In episode 18 of the Design Kit podcast, we meet Radina Popova and Petar Zaharinov, who in 2018 embarked on the DiFOLD adventure with the ambition to introduce an innovative technology for folding reusable plastic containers, which offers green alternatives in everyday life and logistics. At that time, they were hardly aware of the diverse challenges of the enterprise, but also of the upcoming huge success. The two had different paths before their common interests in ecology brought them together. Radina graduated in marketing in England and worked in an advertising agency, and then did a master's degree in innovation and entrepreneurship in Barcelona. Petar graduated in architecture at the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy in Sofia, after which he worked for several years in an architectural studio. Eventually, he turned to work as a product designer and led landmark Bulgarian contemporary product design projects such as Praktrik and WallStack.
DiFOLD's first product is the Origami bottle, presented in the summer of 2020 on the popular crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. The bottle reduces its volume from 750 ml when folded by 80%, and is stable when unfolded, which distinguishes it from other similar products on the market. At the end of September 2024, Radina and Petar launched a second Kickstarter campaign - this time for a foldable cup. The two products from the Origami series are another step towards their larger ambition - a revolution in the use of space-saving foldable products, to be developed and introduced as reusable packaging on a global scale.

Six years after the launch of Difold, we sit down together in episode 18 of the Design Kit podcast to hear their long-term ideas for encouraging the consumption of reusable products.

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Producers and hosts: Adriana Andreeva and Boiana Gyaurova, Komplekt

Audio editing: Launchee Space - studio for audio and video podcasts and hybrid space for events and live streaming in the heart of Sofia.

Music: Kaloyan Dimitrov

Visual design: Poststudio

Supported by: the National Culture Fund under the "Critique" program.

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