WANTED: Ambitious students who want to participate in the DESSO 2008 Cradle to Cradle Design Award

12 August 2008

DESSO in cooperation with EPEA announce the "DESSO Cradle to Cradle Design Award" to reward new carpet concepts inspired by the philosophy of cradle to cradle design principles. The students are invited to think beyond the boundaries of today. Imagine an innovative carpet of the future. A carpet which delights the user and is beneficial for humans as well as the environment. The design should be submitted in paper and computer file formats. The jury will split the prize of 3,500- Euro between a maximum of three winners. Furthermore the jury can select projects for non endowed recognition.

DESSO
DESSO has been manufacturing and marketing carpet for almost 80 years, and during that time it has earned a fine reputation as a reliable partner and creative designer. Today, it has three factories in Europe and specialist customer service centres throughout Europe, as well as in America, Asia, South Africa, the Middle East and Australia. DESSO products can be found in offices, public buildings, banks, schools, universities, retail shops, and hospitals.

EPEA
The EPEA Internationale Umweltforschung GmbH is an independent institute that develops Cradle to Cradle product solutions under the lead of Prof. Michael Braungart. In co-operation with producing companies, EPEA's interdisciplinary team aligns products to Cradle to Cradle design goals with tools that have been developed ad hoc for this purpose. Thereby, EPEA reaches positive effects for:
1.   users by means of healthy products
2.   the environment by means of safe products for consumption and of products for services that do not turn to waste but return to industry where technical nutrients are recovered and processed
3.   next generations because the resources that are mobilized for Cradle to Cradle products are infinitely re-used.

For more information, please visit our website www.epea.com

EVALUATION CRITERIA
The award will be judged under the criteria of Cradle to Cradle design principles, carpet manufacturing and the wider design criteria.

Material: The materials should be defined either for the technical or biological cycle. If the carpet is a mixture of technical and biological nutrients, the separation of these parts play an important role.

Take back - Separation - Recycability: Material reutilization is an important criteria for Cradle to Cradle. So next to the design of the carpet itself, there could be a concept for the whole product cycle, where recycling or even up cycling is essential.

Innovation: Innovation, contributes to a positive footprint. An example of this is a carpet which actively cleans the air. Carpet has different functions like: sound absorption, floor covering, aesthetic function, etc. What other function can you think of? How could the carpet be more intelligent?

Functionality: The product should ideally meet the same quality standards as a standard Desso carpet product. At least it should be usable in an office-environment for a longer period of time.

Aesthetics: The product should fit in the trend-forecasts for the office environment. Please make your proposal in the colour(s) of your choice.

All of the above criteria should be keept in mind for the design, without necessarily fulfilling all of them.

DEADLINE: Sunday, 17. April 2009

TERMS OF PARTICIPATION
Eligible to compete are students of any design discipline at any higher institution of education or designers who graduated not longer then three years ago. All participants have to fill in and sign the registration form. Group entries are permitted.

Please send in
1.   Maximum three posters, format A3 per project on which you present and explain your design. The posters should be fixed on cardboard or similar backing. Please use your initials (not the full name) and the name of the project for identification .
2.   Furthermore a CD with two till five pictures (once in 72 dpi and once in 300 dpi) for the internet presentation and further publication. Please also mark the CD with your initials and the project name.
3.   Application letter with short description of your project/work and contact details

Download the Registration Form here.

All entries reaching us by 17th of April 2009 will be admitted to the competition

JURY
LEGAL RESERVATIONS
In giving their signature, entrants confirm that they are the sole originators of the submitted work, that they are free to dispose of the submitted work and the rights to use them, and that the work is free of third-party rights. Entrants are liable for any loss incurred by the organizer from the illegal infringement of third-party rights. In giving their signature, entrants accept that the organizer is permitted to publish and exploit work submitted to the competition in connection with the DESSO Cradle to Cradle Award and that participation in the competition does not entail entitlement to a fee. The organizer is only liable for damage to and for destruction or loss of entries in the event of grossly negligent and intentional acts or omissions. All further liability is excluded, the decision is final, there is no recourse to the courts The submitted work can only be returned if the original packaging is suitable and return postage is enclosed or the organizer is expressly requested to return the work unfranked, i.e. at the entrant's expense. Entries not satisfying these requirements will be destroyed from 1st of June 2009.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Cradle to Cradle Design for Quality and Security of Products and Processes

Preferring delight, celebration and fun: "It's very important for ecologically intelligent products to be at the forefront of human expression. They can be an exciting part of the best of design creativity, adding pleasure to life. Certainly they can accomplish more than simply making the customer feel less guilty" Michael Braungart and William McDonough

The Vision behind Cradle to Cradle Design
Cradle to Cradle Design makes products possible that are economically successful, healthy for users and supportive for the environment and next generations. Their innovative Design addresses not only appearance and functionality. It also addresses the definition of their composition and enables a new dimension of quality and security of these products along with their material flow cycle. By integrating economic, social and environmental aspects, they are superior to currently produced and available products. Cradle to Cradle Design
distinguishes between two types of Cradle to Cradle Products: they can be conducted safely either as products for consumption into biological systems or as products for service into technical systems for next product generations.

Products for consumption are e.g. food, biodegradable fibres, cosmetic products, washing powders, brake pads or comparable products. They are developed in a way that degradation products due to e.g. digestion, abrasion or dilution in air, water or soil in the course of their use can support biological systems that they reach. As biological nutrients, they are absorbed and further processed by organisms and ecosystems to support their growth. Biological resources like plants can be renewed by agriculture, forestry or gardening for next generations of products for consumption. Products for Service are e.g. electric and electronic appliances, automotives, etc. They are stable during use and get dismantled to technical nutrients after they have fulfilled their function. Renewed technical nutrients are defined by their material content and serve as a reservoir for the production of next generations of products for services. The tracing of products for services and their collection for technical nutrient recovery is assured based on their commercial inclusion in a service concept. The right for a service (e.g. watching TV for a given time) is transferred to the user whereas the materials of the service providing device (e.g. TV set) remain property of the manufacturer.

Cradle to Cradle Design supersedes the current concept of waste: All objects we deal with every day can be redesigned as nutrients for biological or technical cycles. This design concept opens up a new era where products and processes do not need to be legally regulated, in order to reduce environmental impacts. By creating a positive impact on the environment, the "environmental footprint" of humans, today and in the future, becomes rather desirable.

Cradle to Cradle Design is not only restricted to the choice of materials and to the appreciation of the composition of products. It also includes the material transformations along with the supply chain from resource origin to product material destination. Cradle to Cradle Design optimizes environmental,economic and social effectiveness in an overall added-value cycle. Cradle to Cradle Design opens the perspective of an industrial society where processes of production and use are designed by transfer of principles of Nature. Nature knows material flows, but Nature does not know waste, avoidance, constriction and restriction. Nature is simply involving right materials at the right place and at the right time. Nature works permanently according to the following principle: blooming trees in spring look like to be very of exuberant because only very few blossoms will lead to new trees. However all blossoms that are lost for reproduction fall down to earth and get nutrients for other organisms - a really useful exuberance.

Send application to:
DESSO Headquarters
Att:Rudi Daelmans
Taxandriaweg 15
5142 PA Waalwijk
The Netherlands
T: +31 (0)416 664 100
F: +31 (0)416 335 955