NO WASTE CHALLENGE

Cut waste. Cut emissions.

Fight climate change.

In January 2021, What Design Can Do launched the No Waste Challenge in collaboration with the IKEA Foundation. This global design competition tackles one of the most pressing issues of our time: waste.

 

The 16 winners, all design-driven solutions to take less, make better & handle smarter, will now enter a development programme co-created by Impact Hub, which will propel their projects through 2022.

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GLOBAL CHALLENGE, LOCAL IMPACT

As we push towards a global circular economy, we must be mindful of local challenges and opportunities. Perspectives on waste differ from region to region, and the transition will not look the same everywhere.

 

That is why the No Waste Challenge worked closely with partners in seven major cities to offer extended tracks for participants in Amsterdam, Delhi, Mexico City, Nairobi, São Paulo & Rio and Tokyo. In the end, the competition received an extraordinary 1409 entries, from creatives in more than 100 countries.

 

16 WINNING PROJECTS

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CARBON TILE

India

Carbon Tile is the world’s first tile made from upcycled carbon, fusing low-tech crafts with modern technology.

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DAPODA: DESIGN LIVING LAB

Brazil

A group of designers and architects from the University of São Paulo decided not to let perfectly good wood go to waste and created Dapoda — a ‘living lab’ for circular design.

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HAGAMOS COMPOSTA

México

Hagamos Composta offers an alternative for families and businesses who want to handle their waste responsibly but do not have the knowledge, tools, or space to do so.

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Ketting Kledingruil | The Clothing Loop

The Netherlands

The Clothing Loop (known in the Netherlands as Ketting Kledingruil) is a system for clothes-swapping which tackles this problem in an appealing and easy-to-use manner.

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LEAFYLIFE

Kenya

LeafyLife is a new technology using an energy-efficient chemical process to turn dirty diapers into clean fuel.

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LIVING COFFIN

The Netherlands

Loop is the world’s first fully biodegradable casket made out of mycelium fungi.

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MAPU SPEAKERS

Germany

Mapu Speakers is a line of eco-friendly sound systems made using natural materials like clay, wood, cork and wool.

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MODERN SYNTHESIS

United Kingdom

Modern Synthesis explores how synthetic biology might be used to produce truly sustainable materials for the fashion industry.

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NYUNGU AFRIKA

Kenya

Nyungu Afrika is a social enterprise working to end period poverty with affordable products made from agricultural waste.

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PACKING UP PFAS

The Netherlands

Packing up PFAS addresses a type of pollution that many people don’t even know exists: per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

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PROJECT “R”

Japan

Project R has set out to reactivate values of repair and recycling, and apply them to our lives today.

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RADIAL BIOFABRICATION PLATFORM

México

Creative startup Radial Biomaterials have harnessed the natural growth of fungi to develop circular materials that can replace polystyrene, MDF and even animal leather.

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REPARAR.ORG V2.0

Argentina

Reparar.org V2.0 is an online repair directory making it easy to find local repairers while promoting a culture of care across Latin America.

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SUSTRATO

México

Sustrato is an experimental design project that transforms this resource into biomaterials and sustainable products.

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UNPLASTIC

The Netherlands

UnPlastic is a circular material developed from food industry byproducts and beer brewery waste.

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WASTEWATER TO GREEN PARKS

Kenya

This project responds to one of Africa’s biggest burdens: wastewater. OmiFlo has created a hydroponic system that turns wastewater into lush greenery.