When will you get the chance again to display an object in a world-famous Design Museum? That’s what many participants of the final REFRESH conference thought when they received the invitation to participate in the REFRESH 'Doggy Bag' Design Contest.

Together with the Barcelona Design Center (BCD), the REFRESH team took the opportunity to bring the world of food waste reduction innovations to the exhibition halls of the Barcelona Disseny Hub. The idea was to feature gourmet bags, bring-home-containers, magic boxes and other solutions to save perfectly edible food and delicious dinner memories from going to waste.

The response was overwhelming: We received 22 diverse and colorful contributions from a total of 13 countries. All of them were presented in the exhibition halls in Barcelona. Conference participants had the opportunity to vote on their favorites by distributing stars while wandering from object to object. And in a tough race, three winners were identified:

1. The Ecobox by the Luxemburgish Government: A bright green, reusable box that is nationally available in many restaurants, canteens and municipalities and that works as a deposit system. Since its introduction last year, 25.000 Ecoboxes have been circulating in Luxemburg. After many reuses, at the end of its lifetime, the Ecobox is recycled and lives on as a new product.

2. The TreatBox® - Doggybag version 2.0 by KLS PurePrint A/S – Denmark Att. Jakob Thomasen: A flat, folded box that can stand in a holder on the table and folds easily and quickly into an elegant and handy doggy bag.  It solves the last and sometimes inconvenient obstacle of asking the waiter to pack a doggy bag, as every guest can fold and pack it herself. The TreatBox® is the only Cradle to Cradle certified carton-based food waste packaging in the world and produced 100% biodegradable – without adding any hazardous chemicals or heavy metals at all. After use, it can enter the biological cycle as nutrition or compost.

3. The Broccoli Box titled ‘I did not go through all this for nothing, did I?’ presented by Barbara Korousic Seljak from Jozef Stefan Institute and designed by Barbara Slanc, both from Slovenia: The colorful box tells the touching story of a broccoli from its beginning as a tiny seed to its arrival as a harvested, washed and prepared vegetable on the dinner table. It was designed exclusively for the REFRESH project’s 'Doggy Bag' Design Contest.

All photos by: Sebastian Szulfer

Award Ceremony - Barcelona, May 2019

Doggy bag event slideshow

  • 22 diverse and colorful contributions from a total of 13 countries were presented at the REFRESH ‘Doggy Bag’ Design Contest in Barcelona 2019.
    22 diverse and colorful contributions from a total of 13 countries were presented at the REFRESH ‘Doggy Bag’ Design Contest in Barcelona 2019.
  • Conference participants were very interested in the variety of ‘doggy bags’.
    Conference participants were very interested in the variety of ‘doggy bags’.
  • ‘Doggy bag’ goes social media.
    ‘Doggy bag’ goes social media.
  • Conference participants had the opportunity to vote on their favorite ‘doggy bags’ by distributing stars while wandering from object to object.
    Conference participants had the opportunity to vote on their favorite ‘doggy bags’ by distributing stars while wandering from object to object.
  • Each participant had three stars to vote for one or more ‘doggy bags’.
    Each participant had three stars to vote for one or more ‘doggy bags’.
  • The award ceremony was presented by Elena von Sperber from REFRESH partner Ecologic Institute, Germany.
    The award ceremony was presented by Elena von Sperber from REFRESH partner Ecologic Institute, Germany.
  • Barbara Koroušić Seljak, a REFRESH partner from Jozef Stefan Institute in Slovenia, submitted the Broccoli Box that has been designed by her son’s girlfriend Barbara Slanc and that won the third place of the contest.
    Barbara Koroušić Seljak, a REFRESH partner from Jozef Stefan Institute in Slovenia, submitted the Broccoli Box that has been designed by her son’s girlfriend Barbara Slanc and that won the third place of the contest.
  • The only Danish conference participant Rikke Karlsson promised to transfer the second prize for the TreatBox® to Danish designer Jakob Thomasen who had made his contest submission by mail.
    The only Danish conference participant Rikke Karlsson promised to transfer the second prize for the TreatBox® to Danish designer Jakob Thomasen who had made his contest submission by mail.
  • Stephanie Goergen received the first prize for the Ecobox on behalf of the Luxemburgish Government. The Ecobox is a reusable box that is nationally available in many restaurants, canteens and municipalities and that works as a deposit system.
    Stephanie Goergen received the first prize for the Ecobox on behalf of the Luxemburgish Government. The Ecobox is a reusable box that is nationally available in many restaurants, canteens and municipalities and that works as a deposit system.
  • The three winners of the REFRESH ‘Doggy Bag’ Design Contest 2019 in Barcelona.
    The three winners of the REFRESH ‘Doggy Bag’ Design Contest 2019 in Barcelona.

When will you get the chance again to display an object in a world-famous Design Museum? That’s what many participants of the final REFRESH conference thought when they received the invitation to participate in the REFRESH 'Doggy Bag' Design Contest.

Together with the Barcelona Design Center (BCD), the REFRESH team took the opportunity to bring the world of food waste reduction innovations to the exhibition halls of the Barcelona Disseny Hub. The idea was to feature gourmet bags, bring-home-containers, magic boxes and other solutions to save perfectly edible food and delicious dinner memories from going to waste.

The response was overwhelming: We received 22 diverse and colorful contributions from a total of 13 countries. All of them were presented in the exhibition halls in Barcelona. Conference participants had the opportunity to vote on their favorites by distributing stars while wandering from object to object. And in a tough race, three winners were identified:

1. The Ecobox by the Luxemburgish Government: A bright green, reusable box that is nationally available in many restaurants, canteens and municipalities and that works as a deposit system. Since its introduction last year, 25.000 Ecoboxes have been circulating in Luxemburg. After many reuses, at the end of its lifetime, the Ecobox is recycled and lives on as a new product.

2. The TreatBox® - Doggybag version 2.0 by KLS PurePrint A/S – Denmark Att. Jakob Thomasen: A flat, folded box that can stand in a holder on the table and folds easily and quickly into an elegant and handy doggy bag.  It solves the last and sometimes inconvenient obstacle of asking the waiter to pack a doggy bag, as every guest can fold and pack it herself. The TreatBox® is the only Cradle to Cradle certified carton-based food waste packaging in the world and produced 100% biodegradable – without adding any hazardous chemicals or heavy metals at all. After use, it can enter the biological cycle as nutrition or compost.

3. The Broccoli Box titled ‘I did not go through all this for nothing, did I?’ presented by Barbara Korousic Seljak from Jozef Stefan Institute and designed by Barbara Slanc, both from Slovenia: The colorful box tells the touching story of a broccoli from its beginning as a tiny seed to its arrival as a harvested, washed and prepared vegetable on the dinner table. It was designed exclusively for the REFRESH project’s 'Doggy Bag' Design Contest.

All photos by: Sebastian Szulfer

Doggy Bag Contest Submisions
Ecobox – REFRESH Doggy Bag Design Contest
Ecobox

The Ecobox is nationally available in many restaurants, canteens and municipalities. It simultaneously allows to prevent packaging waste (take-aways use it) and food waste (you can put your leftovers in it).

27 votes
Treatbox 2.0 – REFRESH Doggy Bag Design Contest
TreatBox® – Doggybag version 2.0

The TreatBox® can stand in a holder on the table and folds easily and quickly by either the waiter or the guest himself. It also solves the last and sometimes inconvenient problem of asking the waiter to bring the food home. Bring the TreatBox® from home or get it at the restaurant or canteen. The TreatBox® is the only Cradle to Cradle certified carton-based food waste packaging in the world and produced 100% biodegradable – without adding any hazardous chemicals or heavy metals at all. After use, it can enter the biological cycle as nutrition or compost.

24 votes
Broccoli box – REFRESH Doggy Bag Design Contest
Broccoli Box

"I didn’t go through all this for nothing, did I?"

21 votes
Food Drag Queen - REFRESH Doggy Bag Design Contest
Food Drag Queen

The Food Drag Queen gives exaggerated beauty to a food container. She promotes to take home leftovers and discourages it at the same time: The container is just too beautiful to be wasted – as much as the natural resources that went into its production! After all it’s only the second best option. Better share! Order less! Use multi-use containers! Eat up!

17 votes
Foodiebag – REFRESH Doggy Bag Design Contest
Foodiebag

Foodiebag was introduced 6 years ago as treasure box for Dutch Restaurants. It offers a stylish and easy-accessible way to provide customers with a means to take home their leftover meal. The Foodiebag offers an information badge with spoon-shaped clip that can be placed on the table to inform the customer. By slipping the spoon-clip onto the edge of their plate, it informs the chef to store the leftovers in the Foodiebag and to present the guest with a take-home meal.  It won several sustainability HORECA awards.

16 votes
Enjoyment Box – REFRESH Doggy Bag Design Contest
Enjoyment Box

Best food needs to be packed in the best packaging. The box is out of paper from sustainable forest management and biodegradable. It is heat and cold insulating. It can be used in the mircrowave, in the oven (until 220°C) and in the fridge.

14 votes
Three-piled box – REFRESH Doggy Bag Design Contest
Three-piled Box

Corralable box for food saving

  • Material: weightless, Food-grade silicone material, BPA-free & dishwasher safe
  • Function: easy to bring, small, easy to clean, reusable, environmental friendly, well close
  • Size: open size: 12x12x10cm; closed size: 12x12x3cm

People need this type of box to bring the rest food from the restaurant. This is small, light and well closed.

11 votes
sObres Mestres – REFRESH Doggy Bag Design Contest
Re-used Glass Jar

1. pear molasses

2. cayenne infused pear molasses with mustard 

Both home-made from surplus pears.

11 votes
Never Walk Alone

A hands-free doggy bag solution for the active eater on the move. Strap it on your arm, leg or bicycle handle and off you go!

Be a trend-setter, wear your doggy bag with pride, and show the world what you stand for.

Even works as casual icebreaker and awareness-raiser at networking dinners and other events.

One size fits all.

9 votes
Best-of-the-Leftovers Box – REFRESH Doggy Bag Design Contest
Best-of-the-Leftovers Box

The box holds a content of 1,350 ml. It is made of FSC-certified kraft paper and is produced in the EU. A water-based coating makes it water- and fat-resistant. Its material is recyclable, 100 % biodegradable and can be disposed of in an industrial composting plant. The box is printed with water-based colours. It is food-grade and odourless. The box withstands heat of up to 160 degrees centigrade and can be used in a microwave.

9 votes
Beeswax Wrap – REFRESH Doggy Bag Design Contest
Beeswax Wrap

It’s easy to DIY, easy to care for and it is also long lasting. It is perfect for storing food at home, like half of onion left over after dinner or a piece of bread. You can use it also for a sandwich or a few pieces of cheese left over breakfast – to take with you to work.

8 votes
To good to go – REFRESH Doggy Bag Design Contest
Too Good To Go Bag

This light bag can easily turn into a heavy container filled with the most delicious surplus that citizens, thanks to the Too Good To Go app, save from being wasted by buying them from sustainable stores.

Specifications: 17L Paper bag made in 100% FSC certified 80g recycled paper

Measurements: 350mm x 170mm x 245mm (Length x Width x Height)

7 votes
Water soluble bag – REFRESH Doggy Bag Design Contest
Water-soluble & Compostable Packing

This water-soluble and compostable packaging bag is a new material specially tackling the ocean pollution. It is safe, non-toxic and harmless to animals, plants and natural environment, with unique features of dissolving in hot water completely and becoming soft rapidly in room temperature water. Fishes can digest it! No harm!

6 votes
Treatbox – REFRESH Doggy Bag Design Contest
Treatbox

A carton based 100% biodegradable (print and packaging) doggy bag. It is produced 100% CO2 neutral - without the use of harmful chemicals or scarce resources. Danish design, these "Holland" treatboxes are courtesy of the Netherlands embassy in Copenhagen. Contains food safety advice on the bottom.

5 votes
Magic Box – REFRESH Doggy Bag Design Contest
The Magic Box

A box made out of food waste containing foodstuff that would have been wasted (but will be enjoyed instead!). It is magic since you never know what is going to be inside, its content always depends on the surplus food the stores offer through the Too Good To Go app. Let the magic box surprise you!

Specifications: 2-compartment, 100% compostable sugarcane fiber box.

Measurements: 240mm x 160mm x 60mm (Length x Width x Height).

5 votes
Bank Box – Bite Later – REFRESH Doggy Bag Design Contest
Bank Box – Bite Later

The "Tafel Box" is offered to guests in the food service sector. With each box 20 cents are donated to the Austrian food banks which is used to save more food from being wasted and to help people in need. The box is food-safe and biodegradable. It must not be heated above 50°C and is not microwave safe.

5 votes
Rest-o-Pack – REFRESH Doggy Bag Design Contest
Rest-o-pack

The Rest-o-pack is available in more than 150 restaurants all over the Region of Brussels Capital. It allows to prevent food waste as clients can put their leftovers in it. The rest-o-pack is one of the measure implemented by the Good Food strategy – "Towards a sustainable food system in the Brussels-Capital Region". The latter contains a series of "from farm to fork" measures with very specific goals to be achieved by 2020.

4 votes
Good to go – REFRESH Doggy Bag Design Contest
Good to Go

The Good to Go scheme has been developed by Zero Waste Scotland to help tackle 'plate waste' in Scottish hospitality businesses. Since 2014, over 300 outlets have received a free starter pack and contributed to Scotland's leading food waste reduction target of 33% by 2025.

2 votes
Doggy bag – REFRESH Doggy Bag Design Contest
Doggy Bag

Since 2015 this is a campaign to stimulate Doggy Bags in the Out of Home market. A joint effort of an NGO, a packaging company & a bank.

2 votes
Resto Restje – REFRESH Doggy Bag Design Contest
Resto Restje

In Gent nothing goes to waste. In case you go to a restaurant in Gent but you couldn't finish your plate, you can ask to take your delightful rests in this box. We don't like waste, so the cardboard of this box itself is also recycable.

1 votes
valueloops – REFRESH Doggy Bag Design Contest
Food Waste Hackathon Doggie bag

This Doggy Bag is designed with the unwilling customer in mind who are a little hesitant to ask for one. It has been created as almost High Street style brand with the intention of making it from 100% Recycled material. On the bag we communicate an application we have created that helps users in there kitchen by knowing what products you have, recommends recipes, informs them when food is needed to be eaten. It helps prevent food waste.

votes
Xi Bei Packing – REFRESH Doggy Bag Design Contest
Xi Bei Packing

Light, tight, beautifully designed, and easy-handling for better taking-away food. Quite consumer encouraging. Used for the biggest Chinese Chain Restaurants, called "Xibei".

votes