The Ocean Cleanup won the Dutch Design Award 2020 for 'best product' and the Water as Leverage programme won this year’s award in the category 'best commissioning'.

The Dutch Design Awards are handed out annually to the best Dutch designers during the Dutch Design Week. This year the event took place online and the winners were presented in the Dutch Design Week live show on 24 October.

Everything it takes

The Dutch Design Awards 2020 nominated 24 organisations in eight categories. The winners were chosen for their transformative thinking and the way they improve our living environment.

According to the jury, the winning design professionals show that they have everything it takes to tackle societal problems: patience, adaptability and an open, self-critical attitude. The designers dare to take the lead and take responsibility. 

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Water as leverage workshop in Chennai, India to solve the city's water problems. (photo: Cynthia van Elka/Water as leverage)
In local workshops, Water as Leverage design teams detailed a design of a close-loop water system for the Indian city of Chennai to cope both with floods as well as droughts. (photo: Cynthia van Elk/Water as Leverage)
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Water as leverage workshop in Chennai, India to solve the city's water problems. (photo: Cynthia van Elka/Water as leverage)
In local workshops, Water as Leverage design teams detailed a design of a close-loop water system for the Indian city of Chennai to cope both with floods as well as droughts. (photo: Cynthia van Elk/Water as Leverage)

Opportunities instead of threats

"With Water as Leverage, the Dutch government shows that we can approach even large, global issues as an opportunity instead of a threat", commented the jury on the winning approach.

Water as Leverage started as a competition challenging design teams to develop integrated, multi-sectoral proposals to tackle the complex urban water problems in Chennai (India), Khulna (Bangladesh) and Semarang (Indonesia). The proposals took the urban water problems, such as flood risk and water scarcity as a starting point but involved other urban issues as well to improve the livelihood of cities as a whole.

According to the jury the approach shows the daring mentality of the Netherlands in the field of water management. It demonstrates a strong confidence in the power of design.

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Interceptor 002 of Ocean Cleanup capturing waste on the Klang river in Malaysia
The Ocean Cleanup built four Interceptor prototypes that are now operational in river mouths around the world. (photo: The Ocean Cleanup)
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Interceptor 002 of Ocean Cleanup capturing waste on the Klang river in Malaysia
The Ocean Cleanup built four Interceptor prototypes that are now operational in river mouths around the world. (photo: The Ocean Cleanup)

Courageous example of problem solving design

"A courageous example of the problem-solving capabilities of design. The technology of the Interceptor has been well thought out on all levels by The Ocean Cleanup and Fabrique", commented the jury on the award winning entry in the category Product. The Interceptor is a floating solar-powered collector of plastic waste in a river. Using a conveyor belt, it captures waste autonomously.

In their report the jury praised the gigantic ambition by The Ocean Cleanup and Fabrique and their use of design to tackle a serious environmental problem. Despite the pressure and criticism on earlier projects, Boyan Slat and Fabrique have now courageously sketched a new scenario that brings us a step closer to the source of the problem: plastic waste that travels in rivers and ends up in the ocean.

On the same day as the announcement of the awards, The Ocean Cleanup launched a new product: The Ocean Cleanup sunglasses, made with ocean plastic certified from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

This news item is based on content originally published on the websites of Dutch Design Awards 2020, Water as Leverage programme and The Ocean Cleanup.