On 27 May, we announced the 85 nominees of the What Design Can Do No Waste Challenge. During the open call, creatives submitted ideas responding to at least one of three design briefs, each one tackling a different aspect of our take-make-waste economy. Participants applied to either the Global track or to specific city tracks aimed at finding solutions in Amsterdam, Delhi, México City, Nairobi, São Paulo & Rio and Tokyo.
Today, we take a closer look at the 11 outstanding projects nominated for the México City track. Developed in collaboration with our partners in Mexico, this track emphasized local perspectives on waste and was open to all participants designing from or for the region.
TAKE LESS
The following nominees responded to the first design brief, which focuses on the root causes that are fueling our waste problem. It suggests questions like: How can we consume more mindfully and inspire a shift in societal habits and values? Could design help us envision alternatives to buying and owning products?
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PerfektoSUBMITTED BY: Jan Heinvirta (Mexico) | STRATEGY: SERVICES OR SYSTEMSThis subscription box doesn’t just deliver groceries. It also fixes supply chain inefficiencies in order to prevent food from going to waste. This project is also tagged as Brief 2: Make Better and Brief 3: Handle Smarter. |
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POOPISSUBMITTED BY: Miguel Angel Avila (Mexico) | STRATEGY: ProductsPOOPIS helps pet-lovers reduce their plastic usage through sustainable alternatives. They offer an affordable compost system to turn your animal and kitchen waste into rich soil, as well as biodegradable waste bags, cleaning supplies, litter and bedding. This project is also tagged as Brief 2: Make Better. |
MAKE BETTER
The following nominees responded to the second design brief, which focuses on reducing waste through rethinking how things are made and what they are made of. It suggests questions like: How can we encourage the use of more innovative and sustainable materials? Could we redesign the life cycles of products, so that they are more restorative and/or regenerative?
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SustratoSUBMITTED BY: Andrea Michael De la Peña Aguirre (Mexico) | STRATEGY: ProductsCombining ancient techniques, contemporary design and waste from the pineapple industry, Sustrato develops sustainable materials and products including rope, bioplastic and felt. |
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RADIAL biofabrication platformSUBMITTED BY: Ricardo Muttio Limas (Mexico) | STRATEGY: ProductSUsing fungal biotech, RADIAL transforms agricultural waste into carbon neutral materials, replacing styrofoam, MDF as well as animal and plastic leathers. |
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NucyclesSUBMITTED BY: Eleazar Guevara (Mexico) | STRATEGY: ProductsNucycles produces beautiful, recycled textile products for everyday use. Their entire value chain is zero-waste, from product design to sourcing materials, yarn production, weaving and sales. This project is also tagged as Brief 1: Take Less and Brief 3: Handle Smarter. |
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Casas de Plástico BloqueplasSUBMITTED BY: Ricardo Cuenca (Mexico) | STRATEGY: SpacesThis building system uses recycled plastic parts to construct cool, comfortable Bloqueplas houses in any size. Thanks to an adhesive-free building process, these houses can be built in less than a week. |
HANDLE SMARTER
The following nominees responded to the third design brief, which focuses on the so-called ‘end of the line’, and asks for creative ways to redraw it so that all waste is disposed of in a way that’s safe and sustainable. It suggests questions like: How can we better track and manage the different forms of waste we produce? Could we empower people to view and use waste as a resource?
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Hagamos CompostaSUBMITTED BY: Gerardo Montes de Oca Sierra (Mexico) | STRATEGY: PRODUCTS, SERVICES OR SYSTeMSHagamos Composta strives to give everyone the opportunity to compost their organic waste responsibly. Already in 8 cities in Mexico and 2 in Honduras, this service offers home pick-up in colourful buckets. This project is also tagged as Brief 1: Take Less. |
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Plasticar: Building from trashSUBMITTED BY: Juan Octavio Ferreyra (Mexico) | STRATEGY: SPACES, SERVICES OR SYSTeMSPlasticar is a recycling space that can be re-created by individuals and organisations around the world. Using their setup, anyone can turn plastic waste into architectural beams, bricks and sheets. This project is also tagged as Brief 2: Make Better. |
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ECOLAM Circular InclusiveWasteSUBMITTED BY: Mauricio Enriquez (Mexico) | STRATEGY: PRODUCTSECOLAM is generating affordable housing by transforming plastic waste into sheets for roofing, walls, furniture, and counters. |
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C&D RECYCLING PLANT MEXICOSUBMITTED BY: GERARDO GUTIERREZ SMITH (Mexico) | STRATEGY: PRODUCTS, SPACESThis recycling plant is completing a critical part of a circular supply chain for construction and demolition (C&D) waste. This plant has the capacity to transform 150 tons per hour of mixed C&D waste into new materials. This project is also tagged as Brief 1: Take Less. |
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Ecocyc RecolectaSUBMITTED BY: Alejandro Hernandez Camas (Mexico) | STRATEGY: Services or systemsEcocyc Recolecta is a doorstep pick-up service for household waste, from plastics to organic materials. Members also receive labeled bins, training and practical tips for waste disposal. This project is also tagged as Brief 1: Take Less. |
WHAT’S NEXT?
Nominated teams now have the time to improve their submissions before the final jury review in July. Visit our platform for more information about the competition, award package, and to view all the nominees in our project gallery.