Commerce Update - Innovation Competition

Year 10 Economics students competed in an in-school competition based on the Young Enterprise Scheme Innovation Challenge. They were challenged to design and make an innovative product that creates value from the properties of crossbred wool or create an innovative product that uses edible seaweed and has sustainable packaging. Students needed to make a prototype of their product.

Congratulations to the following prize winners:

1st prize - Warm solution for the homeless - designed by Mary Henshaw & Kirsten van Rensburg. “Our innovative idea is to create a package for people experiencing homelessness with items made from cheap wool offcuts. Our packs would include a small, easily liftable tent made of wool with a waterproof outer layer, warm items such as socks, hats and a woollen sleeping bag. The tent would be closed with velcro and bugproof with mesh windows on the side for natural light in the daytime. Using cheap wool offcuts would keep costs low for the local manufacturer, enabling more packs to be made and creating the ability to keep more homeless people warm.

Additionally, the wool is hypoallergenic, resistant to odours, fireproof, durable and easy to clean. Of course, this is not a solution for people experiencing homelessness, but it is more comfortable and can lower the risk of getting sick due to the cold climate.” (see images)

2nd prize - Seaweed crisps designed by Laura Tagg, Bethany Jackson-Sem & Lucy Bryant.

This team baked two delicious flavours of crisps packaged in a snack-size packet and a large packet made from 100% recycled paper. “Our Company, “See-Weed”, is all about sustainability, using resources we already have and making the Earth a healthier place in terms of the environment and also as humans. We have become too accustomed to unhealthy lifestyles and snacks. Seaweed is abundant in our oceans, and our environmentally friendly way of harvesting seaweed leaves the ocean cleaner with every harvest. Seaweed is a superfood with iodine, vitamin K, folate, magnesium, iron, vitamin A, pantothenic acid, and calcium. With all these minerals and vitamins, you gain many health benefits. At See-Weed, we value not just our Earth but also our customers; we use recycled packaging.”

3rd prize - The S-bowl and S-plate designed by Jacob McInnes, Riley Culling, Olly Kupenga & Daphne Kendrick)

Newest generation culinary equipment - “The S-bowl and S-plate are made from 100% seaweed blended and shaped.” (see media clip below)

Other entries included:

• Seaweed movie snack bowls (Sam Marslin, Aidan Clifford & Matthew Rietveld)

• Seaweed plant based meat alternative protein packed in (Yiqun Zhong, Ola Shittu, Konrad Maaka, Seth Tinio, & Kurt Roguel)

• Seaweed passionfruit electrolyte powder (Hermoine Sparks & Nina Hollis-Pye)

• Cute woollen animals (Amelia Dickel & Millie Quinn) - A warm & snuggly fun option.

• Seaweed bubble wrap (Stani Cherkun, Vansh Kumar, Matai Young, James Hunua & Paddy Hickey)

• Seaweed Bites (Isobel Taylor & Aria Merrison)

• Seaweed gummy & vitamin chews for children (Liv Lester, Alysha Hesketh, Niamh Higgins & Felie Ryan)

• Seaweed food bags (Jazlyn Chunilall, Julia Lee, Lucia Jack, Muskan Uniyal & Innocence Stevenson)

• Seaweed Energy Bars (Ben Davis, Louiz Lazaro & Liam Bell)

• Seaweed chips (Robert McKenzie, Caleb Campbell & Liam Walsh)