ZGDW 2026

PROGRAM

ZGDW AWARD

Select Language

English

ZGDW AWARD FINALISTS /

Social Innovation Design

Maša Kralj, Ana Topole

SEEDKO

Project

SEEDKO is a biodegradable seedling pot made exclusively from secondary raw materials that would otherwise be discarded. The need for sustainable alternatives in the horticultural industry is evident, considering that approximately 500 million single-use plastic seedling pots are disposed of annually in the United Kingdom alone.

At its core, the pot consists of coffee grounds, which often improperly end up in landfills. As most nutrients remain in coffee beans even after use in a beverage, coffee grounds have proven to be an advantage for healthy and efficient seedling growth. Each ingredient in the mixture contributes to returning the necessary nutrients.

SEEDKO is a sustainable alternative for both garden centres and gardeners. While garden centres reduce the amount of plastic purchased, gardeners reduce the amount discarded. Instead of seedlings being removed from plastic pots that end up in landfill, SEEDKO is planted in the ground along with the seedlings, providing them with nutrients until it decomposes naturally.

The project won second place in the competition for the Rector's Award of the University of Ljubljana (HUD Call) and the Perspectives Award for industrial design (BIG SEE). It was presented at an event by the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce, published in the catalogue of SEE magazine, a platform for the creative industries of Southeast Europe, and was recently included in the Materials Library of the Estonian Academy of Arts.

Year

2023

Mentors and collaborators

Maša Kralj (co-author)
Ana Topole (co-author)
Barbara Prinčič, Professor (mentor)

Institution

University of Ljubljana, Academy of Fine Arts and Design

Author

Maša Kralj and Ana Topole are Master's students of Industrial Design at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.

In 2023, Ana Topole, along with Maša Kralj, received the Perspectives award in the field of industrial design for the biodegradable seedling pot “SEEDKO”. In 2022, her research led her abroad for an Erasmus+ student exchange at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences in Finland. Ana prioritises research-driven design, intertwined with sustainable practices. During her Master's studies in industrial design, she completed a six-month internship at the Danish design company Jacob Jensen Design. She is currently focused on completing her Master's degree and writing her Master's thesis, which focuses on pet design.

In 2023/2024, Maša Kralj led a student project team that designed the installation “Echoes of Tomorrow/Odmevi jutrišnjega dne” at Milano Design Week 2024. In 2026, she received the Perspectives award with Jaka Kordiš, each with their own project, in the field of interior design, with the concept of an interdisciplinary collaborative space, “VJA”. Maša explores sustainable approaches in industrial design and experimentation with biomaterials, striving to infuse playfulness and design research into her work. Her curiosity led her to two Erasmus+ student exchanges at LAB University of Applied Sciences in Finland and BURG Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle in Germany, and recently to an internship at the design studio Omvorm in Belgium.