Canidae Kibble Refill Station | 2021

Designers: Steffen Koury, Yen Wei Lee, Paul Metaxatos, and Darryl Khalil, Motiv, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Manufacturer: Canidae Pet Food, Stamford, Connecticut, USA

Canidae’s mission to help curb reliance on single-use plastics and encourage sustainable business practices for the pet food category. To start they hired Motiv to develop the first-of-its-kind planet-friendly Kibble Refill Station.

The Kibble Refill Stations operate similarly to bulk gravity-feed coffee bean or nuts systems, combined with a reusable zipper bag that eliminates the need for single-use reinforced bags, over 99 percent of which are disposed of in a landfill rather than recycled, according to the Pet Sustainability Coalition. The Kibble refill station allows pet parents to fill as much or little dog food as they need into a food-safe reusable bag with handy straps for easier carrying.

Despite recent pressure being placed on companies to reduce their environmental impact, the pet food category has struggled to adopt meaningful sustainable practices at scale which is why this product truly stands out. Here are some of the many innovative product benefits that qualify Canidae for the Good Design Award:

Ease and flexibility: The Kibble Refill Station allows pet parents to buy exactly how much they want, no more, no less. The re-usable kibble bag also has a user-friendly strap that makes carrying the food much easier than a typical oversized kibble bag.

Cost Savings: Consumers can save up to 45% per bag by buying these two premium recipes in the Kibble Refill Station (versus buying in a pre-packed unit). For example, if you buy 4 lbs of Canidae Pure kibble from the refill station versus a regular 4 lb bag a Canidae a consumer will save $10 on one bag. At any size bag, consumers have the opportunity to save hundreds of dollars per year by using the kibble refill station rather than buying pre-packed premium pet food.

Sustainability: Consumers continue to seek new, easy ways to reduce their impact on the environment. By using the kibble refill station you can feel good about playing your part in reducing the amount of waste created in the pet category. Additionally, Canidae Sustain features responsibly sourced, cage-free chicken and both recipes leverage regenerative farmed ingredients.

The Kibble Refill Station is a totally new way to buy kibble. Not only does it have the potential to drastically reduce waste if adopted widely, it adds flexibility and cost savings to the experience of buying pet food.  And while most sustainable options for consumers cost more than other options, the kibble refill station allows people to save money while making a positive environmental impact.