Green GOOD DESIGN Sustainability Award 2024 Winner
Sustainable Watering Can Design
Brilliant design and sustainable production - the balanced combination of these two elements is already a reality at KURZ thanks to highly developed technologies and genuine innovation. This is underlined by the presentation of an important award: The global market leader in thin-film decoration has won the prestigious Green GOOD DESIGN Sustainability Award 2024 in the ‘Green Product/Graphic Design’ category for a watering can design made from recycled material. Since 2007, this award has honored the world's most important projects that make the best contribution to ecological and sustainable design for our environment. This year, members of the European Center's international advisory committee - the world's leading representatives of the design industry - selected over 170 innovative ideas for green design.
The watering can was designed and realised in close cooperation between LEONHARD KURZ and its partner DECKERFORM.
Perfect symbiosis of spectacular design and sustainable production
With its clear geometric shapes, the watering can has an almost futuristic look and blends perfectly into any household with its muted colors. Skillful design highlights give it that special something. There are no limits to the imagination: From bright color accents to elegant metallization, anything is possible. The decorations can be applied using the Hot Stamping process - a more environmentally friendly technology than conventional lacquering. The recyclability of the watering can made from RECOPOUND® is retained.
RECOPOUND® - significant added value for industry and society
As an expert in the design of functional and decorative surfaces and a pioneer in the field of sustainability, KURZ was the first company in the plastics industry to create a recycling loop for used PET carrier material: We produce RECOPOUND®, a high-quality post-industrial recycling compound, from our customers' production waste. The durable and resistant material is ideal for injection molding new products such as the watering can, giving new life to used PET material.
Big plus: Thanks to our innovative KURZ RECOSYS® recycling program, up to 40% of CO2 emissions are saved in the production of RECOPOUND® compared to virgin material production, as recycling eliminates the upstream processes for virgin PET. At the same time, resources from transfer products flow into RECOPOUND® and do not have to be used for energy recovery. Both of these factors have a direct impact on our environmental footprint. We also obtain all of the electricity at our sites in Fürth and Sulzbach-Rosenberg from renewable sources. We supplement the purchased green electricity with self-generated energy, e.g. from photovoltaic systems.
This convinced the jury:
- Use of RECOPOUND® recycling compound
- Up to 40% CO2 reduction through the use of RECOPOUND® compared to new material
- Hot Stamping as a more sustainable alternative to conventional decoration processes such as lacquering
- Decorations do not impair the recyclability of the products
- Perfect symbiosis of innovative design and sustainability
