Innovation Contest - Green Pack Hack

Kuva: Kirsi Linkosuonio tekoälyn avulla

The Green Pack Hack -innovation contest invites all front runners of bio-circular economy to come together to develop packaging solutions for the future! The contest is a great opportunity for students and industry players to showcase their creativity and solutions, whilst contributing to sustainable development in the packaging sector.

THE NAME OF THE GAME: Green Pack Hack

  • Green Pack Hack is an innovation contest focused on developing packaging solutions for the (bio-)circular economy.
  • The contest aims to find new and innovative ways to promote reuse (and take-back) concepts for wood fibre-based packaging.
  • Participants will work in teams to develop and refine their ideas together with a panel of experts.
  • The winning concept will be developed and tested through a consumer pilot as a part of the BioPak –project.
  • The contest will be implemented as a hybrid-programme consisting of virtual meetings and a week-long workshop in Tampere.
  • Due to the international nature of the project, we will be working in English.

 

WE WANT YOU

We´re calling all visionaries of sustainable package development! The Green Pack Hack innovation contest is targeted at anyone interested in the field. Participants can be university students, researchers or other industry actors.

 

THE GREEN PACK HACK MISSION

The main objectives of the Green Pack Hack innovation contest are

  • Promoting circular economy: the contest aims to develop new return and reuse concepts that support the circular economy and reduce waste.
  • Reducing micro-plastics: to find solutions that reduce the amount of micro-plastics entering recycling processes and replace plastic-based materials with bio-based and wood-based alternatives.
  • Developing innovative packaging solutions: to encourage participants to create new packaging solutions that are innovative and sustainable.
  • Promoting collaboration and networking: the contest will provide participants with the opportunity to work together and get feedback from experts, which can lead to new opportunities for collaboration and networking.
  • Supporting commercialisation: the winning concept will be further developed and piloted, which can open doors to commercial opportunities and practical implementations.

 

SAVE THE DATE

The contest will take place in the early 2025 and will start with approximately three virtual meetings (Teams), which will take place between 28.1.2025 and 5.3.2025. During these meetings we will get to know each other, team up, learn about innovation, the use and challenges of wood fibre-based packaging materials and prepare for a one-week intensive workshop in Tampere. The workshop will take place 10.3.2025-14.3.2025 at the main campus of Tampere University of Applied Sciences. During this week the groups will finalise their ideas, which will be presented to a panel of experts. The Green Pack Hack will end on 13.3.2025 with the announcement of the winner by the Expert Panel.

Date Place Theme
28/01/2025

 

Teams (virtually) Introduction and formation of groups
12/02/2025 Teams (virtually) Innovation: Basic syllabus
5/03/2025 Teams (virtually) Wood fiber-based packaging: definition, take-back and reuse concepts + preparing for the project
10/03-14/03/2025

 

10/03/25

11/03/25

12/03/25

13/03/25

14/03/25

Tampere (in-person) Intensive workshop + innovation contest

 

 

Initiation ceremony

Project work

Submitting idea papers

Contest / evaluation

Closing ceremony + Traveling back home

 

 

THE PROCESS OF HACKING A GREEN PACK

The course of the contest

At the first remote meeting, participants will be divided into groups to compete in. The teams will initially work remotely and later in-person to develop and refine their ideas with feedback from the expert panel. The teams will be formed with the aim of combining the widest possible range of skills and experience among the group members. The project and the contest have the advantage of a multidisciplinary and internationally renowned representation of both the competitors and the panel of experts.

Contest evaluation / Expert Panel

The contest will be formulated and evaluated by a panel of experts from along the packaging value chain. Among other things, the panel decides on the format of the assignment, gives guidance to the contesters and suggests the best contest idea. We are honoured to work with an incredibly impressive expert panel, including leading international and Finnish packaging experts. The expert panel brings invaluable expertise to the project and provides a framework for competitors to deepen their professional knowledge and gain experience in the field.

Outcome of the contest

The panel of experts will propose the winning idea on criteria based on aspects of sustainability and circular economy alignment (integration of reuse and take-back concepts), innovation and feasibility, consumer and market insights and adherence to definitions and guidelines. This concept will be taken forward for further development and a consumer pilot as part of the BioPak project in 2025-2026.

SIGN ME UP!

Sign up here before 31.12.2024!

The instructions will be found from the link above.

For more information about the contest and how to register, please contact Kirsi Linkosuonio, BioPak project person, by e-mail (kirsi.linkosuonio@tuni.fi).