The competition, in its third year, represents a unique partnership between Deliveroo, Sheffield Hallam University and Enviropak, bringing together academia and industry to develop new and practical solutions for sustainable packaging, with the potential for commercial adoption amongst restaurants on Deliveroo’s platform.
Students on the Higher Degree Apprenticeship Packaging programme at Sheffield Hallam University were tasked with redesigning packaging for Pho, a leading Vietnamese restaurant on the Deliveroo platform with more than 50 restaurants across the country. It builds on the success of last year’s competition with fast-growing bakery chain, GAIL’s, where students were tasked with creating a new sustainable coffee cup design.
This year, students had just under five months to design and develop a container that can transport one of Pho’s most popular orders - curry and rice dishes. The goal was to ensure the packaging prevented the curry sauce spilling onto the rice during delivery, kept the product hot and fresh, while placing sustainability at the heart of the process.
George Fowles and Jessica Walklett were crowned this year’s winners, walking away with a £1,500 cash prize. Their winning design, the Terapot, is a semi-circular tub made from fully recyclable pulp. It is designed to hold the curry while sitting inside a bigger bowl which contains the rice.
The smaller tub, equipped with an ergonomically designed outer lip, is built to the perfect height allowing it to press tightly against the lid of the bowl to safely transport the curry, preventing spillages and maintaining its heat.
The judges praised the Terapot for its thoughtful design and sustainability credentials. The winning tub design also fits into Pho’s existing packaging portfolio, making it a cost-effective update for the brand and a more viable item to take into production.
George Fowles, competition winner, said: “The competition offered a really unique opportunity to make a positive impact on the hospitality industry. I am grateful to Deliveroo, Pho and Sheffield Hallam for spearheading this initiative and for their encouragement and feedback throughout the process. It is a fantastic feeling to have won!”
Jessica Walklett, competition winner, said: "Taking on a real commercial challenge for such a well known and respected restaurant group like Pho has been a highlight of my studies, as it gave us the chance to put our learning into practice. I am extremely proud of our winning design and would like to thank everyone involved for the opportunity.”
Azucena Gómez, Course Leader on the Higher Degree Apprenticeship Packaging Professional BSc at Sheffield Hallam said: “It has been a pleasure to work with Deliveroo over the past three years. Their support, collaboration and commitment have been invaluable, and we are delighted to welcome Pho as a new partner this year. This challenge gives our apprentices a fantastic opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills in a new industry, explore its challenges, and see how innovation and technology can create effective solutions. It helps them develop their technical abilities, creativity and problem-solving skills while gaining insights beyond the classroom.”
Juliette Wall, Co-Founder of Pho said: “At Pho, we not only innovate with our menus but with the packaging that transports our food to hungry customers. Packaging not only contributes to the overall experience, which keeps consumers coming back to us, but it forms part of our impact on the planet. That’s why we jumped at the opportunity to collaborate with Deliveroo and the bright minds at Sheffield Hallam University to create functional yet sustainable solutions. I was delighted to judge the competition and was so impressed by the array of high-quality designs. Congratulations to our winners, Jessica and George!”
Eleanor Garnier, Global Impact Strategy Lead at Deliveroo: “As a business with delivery at its core, it is so important to offer smart, sustainable and innovative packaging that meets the needs of our restaurants, consumers and the environment. Universities like Sheffield Hallam offer such valuable expertise and for the third year running, its amazing students have helped us bring a commercial solution to life for a valuable restaurant partner.”
Jai Shah, Founder and Managing Director at Enviropak said: “The ideas put forward by the students at Sheffield Hallam were extremely impressive and it is fantastic to bring the winning design to life, so that Pho and other restaurants on Deliveroo’s platform can utilise the packaging.”
