deSter announces the 2024 winners of Packathon
deSter hosted the 2024 Packathon at its office in Hoogstraten, Belgium (Photo Credit: deSter.com)
deSter recently organized the 2024 Packathon, a sustainable packaging event. The event brought together sustainable thinkers and creative minds from all disciplines to examine the future of food packaging.
The company asked Packathon participants to submit an innovative idea to meet the demands of sustainable food packaging in one or more of the following areas: Events, take-out, home delivery and retail. The results were judged based on desirability, feasibility and viability.
“We extended a warm invitation to all sustainability enthusiasts, experts, students, and visionary business minds. Whether a participant was a seasoned professional or an aspiring student, we believed that diverse perspectives foster groundbreaking solutions,” deSter said on its website regarding the Packaton event.
deSter invited those who submitted the top five ideas to its office in Hoogstraten, Belgium for an exclusive full-day event called the “Grand Finale” where the finalists collaborated with expert designers, product managers and engineers.
Participants had access to the company’s resources throughout the day to refine, develop and prototype their ideas. In the afternoon, teams pinched their further developed proposals to the judges. After the presentations, there was a Q&A session to allow for constructive feedback. This was followed by a closing ceremony.
The shortlisted packaging proposals included:
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Restobox: The reusable takeaway box
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The Hungry Bee: Reusable containers that serve both food and drinks
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Way To Go: An addition to yellow waste bins to connect them to existing waste collection
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WasteWise: A reusable packaging system around university campuses
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EcoMarket: A solution for single-use packaging on fruits and vegetables
The judges awarded RestoBox first place. The tagline for this proposal was “Let’s say bye to the waste of the fry,” a funny and memorable slogan. Tobías van Oudheusden and Seppe De Poorter (University of Antwerp) invented a reusable box for dining in-store and for takeaway use.
Second place was WasteWise, created by Alex Blyweert, Azira Deryckere and Eline Praille (University of Antwerp). This product aimed to help university students reduce their waste and practice environental responsibility. This reusable packaging system would operate around the university campus, linked to a reward system with the tagline, “Scan, earn, cycle, repeat!”
In third place, EcoMarket was proposed by Borre Van Herck and Casper Oeyen (University of Antwerp) as a way re-think shopping and reduce the waste in supermarkets. The team created an interactive and appetizing solution for single-use packaging of fruit and vegetables that doesn’t compromise the product’s branding.
