Design awards are rewriting their criteria. Durability now counts as much as form

Design awards have long been a marketing tool for companies. A medal beside a product name can lift margins and make it easier to get into shops. Now the measure itself is changing. The organisers of the iF DESIGN AWARD say sustainability accounts for 20 percent of the judging criteria across all 93 categories. A dedicated sustainability working group runs the rollout. Lisa Gralnek, managing director of iF Design USA, has become global head of sustainability and impact. "Our aim is to fully integrate environmental responsibility and social equity into the judging criteria," says Uwe Cremering, president of iF International Forum Design GmbH.

Three competitions, one logic

At rival Red Dot the structure is similar. The award is given in three separate competitions: product design, brands and communication design, and design concepts. The split has a practical purpose. A finished product calls for different judging than a brand identity, and a concept that has yet to reach production calls for something else again. In a Red Dot interview, the design heads of the Haier group, William Wu and Federico Ferretti of the Haier Europe design centre in Milan, describe how studio work looks today. Digital tools speed up the creation of variants. The call on material, construction and product lifespan still belongs to a person.

Regulation enters the criteria

The pressure has a source. Directive (EU) 2024/825 on empowering consumers for the green transition, to be transposed by 27 March 2026 and enforced from 27 September 2026, bans design choices that shorten a product's life, such as batteries glued permanently in place. A jury that never asks about replaceable parts rewards a design that carries legal risk. That is why categories tied to recycled materials, packaging and serviceability keep multiplying.

The effect on fashion

Clothing and footwear design runs through the same channels. An award in a competition that scores durability becomes an argument in talks with a retail chain and in communication with customers. Marketing and regulation rarely push in the same direction. Here they do.