This year, Innovate again sponsored the Design Innovation in Plastics award. This award was set up to encourage plastic design innovation and best practices in the product designers of the future.
Other main sponsors included:
The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, focused on promoting all aspects of the fields of materials, minerals and mining.
The Worshipful Company of Horners. One of the oldest of the city of London Guild Companies, they became associated with the plastics industry after the decline of the horners’ craft, in 1943.
Covestro. The world leading supplier of high-tech polymer materials, whose products and solutions are used in many areas of modern life.
A student from Teesside University has claimed the top prize in the 2022 Design Innovation in Plastics (DIP) competition, with a design for a reusable bedpan. Product design undergraduate Zara King designed EasyMode, a reusable bedpan with pulp liners, providing a safe and comfortable base for people to use in any healthcare setting.
The judges awarded second place to Kenneth Thornton, (Edinburgh Napier University), with his product Catheter Bag Carry, a reusable portable catheter bag holder which conceals and protects the catheter bag. Kenneth used silicone (NinjaFlex) for the bag holder and polypropylene for the belt.
In third place came Charlie Gould-Hocking (Bangor University), with Crutch, a shower stand for amputees with a lower limb
loss that allows them to stand while showering. He used a combination of reinforced PET with a 30 percent blend, SEBS, and silicone rubber to create his product.
Highly Commended awards go to three students from London South Bank University: Daniele Di Paolo, who created Cirrus, a device to help with breathing exercises to promote relaxation; Dimitri McGrath-Karvelis with Anap, a double capacity inhaler for asthmatics that combines the preventer and reliever medication in one compact twist-and-carry device; and Daniel Warren, with Cura, a first aid kit for first responders, incorporating a new way of assessing and treating burns.
The 2023 Brief – Design for the home
Design a functional item for the kitchen or bathroom that is an original concept or a significant improvement on an existing product and be made mainly from plastic. The design could address problems that affect household members of any age from children to the elderly and those with disabilities, or deal with other issues such as accessibility or the lack of space. Consideration should also be given to how your design will maximise the product’s lifespan> For more information
https://www.designinnovationplastics.org/2023-award
