum number of parts possible and once its useful life ends, it can be recycled again,” they justify.
Likewise, the network system for the retention of solid waste (TecnoGrabber®) which, placed in the sewer, prevents this waste from reaching the rivers when there are episodes of intense rain. It is a design by the company Tecnoconverting Engineering, SL, from Sant Fruitós de Bages (Bages). “It consists of a highly durable stainless steel structural part that is 100% recyclable, and a nylon mesh that when it needs to be changed, is thrown away along with the waste that is collected,” they argue.
Proquimia, SA, from Vic (Osona), has received the award for its Eco Duo packaging in the ‘Product in development’ category, which recognizes product or service projects in the prototype or pilot phase. Eco Duo aims to increase the circularity of “ready to use” packaging containing concentrated cleaning products. The spray container is designed with a double cavity: one for water, which can be refilled many times, and another that contains the concentrated detergent/disinfectant.
This category has had three mentions. The first, some circular caps for cava fermentation (Fizzycaps), from the company Fizzycaps, SL, from Barcelona. It is 100% recyclable that includes a recovery system for the caps once used by the same company. The second was a modular surfboard (Ya-go), from designers Maxuca. Finally, the third mention goes to Circutex, a container for collecting textile waste from Solidança Trabajo, SL, in Sant Just Desvern (Baix Llobregat).
In the ‘Young Design’ category, which rewards products on the market or in development made by students or recent graduates, the winner was Joan Pahissa, from the Escola Universitària de Disseny i Enginyeria de Barcelona Elisava for a mooring defense system to the pier (called Veluga) made with recycled plastics collected from the Mediterranean Sea. Sensors, integrated into the defense and connected to an application, allow us to know the occupancy level of the dock.
There have been two mentions for this category. A mesh to retain microplastics in the washing machine (it has been named Fixed) by Maria Mei, Nuria Fandos and Mario Sanz, students from the same university school as the previous winner; and paper and ink from artichoke leaves (Ex·t?rra), using the inedible part of the plant, which is discarded and treated as agricultural waste.
“This year, the Premi Catalunya d’Ecodisseny launches a new symbol and represents the union of three key concepts of the circular economy: reducing waste and resources, multiplying the useful life and giving additional value to products”, presents the Department, and He adds that what it is about is “promoting an appropriate environment to give added and responsible value to the products and services produced and marketed in Catalonia, while achieving greater competitiveness in the business world and greater social responsibility.” and environmental”
