Author: 9ve8c

FIX collects and revalues washing machine waste containing microplastics, transforming it into a new material to reduce environmental impact and prevent microplastics from being released into oceans through the washing of synthetic textiles.

Define the problem/need you are solving or addressing with your project. How does it address the Open Call criteria, such as environmental impact, social engagement, circularity, user experience, resource efficiency, and community-driven solutions?

Microplastics are small synthetic particles (less than 5 mm) released into marine environments through washing synthetic garments, posing risks to both aquatic ecosystems and human health. FIX addresses this issue by collecting washing machine waste that contains microplastics and revaluing it into a new composite material available in formats like pellets or 3D printing filament. This process prevents microplastics from entering the environment and incorporates them into a circular economy. Moreover, FIX raises awareness about microplastic pollution through its aesthetically designed material made from waste. The project optimizes resource efficiency by repurposing materials and tailors its solutions to user needs, providing an innovative, industry-adaptable product while offering eco-friendly packaging for the 3D filament. The design reduces material waste, enhances the user experience, and supports sustainability goals.

Please describe your project, reflecting on the concept, inspiration, materials, technical aspects, methods and process(es).

FIX aims to mitigate microplastic pollution by upcycling washing machine waste into a new composite material. This material comprises encapsulated washing machine waste (3% by weight) containing microplastics, mixed with 97% recyclable polypropylene plastic. Through industrial extrusion, microplastic particles are agglomerated, enhancing the flexural properties of the polypropylene while integrating them into the circular economy. The material is offered in both pellet form and as 3D printing filament, making it adaptable to current industrial processes and enabling the creation of new products while raising awareness about microplastic pollution. FIX also features eco-friendly packaging for the filament, crafted from a single monomaterial piece of recycled corrugated cardboard, minimizing material use while ensuring protection and transport efficiency. This approach not only prevents pollution but also creates new value from waste.

What do you think makes your project innovative compared to the existing efforts and ideas in the field it addresses?

FIX differentiates itself by capturing waste from washing machines, including microplastics, and upcycling it into a usable material. While many initiatives focus solely on capturing microplastics, FIX advances by addressing the post-collection phase to ensure that waste is transformed into a valuable resource rather than returning to the environment. The project introduces a scalable solution that embodies circular economy principles. Additionally, FIX presents a sustainable alternative to traditional 3D filament packaging and spools, often made from excessive non-recyclable materials. By employing recycled corrugated cardboard and reducing material waste, FIX optimizes resource efficiency and usability, providing an eco-friendly, practical solution that aligns with sustainability goals.

Does it impact or reflect young people need(s) and how?

FIX resonates with the increasing environmental awareness among young people who actively seek sustainable solutions and innovative ways to combat pollution. As a university research project, it demonstrates that microplastic waste can be captured and revalued, inspiring young innovators to create circular economy solutions. By showcasing how waste can transform into valuable resources, FIX promotes a shift toward sustainable thinking. Furthermore, the project helps reduce microplastic emissions, protecting future generations from their harmful effects and promoting overall human and environmental health. FIX reflects the desire of young people to take action and illustrates how academic and design solutions can contribute to a more sustainable future.

The Fermentors is an ecofeminist movement that reactivates ancestral knowledge through the body, restoring human-microbial bonds, and fermenting a future of collective care, resilience, and interconnection.

Define the problem/need you are solving or addressing with your project. How does it address the Open Call criteria, such as environmental impact, social engagement, circularity, user experience, resource efficiency, and community-driven solutions?

Fermentors tackle the growing disconnect between people, food, and community amid an environmental crisis, resource scarcity, and urban loneliness. In a fast-paced digital world, fermentation offers an offline, hands-on, and inclusive practice that fosters deep engagement with living materials. Our collective workshops, performative dinners, and storytelling practices—such as podcasts and zine-making—cultivate knowledge-sharing, intergenerational exchange, and community resilience, countering isolation through shared sensory experiences. By making fermentation an accessible, interactive community experience, Fermentors empower younger generations to adopt sustainable, localized food practices and reclaim food sovereignty. As a regenerative, low-energy practice, fermentation reduces food waste, promotes biodiversity, and minimizes reliance on industrial food systems. By collaborating with microbial cultures, the project highlights symbiotic relationships essential for ecological balance and revives fermentation as both a cultural and material practice that strengthens social bonds and fosters sustainable living.

Please describe your project, reflecting on the concept, inspiration, materials, technical aspects, methods and process(es).

Fermentors, a growing network of microbial and human bodies, cultivates relationships through the practice of fermentation. Rooted in the communal ritual of fermenting Sauerkraut in the Black Forest, the movement emphasizes reactivating and preserving local material practices. Inspired by fermentation expert Sandor Ellix Katz, this project encourages deeper connections between humans and microorganisms through direct experimentation. By sharing knowledge about fermentation in embodied ways, Fermentors challenge human-centered views, highlighting the agency of microbes and the non-extractive, symbiotic relationships they sustain. Incorporating local wild cultures and ancestral techniques within participatory workshops and dinners, Fermentors create offline spaces for intergenerational exchange and community resilience. Aligning with Food Design Activism, as proposed by Francesca Zampollo, it contests unjust power structures in food systems. Operating at the intersection of food science, design, and activism, Fermentors employs intuitive, low-energy methods to envision regenerative alternatives to industrialized food systems, restoring microbial and human ecologies.

What do you think makes your project innovative compared to the existing efforts and ideas in the field it addresses?

Fermentors’ innovative approach merges traditional fermentation practices with contemporary community-building and ecological activism through a feminist perspective. While many projects focus on sustainability or food systems, Fermentors emphasizes the embodied experience of fermentation as a tool for social engagement and radical care, promoting feminist values of mutual support, collaboration, and interdependence. This project challenges the industrialized food model by fostering interspecies relationships between humans and microbes, underscoring their shared role in nurturing resilience, biodiversity, and care. By cultivating a network of human and microbial bodies, Fermentors shifts the focus from individual consumption to collective practices. It actively integrates circular methods, engaging diverse communities through accessible workshops, performative dinners, and a podcast. Significantly, the project’s goal is to bridge ancestral knowledge and contemporary participatory design practices, envisioning future food systems as interconnected, sustainable ecosystems rooted in feminist principles of equality and care.

Does it impact or reflect young people need(s) and how?

Fermentors addresses young people’s needs by providing spaces for creative expression, hands-on learning, and community engagement, all increasingly vital in today’s fast-paced, digital world. Many young individuals experience feelings of isolation, disconnection from nature, and a lack of traditional knowledge, particularly in urban settings. Engaging with fermentation—rooted in slow, embodied practices—empowers young participants to reconnect with the tactile and sensory aspects of food, their environment, and each other. The project encourages them to actively participate in sustainable, localized food practices, nurturing a deeper understanding of ecology, food sovereignty, and the importance of cultural heritage. By creating participatory spaces for learning and social exchange, young people can build community and feel empowered to take collective action against the industrialization of food systems, fostering a sense of agency while cultivating lasting connections within their communities.

A playful, illustrated book of 52 weekly eco-challenges that reconnects citizens with their city and nature, inspiring a greener, more sustainable urban lifestyle through creativity, curiosity, and community action.

Define the problem/need you are solving or addressing with your project. How does it address the Open Call criteria, such as environmental impact, social engagement, circularity, user experience, resource efficiency, and community-driven solutions?

Urban life can alienate citizens from both their natural surroundings and from simple, meaningful actions that support sustainability. The Green Book of Plovdiv responds by blending storytelling and gamified learning into a joyful exploration of eco-living. Through 52 weekly challenges—from walking shelter dogs to identifying trees from your window or walking barefoot in the grass—the book offers an inclusive, low-barrier way to inspire behavioral change. It promotes circularity, low-impact habits, and strong community connections through collaborative actions. The project’s design, tone, and content are geared to be playful yet impactful, encouraging engagement from families, individuals, educators, and companies with ESG goals. By creating shared, small-scale actions embedded in the local context, the project fosters collective ecological literacy and community empowerment. It aligns with the competition’s focus on awareness, outreach, and educational design that inspires long-term change and regenerative thinking. 

Please describe your project, reflecting on the concept, inspiration, materials, technical aspects, methods and process(es).

The Green Book of Plovdiv is a creative toolkit for environmental awareness rooted in place, emotion, and action. Designed as a pocket book publication, it offers 52 illustrated challenges—one for each week of the year—that gently nudge citizens to explore nature in the city, reduce their footprint, and practice mindful living. Inspired by Plovdiv’s layered landscape and slow city vibe, each challenge is crafted as a micro-story, such as decoding a tree’s life through its rings or giving a flower to your neighborhood florist. All text is handwritten, and the visuals are fully illustrated in-house by Studio PUNKT (www.punkt.studio), creating a tactile, personal, and collectible object. It’s printed locally using eco-conscious materials, with attention to minimizing waste. The process included co-creation with local museums, educators, and environmentalists, and its modular structure allows for replication in other cities. It’s equal parts game, guidebook, and movement. 

What do you think makes your project innovative compared to the existing efforts and ideas in the field it addresses?

The Green Book of Plovdiv breaks new ground by reframing environmental education as an emotional, playful, and creative experience rooted in the rhythms of everyday life. Unlike many awareness campaigns that rely on data or didactic messaging, this project uses visual storytelling, tactility, and poetic micro-actions to engage people on a human level. Its innovation lies in format (a beautifully illustrated book-game), accessibility (easy-to-do activities for all ages), and tone (friendly, humorous, hopeful). It reimagines sustainability not as sacrifice but as joy, community, and connection to place. Challenges like identifying urban animals, crafting a wreath from wild herbs, or barefoot walking on grass create moments of delight and self-reflection. The project bridges education, activism, and design with a regenerative mindset—inviting people not just to learn, but to feel and live their way into greener futures. It’s both a product and a process of transformation.

Does it impact or reflect young people need(s) and how?

Definitely—The Green Book of Plovdiv speaks directly to young people’s desire for agency, connection, and hopeful futures. Designed to appeal across generations, it’s particularly powerful for youth as it provides hands-on, self-directed challenges that are simple, fun, and meaningful. Whether completed solo, with friends, family members, or in school settings, the book invites exploration, creativity, and mindfulness. It fosters eco-literacy through lived experience—identifying trees, exploring barefoot, crafting from leaves—while also encouraging social engagement, such as walking dogs from the local shelter or gifting a flower to a stranger. Its visual and game-like structure meets youth where they are: curious, overstimulated, and often looking for grounding and purpose. It’s also adaptable for classrooms, making it a flexible tool for educators. Most importantly, it centers a message of hope and belonging: that young people are already part of the solution, and their everyday actions matter.

This ongoing project aims to push the boundary of craftsmanship and examine how much crafts can be involved in our daily 21st-century consumer products, other than baskets or decorative objects of the house.

Define the problem/need you are solving or addressing with your project. How does it address the Open Call criteria, such as environmental impact, social engagement, circularity, user experience, resource efficiency, and community-driven solutions?

The work reflects on the growing popularity of natural materials in the lifestyle industry, particularly in decorative products, driven by the increasing trend toward sustainability. While natural materials are often marketed as eco-friendly alternatives, their use can sometimes be superficial, raising questions about the true impact of sustainable design. This project began with personal experience, especially in the consumer products industry and uncovered an irony; despite advocating for sustainability, many brands still rely heavily on plastic and other non-biodegradable materials in mass production. This contradiction sparked a reimagining of everyday objects, exploring alternative manufacturing processes that merge functionality with meaningful storytelling. By introducing unexpected user experiences, the project encourages consumers to engage with products more consciously while reflecting on the efficiency of modern resource use. Ultimately, it seeks to challenge conventional perceptions of sustainability and inspire a more thoughtful approach to material choices in contemporary design.

Please describe your project, reflecting on the concept, inspiration, materials, technical aspects, methods and process(es).

The observation led to an exploration of combining craftsmanship with consumer electronics by using natural material, rattan and weaving techniques. The materials were chosen based on prior research into the manufacturing processes of a global consumer lifestyle product brand, which revealed that only essential product components are produced on-site, while less critical parts are outsourced from Southeast Asian countries due to lower costs. To highlight this issue, the project incorporates Southeast Asian craftsmanship and its cultural value. The long and intricate process of redesigning electronic goods to fit handcrafted exteriors, along with constant structural adjustments for weaving techniques, contrasts sharply with the rapid pace of modern manufacturing. Furthermore, the work challenges traditional views of craftsmanship by integrating it into functional, contemporary products. The consumer electronics used in this project are carefully sourced from second-hand shops and electronic markets, promoting a more sustainable approach to material reuse.

What do you think makes your project innovative compared to the existing efforts and ideas in the field it addresses?

This project is innovative in its unique integration of traditional craftsmanship with consumer electronics, a field typically dominated by industrial production and mass manufacturing. Unlike existing efforts that focus solely on sustainable materials, this project redefines product manufacturing by embedding handcrafted elements, such as rattan weaving, into modern electronic goods, slowing down the fast-consuming product lifestyle. It not only highlights the cultural and artisanal value of Southeast Asian craftsmanship but also questions the ethics of global production systems, where essential parts are localized while non-essential ones are outsourced to low-wage labor markets. By redesigning electronic products to incorporate handcrafted exteriors, the project challenges the conventional separation between craft and technology, offering a new perspective on sustainable design.

Does it impact or reflect young people need(s) and how?

This project directly impacts and reflects the needs of young people by redefining the value of local craftsmanship in a modern, technology-driven world. In an era where mass production dominates, many young designers and consumers seek more ethical, sustainable, and culturally rooted alternatives. Also, the project inspires younger generations to see craftsmanship not as outdated but as an innovative and viable approach to contemporary design. Moreover, it fosters positive social and economic change by creating new opportunities for artisans and encouraging young designers to engage with local skills and resources. This connection between traditional knowledge and modern technology empowers young creators to rethink production systems, promote sustainability, and drive local economies. Ultimately, the project offers a fresh perspective on how heritage and innovation can coexist, shaping a more responsible and culturally conscious future.

Solo is a user-centered, fully personalized bike helmet produced using additive SLS 3D printing and a parametric design approach.

Define the problem/need you are solving or addressing with your project. How does it address the Open Call criteria, such as environmental impact, social engagement, circularity, user experience, resource efficiency, and community-driven solutions?

Standard helmets are offered in sizes like S, M, and L, but head shapes vary significantly, resulting in poor fit and protection, leading to non-usage. Traditional helmets are made from polystyrene, the same material used in disposable packaging. The Production Process of Foam Helmet has seen little change for the past 30 years, yielding bulky designs that tend to cause overheating. Solo is a user-centered, fully personalized bike helmet crafted through additive SLS 3D printing and a parametric design approach. Based on a 3D scan and breathable lattice structure, it ensures optimal fit and safety. The app captures preferences like riding style and color, resulting in lattice structure that offers a balance of lightness and shock absorption. Made by Protiq from sustainable PA11, its a recyclable foam alternative. This process-oriented project enables personalized helmets that encourage wearing.

Please describe your project, reflecting on the concept, inspiration, materials, technical aspects, methods and process(es).

The process begins with a 3D scan of the user’s head utilizing a scanning cap. The scan can be carried out using a mobile phone, saving you a trip to a specialist shop. This scan, along with additional preferences such as riding style and color choice, is inputted into the Solo app. The scan data undergoes cloud-based processing, enabling the creation of a personalized helmet design. Through field-driven ramps, material flow is precisely controlled, ensuring optimal structural integrity where needed most. 3D-Printing technology is then employed to fabricate the helmet in a single printing process, using Polyamide 11 derived from sustainable castor bean seeds. After printing, excess powder is recycled for future use, aligning with sustainability principles. The helmet’s components, including the mono-material PA11 shell, TPU pads, and replaceable straps, are modular for easy maintenance and end-of-life recycling.

What do you think makes your project innovative compared to the existing efforts and ideas in the field it addresses?

To find the optimal lattice-structure that is breathable, lightweight and impact resistant, many different iterations were generated, tested and evaluated. In order to test the lattice structures for their shock absorption, a special setup was developed, which is modelled after the requirements and test procedures of the industry standard DIN 1078 for bicycle helmets. The developed tetrahedral-lattice-structure offers the same level of safety as a conventional helmet while requiring less material. This provides an optimal balance between weight and shock absorption, resulting in a streamlined fit with improved ventilation and heat dissipation. Utilizing 3D-Printing, the Helmet is printed from castor seed-based PA11. PA11 offers a sustainable alternative to conventional foam, being 100% renewable, drought-resistant, and easily cultivated. This helmet design combines functionality, comfort and user-friendliness into a cohesive concept, encouraging helmet use and contrasting with conventional helmets made from expanded polystyrene, a non-renewable material used in disposable cookware and packaging.

Does it impact or reflect young people need(s) and how?

Solo, as a personalized bike helmet, represents a path towards how individually designed products could become commercially available in the future. It indicates a way to approach product consumption, advocating for sustainability by emphasizing longevity over frequent replacement. This process-oriented project enabled the development of personalized bike helmets that encourage people to wear them and therefore contribute to greater road safety.

NotAMouse provides computer accessibility for those with inhibited mobility, and prevention of irreversible wrist strain damage for those at risk.

Define the problem/need you are solving or addressing with your project. How does it address the Open Call criteria, such as environmental impact, social engagement, circularity, user experience, resource efficiency, and community-driven solutions?

Millions struggle using their computer every day because of wrist strain, caused by a fundamental limitation of mice and touchpads. Their table-bound design forces a resting hand posture compressing the median nerve, causing damage over years of use. Those working at a computer for more than 4 hours a day expose themselves to a 30% risk of Repetitive-Strain-Injury (RSI) within 5 years, which can require physical therapy and even surgery in severe cases.

NotAMouse addresses this issue by freeing computer interaction from the table. It’s a wireless device that slides onto your finger, giving you full control of your computer from the palm of your hand, eliminating wrist strain. The 3D printed form-factor, made from recycled plastic, is 43% smaller than a mouse, making it environmentally friendly, and easy to transport (it clips on your laptop!). It also allows wheelchair users to use computers more comfortably, regardless of table height.

Please describe your project, reflecting on the concept, inspiration, materials, technical aspects, methods and process(es).

We were inspired talking to a father who had lost ability to work on a regular computer. Carrying his baby, combined with years of computer use irreversibly damaged his wrist, sending stinging pain in his entire arm whenever he uses a mouse. After trying many types of ergo mice and undergoing surgery, the only way he can use a computer without experiencing pain is an eye-tracker, priced at $2000 USD.

NotAMouse would allow them to control the computer free from the table, using a touch-surface, side buttons, dictation, and motion gestures in the palm of their hand. 33 prototypes and 52 user interviews brought us to a 3D printed form factor made of recycled plastic. It’s 43% smaller than a traditional mouse while keeping 100% of the functionality, making it perfect for people who working on the go from a coffee shop, an airplane or even an Uber.

What do you think makes your project innovative compared to the existing efforts and ideas in the field it addresses?

Ergonomic mice cause less wrist strain compared to traditional mice. However, they are inherently bound to a surface. Thus, many people with existing nerve damage are unable to use them pain-free without regularly taking medication or even undergoing surgery. Those not experiencing issues yet often ditch their mouse when working on the go, quoting cumbersome transport as the reason. Eye-trackers offer a working alternative, but cost multiple thousands, next to requiring users to build new habits to move the cursor. Surgery is an invasive procedure and poses inherent health risks.

NotAMouse let’s users control their computer free from the table, in a form factor that fits in your pocket and clips onto your laptop. The touch surface and side buttons provide a familiar interface that know from their phones, with dictation and motion gestures providing additional features for power users.

Does it impact or reflect young people need(s) and how?

Young professionals are increasingly going into digital roles, with the World Economic Forum estimating a 25% increase in global digital jobs by 2030. This trend exposes more people than ever to Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) from computer work. NotAMouse can help millions avoid irreversible nerve damage from RSI, sparing them physical therapy, and in severe cases, surgery.

The portable form factor with familiar interface makes it easy to adopt and perfect for use on the go. Essential criteria in today’s fast-paced world where professionals work from more than one location. Innovating on an 81 year old form factor, NotAMouse brings computer interaction into the 21st century with accessibility, sustainability, and modern the work environment in mind.

pHen is an open-source tool for artists, allowing users to create with a single pigment source while producing multiple colors using just one pen.

Define the problem/need you are solving or addressing with your project. How does it address the Open Call criteria, such as environmental impact, social engagement, circularity, user experience, resource efficiency, and community-driven solutions?

Our devotion to colors comes at a cost. Pens, an object integral to our lives from childhood, are mostly single-use and not designed for recycling. Alarmingly, 10 billion plastic pens are discarded every year, enough to fill 1,467 school buses. The primary component of pens is ink, which often contains heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, solvents, and other harmful chemicals. Improper disposal of these inks can severely damage the environment and contribute to behavioral abnormalities in people, including hyperactivity. On the other hand, artists have limited access to eco-friendly alternative tools, and when available, they are often expensive—hindering the widespread adoption of sustainable practices and methods or simply these tools often fail to reach a broader audience, because of the lack of interest in sustainability when it comes to writing tools or art supplies.

Please describe your project, reflecting on the concept, inspiration, materials, technical aspects, methods and process(es).

Our goal is to create a sustainable colorant alternative that is both fun and engaging, encouraging
people to use it even if they are not inherently interested in sustainable practices.
To achieve our goal, we explored the possibility of creating an ink that can change its color. We were
inspired by the multicolored pens from our childhood and discovered that certain pigments could
change color based on pH levels for example fruits and vegetables or color producing bacteria.
We have developed the pHen pen as a delivery tool for this ink. It consists of a refillable marker
connected to two syringes via a 3D-printed adapter, containing acidic and alkaline solutions. By
adjusting these solutions, users can change the ink’s color in real-time.

What do you think makes your project innovative compared to the existing efforts and ideas in the field it addresses?

Since biodesign and bioart is a relatively emerging field, not widely known, and because of its
connotations beyond art, concerning environmental decisions, policies and overall mentality, we are
both showcasing the potential of creative uses of natural pigments, and make the experience an
immersive and interactive educational opportunity for the users.
By creating a pen with natural dyes, which can change their colors inside the pen by the user, we
believe, that pHen offers an innovative solution, to the problems or our current word.

Does it impact or reflect young people need(s) and how?

To engage people across a wide range of ages and biochemical knowledge, we have designed
different levels for preparing ink, each varying in ingredients and methods.
Level 1 is for beginners, children, and young learners. We recommend making ink from natural
sources such as fruits or vegetables, like red cabbage.
Level 2 is intended for an older audience, such as art and design students with access to university
labs. At this level, certain bacteria can be used to alter color hues in response to pH changes. For
example, we have experimented with J. lividum, which shifts from light purple to nearly blackish
purple. Level 3 is designed for individuals with advanced scientific knowledge. Since bacterial color changes
are typically less pronounced than those of fruits and vegetables, research suggests that genetically
modifying bacteria could enhance their color-shifting properties to achieve similar effects.