Three Industrial Engineering students of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) won first place at the Make and Sell competition held at Ten November Surabaya Institute of Technology on 25-27 February 2011. The students' winning idea, a pillow made from discarded coconut fiber pillow bested 83 other equally good entries from dozens of universities. The competition emphasizes creativity in creating product innovations that are environmentally friendly.
Ismiati, Annisa Dewi Akbari and Irfan Anshori came up with the idea after Irfan observed that much of the coconut fiber waste generated by industries are just sold cheaply, burned or simply thrown away. Realizing the potential of turning the waste into a useful and environment-friendly product, the three students put their heads together and came up with the design and the procedure of making the cocopillow, their entry for the competition.
