United Nations Prizes for Impressive Sustainability Projects - Fish and Bags

The number of innovative United Nations projects was so impressive that two prizes became three, when KADK’s newly established UN Prize were awarded for the first time.

Two projects involving fish and one involving bags received KADK’s newly-established UN Prize, awarded for the first time at the opening of this summer’s degree show. The FN Prize came about as a result of KADK’s three-year commitment to the United Nations’ 17 Global Goals for a more sustainable world and is awarded to two projects which particularly succeed in tackling KADK’s ambition to come up with ideas for solutions and approaches to the 17 Global Goals.

This year there were so many impressive contributions that three prizes were awarded rather than three.

Fish Skin in the Furniture Industry

Helena Christina Pedersen received a prize for her project, ‘From Waste Product to Furnishing Fabric’. The project investigates how fish skin, which currently ends up as animal feed, can be transformed into a beautiful, durable material for use in furniture manufacturing. It is a strong alternative to expensive, environmentally harmful hides, and a project that really hits the mark in terms of the UN goal of responsible consumption and manufacturing.

From Fish to Biogas

Hans Gustav Jerlvall Jeppsson and Fredrik Walentin Sandbu were awarded a prize for their project, ‘Vestlandet – Framework for a Circular Conversion’. It is an idea for how to connect one of Norway’s many polluting fish farms to a biogas plant, which could also be used for recreational purposes in a small Norwegian town in Vestlandet. The project relates to no fewer than five UN goals: including the goals of more sustainable energy, better industrial infrastructure and a strengthening of measures to protect the climate.

Less Waste, More Accountability

Lea Helene Adelsten received a prize for her project, ‘Disconnected’, which examines how to deploy Zero Waste principles and traditional craftsmanship to cut down on waste in the manufacture of bags: from the usual 30-50% to less than 10%. The result is a series of 5 leather bags developed in collaboration with ECCO and a project that hits the mark in terms of the UN goal for responsible consumption and production.

The newly established UN Prize will be awarded this year and for the next two years. The prize includes a scholarship of DKK 10,000.