Skip to main content
WORTH Partnership Project
Press release31 March 2021European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency

DESIGN AND SUSTAINABILITY: HOW TOMORROW’S PRODUCTS WILL LOOK LIKE ACCORDING TO WORTH PARTNERSHIP PROJECT

29th March 2021

DESIGN AND SUSTAINABILITY: HOW TOMORROW’S PRODUCTS WILL LOOK LIKE ACCORDING TO WORTH PARTNERSHIP PROJECT

29th March 2021 – A signature modular connector made of emerald by-products and recycled metals, a new sustainable terrazzo material combining airdry porcelain, cellulose fibre and ocean plastic, a five-piece kombucha tsugi-bag collection that showcases the integration of materials based on kombucha, a special fungi normally used for producing sparkling beverage, materials and second-hand textiles, a biannual capsule collection with biogenic dye.

 These are just some of the projects selected within the WORTH Partnership Project, the largest creative incubator in Europe, that show how it is possible to innovate products with an eye on sustainability and the future of the planet.  

A 2020 study by IBM, Meet the 2020 consumers driving change, shows how consumers shop “for good”. Nearly 6 in 10 consumers (57 percent) are willing to change their purchasing habits to help reducing negative impact to the environment, and among those who say sustainability is important for them, this jumps to 77 percent. Moreover, of those who say these traits are very important, over seven in 10 are willing to pay a premium for brands that support recycling, practice sustainability, and/or are environmentally responsible.

“When working on a new idea, today it is more important than ever that designers and companies, in addition to considering aesthetics and functionality, ask themselves: «How can my product contribute to improve people’s lives?». Implicit in this question there is an important reference to the psychophysical well-being of people, as well as the environment in which they live, which cannot be separated from a reflection on the sustainability of the entire process, from production to the product itself, right up to the moment in which it has completed its life cycle. The designers and companies that take part in this paradigm shift will be more competitive because they will respond to a demand from the market and consumers who are already prepared to change their buying habits in favour of these products,” explains Korinna Molla’, coordinator of the WORTH Partnership project.

Funded by COSME, the European Union’s program for the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises, WORTH Partnership Project is the largest European incubator in the creative field, with 152 selected projects involving 345 partners from 34 EU-COSME countries – from France to Germany, Spain, UK Italy, not forgetting Holland, Slovenia, Moldova, Estonia, Sweden, Finland, Montenegro, Serbia, etc. This European Commission project is a unique laboratory where European designers can experience the benefits of transnational collaborations and participation in an internal market of over 500 million people. 

Download the complete press release, that features some of the WORTH projects belonging on different countries and sectors, that worked with the aim to innovate products and materials.

Details

Publication date
31 March 2021
Author
European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency
Featured activities
Press Releases