Design Challenge Competition: New Ways to Stop Products from Being Stolen, with the Planet in Mind

The theft of high-value, easy-to-conceal products is a persistent and growing challenge for retailers. While bulky packaging and locked displays may deter some shoplifters, they’re far from eco-friendly and frustrate genuine shoppers. 

To tackle this, we’re announcing a new product packaging design challenge with the Design Against Crime team at the University of the Arts London’s Central Saint Martins.

This design competition with students builds on our previous successes, like last year’s project to tackling losses, frustrations and poor customer experience at the self-checkouts

With the EU Green Deal setting ambitious waste-reduction targets, many traditional theft deterrents are no longer viable. Brand owners and retailers need to think differently. 

The students from Central Saint Martins’ BA Product and Industrial Design course will take on the dual challenge to innovate packaging and protection that doesn’t harm the planet.

From our previous challenges, we know their innovations will be practical, creative, and inspiring for the industry.

A legacy of creative problem-solving

In 2024, we worked with Central Saint Martins to reimagine self-checkouts, yielding imaginative concepts like CCTV avatars and queue management lighting systems

We also worked with UAL previously in 2020 on research to Improve Scan Accuracy Through Design. That resulted in 20 design concepts to tackle known problems at SCO.

These projects highlight how young designers, working alongside industry professionals can address both human behaviour and technical challenges in retail crime prevention.

Be part of our 2025 challenge!

This year’s competition kicks off on February 20th, 2025, at Central St Martins in London.  Students will get a full briefing from retail experts, sustainability specialists, and academic leaders.

Retailers and brand owners will join us for this kick off to offer their insights, share challenges, and witness the start of what promises to be another ground breaking project.

If you would like your business to be involved in some way, be that taking part in the briefing, offering feedback, joining us for the finale, and engage with the creative minds of tomorrow, please send me an email @ colin@ecrloss.com