Litl, PACT Underwear and Method Products all took home prizes for sustainable design at the International Design Excellence Awards 2010 (IDEA 2010) sponsored by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA).
Method tied for Best in Show for its new laundry detergent product. The new detergent is eight times more concentrated than normal strength detergent, reducing the energy, water material requirements needed for packaging production by squeezing fifty loads of laundry in one bottle. The bottle uses over 36 percent less plastic compared to traditional 2x detergents and 50 percent of that comes from recycled plastics. The detergent itself is a plant-based formula made using 95 percent natural and renewable ingredients.
PACT Underwear won in the Ecodesign category. The company has designed a 100 percent compostable shipping bag, and its product is made from 95 percent organic cotton with 5 percent elastane to increase product lifespan and decrease waste. PACT does not use inks or dyes that contain heavy metals and does not make any garments in optic white because of the harsh bleaches required to achieve a bright white. All of the company’s inks and dyes meet or exceed GOTS and EKO standards.
Litl, meanwhile, won for its netbook packaging, which also functions as its own shipping box, eliminating the need for an additional protective box and reducing carbon footprint by minimizing transportation space requirements. The entire package is made fro recyclable paper with no plastics or foams used. The interior also has small removable boxes a user can remove and use as desk containers. Herman Miller, Firbug, and Zen Wagon also took prizes in the Ecodesign category.