A multidisciplinary team of students from colleges across Ireland has won the Irish leg of Invent for the Planet (IFTP) 2025 for their plastic brick prototype solution meant to help with sustainable housing in poverty-stricken areas.
Team IRIS, named after their prototype (Innovation Recycling Infrastructure Solution), is Joyce Mathew, ATU Galway, Christopher D’mello, DIT, Gabriela Rodrigues, University of Galway, Camillo Murgia, ATU Galway, Harish Sampathkumar, ATU Donegal, Dipshikha Das, ATU Galway, and Kajal Bhapkar, ATU Donegal.
The winning prototype collects plastic waste, then adds local clay, sand, basalt fibre and coconut fibre before putting them inside a container and melting them, converting them into bricks to use to build houses in the poorest, plastics stricken hot spots in developing countries.
The prototype brick can also store water. The team has developed a kit to enable local people, once trained, to build their homes themselves. The prototype is modular, scalable, and reduces building costs by up to 70%.
The winning teams says, “Our ‘Invent for the Planet 2025’ journey was more than just an innovation sprint—it was about teamwork, creative problem-solving, and a shared vision for sustainability.”
“Our Replast Kit is designed to empower communities to cultivate self-sufficiency. These 48 hours proved that when technology meets purpose, real change happens.”
“This is more than just technology; it’s about fostering local entrepreneurship, handling environmental impact, and enabling a future where innovation and sustainability go hand in hand.’’
Now in its 4th year, Invent for the Planet Ireland saw 34 students from seven universities participating in the 48 hour intensive competition aimed at finding to global challenges during an intense weekend.
The students did a 10-minute presentation on their prototypes to a panel of judges including Dr Rick Officer, CEO, Marine Institute, Gail Quinn, HR Leader ,Trane Technologies, Aine Heffernan, Corporate Vice President, Advanced Micro Devices, Dr Hernani Zao Oliveria, University of Evora, EU Green Alliance, and MáirtÃn Walsh, Development Executive, Bord Iascaigh Mhara.
Invent for the Planet 2025 took place worldwide from Friday 7 to Sunday 9, February. Students from 50 universities competed in the global challenge. Led by Texas A&M, USA, there are prizes of up to 10,000 USD for the final winner.
