Formex Sustainability Award

Of all the new features at this fall’s Formex, the newly established Formex Sustainability Award is one of the biggest. The award is part of Formex’s efforts to be the natural platform for knowledge, good design and sustainable development in the interior design industry. Exhibiting companies will be nominating products during the upcoming Formex, and the winner will be announced at Formex in January 2023.

The Formex Sustainability Award is a competition where exhibiting companies and designers can nominate products that have been developed with consideration for the climate and the environment. A jury will then select a shortlist of entries for the Formex Sustainability Award. The nominated entries will be presented at the next Formex in January 2023, when the winner will also be announced. 

"For Formex, this award is a way of sparking and initiating discussions and sharing experiences about sustainability in the industry. The aim is also to showcase examples of best practice within the industry – products and companies with an active and long-term focus on sustainable solutions. This is not just a trophy, but a way for us to highlight and support the industry’s development on the sustainability front," says Sonja Björk Ebert, Event Manager for Formex.

All the nominees will be promoted via Formex’s channels and, in addition to the honor and 10 sqm of space at the next Formex, the winner will receive a unique statuette by designer and jury member Marie-Louise Hellgren.

The jury for the Formex Sustainability Award comprises:
Marie-Louise Hellgren, designer
Emma Olbers, designer
Maria Soxbo, journalist and co-founder of Klimatklubben
Björn Florman, Materialbiblioteket
Kajsa Falck-Torlegård, operative event manager, Formex

"I hope to see many examples of sound practices and innovative solutions among the entries. Sweden is renowned for its design talent, but we have very high consumption-based emissions. Interior design is also the consumption category in which consumers misjudge their own behavior most – we buy significantly more interior design products than we think. That’s why it is so important for the interior design industry to act responsibly, and I hope this award can help more companies to accelerate their progress and lead the way," says jury member and journalist Maria Soxbo.

The work of the jury and the criteria for nominations are based on the planetary boundaries. The jury therefore takes into account how the manufacture of the product minimizes greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity losses, how it takes land and water use into account and whether the product and process contribute to sustainable development. The jury also assesses whether the product is designed to a standard that means it will last over time.

"I’m extremely pleased with the sustainability work currently under way in the industry, since embracing sustainability and switching to circular business models is a key factor in future success. An award like this recognizes work with the right focus and a willingness to share progress for the benefit of everyone. What makes the difference in the long run is not that a company is the biggest, best and fastest across the finish line, but that we can find ways to get everyone collectively pulling in the same direction," says Stefan Juhlin, CEO of PUFF, the Swedish association of gift and interior design wholesalers.

Formex will be held on August 23–26 at Stockholmsmässan. For more information: www.formex.se

Media contact
Catarina Oscarsson, PR & Communications Manager, catarina.oscarsson@stockholmsmassan.se, + 46 (0) 70-789 43 66.