Sheffield Hallam University students win competition to design sustainable food packaging through new partnership with Deliveroo

A team of students/student from Sheffield Hallam University have won a competition to design sustainable food packaging for Deliveroo.

Organised by Deliveroo and supported by BioPak, market leaders in sustainable packaging, the competition tasked seven students on the Sheffield Hallam University Packaging Professional BSc to create innovative, sustainable, food packaging that simultaneously prevents spillages, maintains food at the right temperature and is cost effective for restaurants.

The winning entry, designed by a partnership between William Shaw, aged 23, and Josephine Cooper, aged 21, was awarded by the judges from Biopak, Deliveroo, and Sheffield Hallam University for its ability to adapt an existing rectangular box product with innovative and creative updates such as a brand new sealing system, using additional folds in the cardboard.

Using a PLA lined carton board as the lid (BioPak’s BioBoard material) and an existing packaging product as the basis, judges determined it could be produced without significant extra cost and would be competitive with other products from the perspective of restaurants, making it feasible to go into production discussions immediately.

After being given four months to develop their prototype, four entries were presented at an exhibition on the University campus on September 25th to leading Sheffield restaurants such as Slap and Pickle, Urban Choola and David Chan - the owner of Noodle Inn, Noodle Centro and Mr Miyagi Sushi. Other high-quality entries included a student who used her experience from working in a Chinese restaurant to design an interconnected set of boxes where different parts of an order could sit in separate sections all safely connected together. Another team of three students also produced a labelling system to give better information and instructions to both customers and riders on how to handle the food.

As well as a £1,000 cash prize, the winning student team will now enter exclusive discussions with Biopak to put the successful design into production - with the aim that it will be made available for restaurant partners to buy on Deliveroo’s packaging webstore.

This initiative follows steps made by Deliveroo to support restaurants to transition to sustainable packaging. This includes a £2.5 million packaging fund that subsidises the cost of all environmentally friendly packaging items from the Deliveroo packaging store, elevating its sustainability offer to restaurant partners to support them in switching to greener choices.

Jen Bagshaw, Head of Packaging at Deliveroo, said: “We’re always looking for new and innovative solutions to big challenges, and that’s why we’re so incredibly excited to partner with these talented students in Sheffield Hallam to support the next generation of packaging design that really puts sustainability at its heart. By celebrating creativity and giving them the initial backing to get off the ground, we’re looking forward to working with the winners to encourage a solution that’s sustainable and doesn’t come at a significant cost for businesses in the delivery sector.”

Sam Walker, BioPak, said: “It's been a pleasure working with Deliveroo and Sheffield Hallam University on this exciting competition. As Deliveroo's packaging partner for almost 10 years, we understand the challenges restaurants face in finding responsible and functional packaging. Seeing Sheffield Hallam's students identify the same issues but tackle them from a fresh perspective has been incredibly inspiring. BioPak has been a pioneer in innovative, sustainable packaging for many years, and based on what we have seen throughout this competition, we're confident that these students will go on to make their own mark as successful innovators."

William Shaw and Josephine Cooper, winners of the Deliveroo and Sheffield Hallam University Sustainable Packaging challenge, said: “The Deliveroo and Biopak packaging competition has been challenging and rewarding in equal measure, and we’re thrilled our design was chosen as the winning entry. We are looking forward to entering production discussions with BioPak, and hope that our design can make a positive impact on sustainability across the food industry.”

Peter Macqueen, Associate Head, Sheffield Creative Industries Institute, Sheffield Hallam University, said: “We’re incredibly proud of the efforts of all our apprentices who have been involved. Seeing them extend the application of their studies to tackle a challenge in the hospitality sector has been fantastic and I’m looking forward to seeing how Deliveroo and BioPak can work with the successful winners Will & Josephine to hopefully bring their prototype to market in the future.”

Jack Charlesworth, Head of Numbers at Slap & Pickle, said: “It’s great to see Deliveroo partnering with Sheffield Hallam to host this event. Packaging is so important when it comes to delivering dine-in quality food - from our triple patty burgers to our loaded fries. It was exciting to see the innovative ideas from students that put sustainability at the forefront, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for the winning design.”