On 4 May, immediately after the official opening of the new digital platform interzum @home, the awards ceremony for the interzum Award 2021, the competition organised by Koelnmesse together with Red Dot, took place in purely digital form.
This year, Koelnmesse and Red Dot looked for technical innovations, advanced materials and special product innovations in the furniture supply industry. The jury, consisting of six experts in the fields of design, material science and architecture, awarded prizes to 20 products from companies from 11 countries: four entries received the “Best of the Best“ award for outstanding achievements that set new industry standards in terms of design and functionality, while sixteen others received the “High Product Quality“ award for high product quality.

New criteria: sustainability

For the first time, sustainability was explicitly included in the evaluation criteria on the basis of which the prizes were awarded. “By including sustainability in the jury's selection parameters, we wanted to give a clear signal that in future we will see more products and materials from the industry that take this aspect into account,“ said Professor Dr. Peter Zec, organiser of the interzum awards and CEO of Red Dot.

“Best of the Best': innovative materials and product solutions

Among the “Best of the Best“ winners is Häfele's “Linear lens“, a lighting system that intelligently groups light from an LED strip, enabling it to double its brightness. “Orbis“ by the British company The Vita Group is a polyurethane foam made partly from raw materials derived from recycled foam mattresses. “Bloom Technology for Fenix NTM and Arpa HPL“ by Arpa Industriale reduces the amount of phenol contained in the resin and replaces it with lignin, a natural wood polymer. Finally, the 'Clamex P-14 Flexus' furniture connector from Lamello, an innovative system that not only offers maximum flexibility in assembly but also increases its design potential.

“High Product Quality': high product quality

These are the sixteen award-winning products in the “High Product Quality“ category:
the AvanTech YOU Illumination system from Hettich;
the Aventos Hki flap door system from Julius Blum;
the Excelock electronic locking system by Sugatsune Kogyo;
the Flagstaff Oak finish by Schattdecor;
the Häfele JobTisch home office table by Häfele;
Innovus Feel Light Grey | Cosmos panel by Sonae Arauco;
the acoustic lamp Lighting Pad Lounge by Nimbus Group;
the Merivobox box platform by Julíus Blum;
Rexlam panel by 3B;
PureLux skai by Continental;
skai VyP Lana with laif Technologie by Continental;
Raukantex eco & Raukantex evo by Rehau;
Touchless Multi- Purpose Lid AZ-AT by Sugatsune Kogyo;
VIS technology by Arpa Industriale;
VitaRest Origin Pillow - Sustainable Pillow from The Vita Group;
the Zenit Metal Plus panel from the Alvic Group.

An industry ready to face the future

“With the interzum awards, we want to boost and put the spotlight on innovations in the industry,“ says Maik Fischer, director of interzum. “The winners of this year's competition show that the furniture and subcontracting industry is working towards innovative and resource-saving solutions. The idea of a circular economy is also becoming increasingly visible, showing that our industry is ready for the future.“

In the photo: Bloom Technology FENIX NTM® and Arpa HPL awarded with the interzum Award Best of the Best 2021.