5 May 2023 – Slovenia: A country with fresh drinking water everywhere you go. A country that won the prestigious Red Dot Design Award for the project developed by JRE-Slovenija in partnership with Steklarna Hrastnik. The design of a water bottle to raise awareness about the importance of clean water in haute cuisine restaurants.

Raising awareness about the importance of preserving fresh drinking water and reducing the use of plastics has been following us at every step. But, often, this is just words. That's why JRE-Jeunes Restauranteurs and Steklarna Hrastnik have partnered up to go one step further and give Slovenian tap water the packaging it deserves. This bottle with deep meaning for future generations, has been recognized with the Red Dot Design Award, one of the most important design awards in the world.

RE ◦ water is a specially designed bottle that aims to raise awareness about the importance of clean drinking water in haute cuisine restaurants, eliminate single-use plastics, and highlight the reusability of glass. Water is the source of our lives, so the bottle acts as a certificate to assure restaurant visitors of the high quality, purity and the water safety. Water is a world traveler, constantly circulating and never leaving Earth - it is recycled. And so is glass, which is why the bottle is made from this purest material that can be fully recycled and reused without compromising its quality.

The main feature of the award-winning bottle is the diamond-shaped base, where an optical reflection makes the water shine, just like in nature. At the same time, the "base" is a symbolic representation of the regional diversity of water. The design is minimalist yet elegant and prestigious. The width of the bottle is enlarged at the top, further suggesting the strength and importance of the content, while also providing a practical machine-washable bottle function.

After 20 years, they join forces again in a remarkable work of design

The RE ◦ water bottle is the result of a collaboration between designers Tanja Mudrinič, Head of Design at Studio Design Hrastnik1860, and Gašper Puhan, Vice President of the European association JRE-Jeunes Restauranteurs. The two former classmates from the Academy of Fine Arts, both experienced and award-winning designers, have joined forces again, as they did in their student days, and have followed a clear vision in designing a creative bottle for water that deserves a prestigious design, but at the same time need to be practical, as it is used every day in JRE restaurants.

Gašper Puhan is the owner of several successful companies (the restaurant Galerija okusov, the development and production company GeoEnergetika d. o. o., the marketing agency Medias kreativ d. o. o.), who not only leaves his mark in the business and design, but also, with his groundbreaking ideas, he is an important player in the JRE association at the national and international level. As Vice-President of the organization JRE Jeunes Restauranteurs, he understands haute cuisine, its charms and all its challenges. Believing that sustainability is not just an ideology, but a pragmatic need for restaurateurs, he, as the conceptual leader of the RE ◦ water project, turned to Steklarna Hrastnik for help in its realization. Steklarna Hrastnik through its development, Slovenian know-how and advanced technology, has been transforming glass into finished products with aesthetic perfection and the highest quality for many years.

Tanja Mudrinič has been "living" with glass her entire professional career. She enjoys designing with it immensely, as it offers her countless opportunities for creation, and as a recognized designer she has been able to sign her name to many successful projects and internationally recognized glass products.

Voda. Vir življenja, ki smo ga morali ujeti v steklenico, da bi ga ponovno začeli ceniti

5. 5. 2023 – Slovenija. Dežela, v kateri imamo danost, da nas kakovostna pitna voda spremlja povsod. Dežela, ki sta ji Steklarna Hrastnik in JRE-Slovenija, združenje vrhunskih slovenskih gostincev, s kreativno steklenico za ozaveščanje o pomenu čiste vode v restavracijah visoke kulinarike prinesla prestižno nagrado Red Dot.

Ozaveščanje o pomenu ohranjanja naravne pitne vode in zmanjševanja uporabe plastike nam že vrsto let sledi na vsakem koraku. A, bodimo iskreni, velikokrat ostane zgolj pri besedah. Ker tudi v gostinstvu problem odpadne embalaže ni zanemarljiv, sta Steklarna Hrastnik in JRE-Slovenija, član največjega svetovnega kulinaričnega združenja JRE Jeunes Restauranteurs, v skupnem partnerskem projektu stopila korak dlje ter kakovostni slovenski vodi iz gostinskih pip zagotovila embalažo, kot si jo zasluži. Embalažo, katere kreativno zgodbo in globlji pomen za prihodnje generacije je prepoznala tudi izbrana žirija mednarodnih strokovnjakov Red Dot Design Award, ene najbolj pomembnih in prepoznavnih oblikovalskih nagrad na svetu.

RE ◦ water, kot smo poimenovali steklenico, je namreč posebej zasnovana za namen ozaveščanja o pomenu čiste pitne vode v restavracijah visoke kulinarike, odpraviti plastiko za enkratno uporabo in poudariti ponovno uporabo stekla. Voda je vir našega življenja, zato steklenica deluje kot certifikat, ki obiskovalcem restavracij zagotavlja visoko kakovost, čistost in varnost postrežene vode. Je svetovni popotnik, ki nenehno kroži in nikoli ne zapusti Zemlje – se reciklira. In prav takšno je tudi steklo, zato je steklenica izdelana iz tega najčistejšega materiala, ki ga je mogoče v celoti reciklirati in ponovno uporabiti, ne da bi pri tem kakorkoli zmanjšali kakovost, tako materiala kot izdelka.

Glavna značilnost nagrajene steklenice je njen edinstveni punt – izboklina v obliki diamanta, kjer zaradi optičnega odseva, ki ga ustvarja dno, voda, podobno kot v naravi, zasije. Obenem je punt simbolična predstavitev regionalne raznolikosti vode. Oblika je minimalistična, a hkrati elegantna in prestižna, kar steklenici daje poseben čar in estetski užitek. Širina steklenice je poudarjena na vrhu, kar dodatno nakazuje moč in pomembnost vsebine, hkrati pa zagotavlja tudi praktično funkcijo strojnega pranja steklenic.

Po dvajsetih letih ponovno združila moči v izjemno oblikovalsko delo

Steklenica RE ◦ water je rezultat sodelovanja oblikovalcev Tanje Mudrinič, vodje oddelka za oblikovanje Studia Design Hrastnik1860, in Gašperja Puhana, podpredsednika evropskega kulinaričnega združenja JRE Jeunes Restauranteurs. Nekdanja sošolca z Akademije za likovno umetnost, oba izkušena in večkrat nagrajena oblikovalca, sta, kot nekoč v študentskih časih, ponovno združila moči in pri oblikovanju steklenice sledila jasni viziji – voda si zasluži prestižen dizajn, hkrati pa mora biti steklenica praktično uporabna, saj se v restavracijah JRE uporablja vsak dan.

Gašper Puhan je solastnik restavracije Galerija okusov in več uspešnih podjetij. Svojega pečata ne pušča le v poslovnem in oblikovalskem svetu, ampak se s prodornimi idejami udejanja tudi kot zelo pomemben akter združenja JRE na državni in mednarodni ravni. Kot podpredsednik krovne organizacije JRE Jeunes Restauranteurs razume visoko kulinariko, njene čare in vse izzive. Ker verjame, da trajnost ni le ideologija, ampak pragmatična potreba gostincev, se je kot idejni vodja projekta RE ◦ water za pomoč pri njegovi realizaciji obrnil na Steklarno Hrastnik, ki z lastnim razvojem, slovenskim znanjem in napredno tehnologijo steklo že vrsto let spreminjajo v končne izdelke z estetsko dovršenostjo in najvišjo kakovostjo.

Tanja Mudrinič s steklom “živi” že vso svojo profesionalno karierno pot. V njegovem oblikovanju neizmerno uživa, ker ji nudi nešteto priložnosti kreativnega ustvarjanja, zato se je kot prepoznavna oblikovalka lahko podpisala že pod številne uspešne projekte in mednarodno prepoznavne steklene izdelke.

Moving beyond sustainability to opportunities

The RE ◦ water bottle and its success have become an inspiration for sustainable practice outside Slovenia. Following the example of Slovenian JRE restaurants, the bottles will soon be in use in almost 400 of Europe's top JRE restaurants. This is certainly an important recognition for a country standing alongside countries with a long culinary history.

Finding synergies between organizations is key to achieving sustainable goals and running a successful business. We believe that the bottle is an example of sustainability success and an inspiration to other organizations following sustainable practices. The common goal should be to create positive impacts for the environment, society and the economy and to ensure long-term sustainable development.

Premikanje onkraj trajnosti k priložnostim

Steklenica RE ◦ water in njen uspeh sta postala navdih za trajnostno prakso tudi zunaj Slovenije. Po zgledu slovenskih restavracij JRE bodo steklenice v kratkem v uporabi tudi v skoraj 400 najboljših evropskih restavracijah združenja JRE. To je za državico, ki se vse bolj pogumno postavlja ob bok državam z daljšo kulinarično zgodovino, zagotovo pomembno priznanje.

Iskanje sinergij med organizacijami je ključnega pomena za dosego trajnostnih ciljev in uspešno poslovanje. Verjamemo, da steklenica, ki prejema veljavo tudi z nagradami, kot je Red Dot, postaja sinonim za trajnostni uspeh in navdih drugim organizacijam, ki sledijo trajnostnim praksam. Skupni cilj namreč mora biti ustvarjanje pozitivnih učinkov za okolje, družbo in gospodarstvo ter zagotavljanje trajnostnega razvoja na dolgi rok.

About the award-winning project partners

Steklarna Hrastnik is a leading player in the glass industry across Europe, committed to sustainable development and social responsibility. With innovative approaches to production and recycled glass products, their glasswork has earned a reputation as one of the most sustainable producers of glass products. Its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and its participation in projects to reduce environmental pollution demonstrate its commitment to environmental values.

JRE-Slovenija is an association of the best Slovenian restaurants united by a passionate commitment to their profession. The 22 restaurants bring together the best Slovenian chefs, pushing the boundaries of Slovenian gastronomy, taking care of social responsibility and knowledge sharing. The restaurants in the association are not choosen randomly, as their efforts also emphasize the values of the JRE, such as sustainability and social responsibility. In addition, JRE members were among the first in Slovenia to obtain environmental certifications and they are setting high standards for the entire Slovenian gastronomy.

O nagrajenih partnerjih projekta:

Od leta 1860 je Steklarna Hrastnik ugleden globalni poslovni partner pri razvoju in proizvodnji vrhunske specialne steklene embalaže v najvišjem kakovostnem segmentu pijač. Izdelujejo tehnično najzahtevnejše izdelke iz enega najčistejših stekel na svetu. Na enem mestu ponujajo celovit nabor storitev – od ideje, oblikovanja, razvoja, proizvodnje steklenih izdelkov, grafični dizajn za dekoracijo in izvedbo dekoracije ter logistični servis. Pri tem zagotavljajo prilagodljivost, odzivnost ter odličnost storitev in rešitev po meri kupca. V Steklarni Hrastnik postavljajo nove mejnike tehnoloških možnosti in razvojnih kapacitet z namenom, da bo prihodnost tudi precej bolj zelena. Zagotavljanje enega najčistejših stekel na svetu ostaja v ospredju njihovega poslanstva, toda z roko v roki s trajnostno naravnanostjo.

JRE-Slovenija je združenje vrhunskih gostincev, ki jih povezuje strastna predanost poklicu. 22 restavracij združuje najboljše slovenske chefe in chefinje, ki s svojimi ekipami in povezani v združenje premikajo meje slovenske kulinarike, skrbijo za družbeno odgovornost in prenos znanja. Restavracije v združenju niso izbrane naključno, saj v svojih prizadevanjih poudarjajo tudi vrednote JRE, kot so trajnost, ki ni vidna le pri izbiri sestavin, zmanjševanju odpadkov, uporabi plastike in učinkoviti rabi energije, ampak tudi v družbeni odgovornosti. Poleg tega so članice JRE med prvimi v Sloveniji pridobile okoljske certifikate, kot so Green Key in Green Cuisine. Tako s svojim zgledom postavljajo visoke standarde celotnemu slovenskemu gostinstvu.