Emily Jennings from Kilcloon, Co. Meath, a first-year art and design student at the National College of Art & Design (NCAD) has been named winner of the inaugural Kingspan ‘Reuse, Recreate’ design competition.

A student design challenge, created and sponsored by Kingspan Water & Energy, offered students from NCAD the opportunity to showcase their talents and get creative with second life material. The first-year students were tasked with redesigning an object using pellets from reclaimed Kingspan Oil Tanks, showcasing the importance of the circularity of plastic use.

Emily used the pellets to create stunning pieces of jewellery, including stunning brooches and a statement necklace, all made from reclaimed plastic from oil tanks that has now taken on a new life as beautiful pieces of jewellery.

Thomas Jefferson, Marketing Manager at Kingspan Water & Energy Ltd comments: “At Kingspan, we are committed to operating a sustainable business that delivers sustainable products and solutions. But this doesn’t stop at a product’s lifespan. Innovation is an important part of our business and key to a more environmentally friendly future. This is why we decided to team up with the young creatives of the future to design and create wearable art using Kingspan recycled pellets, bringing a second life to this material.”

As part of the ‘Reuse, Recreate’ initiative and to encourage the ongoing use of sustainable design, Kingspan donated a 3D printer to the college. The final creations were brought to life by the students in 3-D print, creating an array of final pieces, varying from EarPods to wearable pieces of art.

Speaking about the partnership with Kingspan, Tara Whelan, Interaction Design Lecturer at NCAD adds: “This creative partnership with Kingspan has given our students the opportunity to work on a really innovative and challenging project, and it’s reinforced the importance of using reclaimed materials and of their versatility.

“We were particularly keen to highlight the juxtaposition between using industrial pellets to create objectives that are traditionally quite precious e.g. jewellery and accessories. We’ve very proud of the range and calibre of submissions from our students and are pleased that this project has positively impacted on our students’ knowledge of materials and the importance of reuse.”

The students ‘Reuse, Recreate’ designs and creations were put on display in the NCAD gallery and judged by Irish designer Helen Steele, Dr. Coílín Dubhghailc, Lecturer at NCAD and Thomas Jefferson from Kingspan Water & Energy Ltd.

Commenting on the calibre of entries and the winning project, artist and fashion designer, Helen Steele says: “As a past fashion student at NCAD and an advocate of sustainability, I was particularly interested in getting involved in ‘Reuse, Recreate’ project. The importance of reusing materials already in existence is one that I champion, and I think it’s incredibly innovative for NCAD and Kingspan to come together to create a brief that both educates students and encourages new thinking.

“These students’ projects are the perfect example of how diverse materials can be. From an oil tank, to raw pellets, to a beautiful piece of jewellery, Emily’s winning submission illustrates the importance of the circularity of materials. Congratulations to Emily on creating a wonderful and simply stunning pieces of jewellery.

Kingspan Water & Energy is a market-leading manufacturer of energy management solutions. One of Ireland’s most established oil tank manufacturers, Kingspan’s bunded tanks are double layered for double the protection delivering extra strength to store home heating oil and are 100% recyclable.