Officially presided by the Federal Environment Minister Dr. Barbara Hendricks, the German Federal Ecodesign Award granted annually by the Federal Environment Ministry (BMUB) and the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) in cooperation with the International Design Center Berlin (IDZ), recognises and honours pioneers in the field of ecological design. 

Can a circular economy reconcile the contradiction of fast fashion and sustainability? ‘Sustainability and other stories’ is a both a case study and fashion collection. The pieces in the collection are made to be returned to the material cycle. The project aims to reinforce the political role of design and challenge consumer behaviour in a globalised world.

Jury statement by Prof. Anna Berkenbusch :

“Most people take pleasure in fashion and enjoy dressing well, and notable events are often celebrated with new clothes. The presented collection is indeed intended for a short lifespan, but is entirely recyclable. This student work is of a very high standard, and takes a comprehensive approach to the complex issues of sustainability.”

Mehr als schön: Winners of the federal prize Ecodesign have been fixed.

The Federal Environment Ministry (BMUB) and the Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt, UBA) are marking products with an ecological design for the fifth time.

Federal Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks and the President of the Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt), Maria Krautzberger, honored the eight winning projects of the Ecodesign 2016 prize on November 28th. Long lasting and circulatory textiles, energy-saving solutions for mobility and buildings, a nearly emission-free wood heating system and a new concept for the removal of plastic particles from the oceans.

Over 200 guests from the worlds of politics, business and the design sector celebrated in the lighthouse of the Federal Ministry of the Environment.

In her speech, Federal Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks emphasized the relevance of resource-conserving consumption patterns:

"With ecological purchasing decisions, we can significantly reduce the environmental impact. Our goal is to get sustainable consumption out of the niche. Organic products must be part of the everyday purchase decision. In order to achieve this, products and services must not only be environmentally friendly, but also an eye-catcher. The Federal Prize Ecodesign helps us. The over 350 submissions this year show impressively that ecological and social aspects are becoming more and more common in product design. Whether cooling car coats, extralight aircraft components or resource protection in the fashion sector, there are more and more fields of activity for ecological product and service design."

In her speech, Maria Krautzberger, President of the Environmental Bureau, used the award-winning works to vividly point out the chances of design conservation:

"Design can, design must be more than just functional and beautiful today. Designers shape our daily living environment through our products and services. However, products still cause too many environmental problems. Most could be avoided in the design process. I am very pleased that the problem-consciousness of the design scene is growing here. "

The members of the 2016 jury are designer Werner Aisslinger, Prof. Anna Berkenbusch, Prof. em. Günter Horntrich, Prof. Matthias Held, Friederike von Wedel-Parlow, architect Dr. Claudia Perren and environmental expert Dr. Andreas Detzel. They are supported by Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Environment Ministry and Dr. Thomas Holzmann, Vice President of the Federal Environmental Agency.

Since 2012, the Federal Environment Ministry and the UBA have been awarding products, services and concepts that are both ecologically and aesthetically convincing. The excellent projects will be presented in a hiking exhibition, which will be shown in 2017 at different locations in the Federal territory.