1. AWARENESS & BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE

There is a lack of reliable information on how to handle and separate waste. As a result, citizens and companies hardly separate their waste, reducing the possibilities to turn waste into a resource. This applies to all waste streams: organic / food waste, which can’t  be composted, e-waste from which valuable materials cannot be extracted and plastics that cannot be recycled. How can we design educational programmes and campaigns to make communities aware of the impact of their waste? Can we imagine new ways to incentivise sorting and recycling efforts?

2. COMMUNITY-BASED INNOVATION

Waste management in Mexico City largely depends on the informal sector. There’s much to learn from the practices of informal waste pickers. How can we support this workforce by improving infrastructure and working conditions? Can we design facilities, services and programmes to enhance the separation and processing of different waste streams? 

3. DESIGN TO RECYCLE

Most products are not designed with recycling in mind, which makes it hard or even impossible to extract materials that can be used to manufacture new products. This applies to electronic devices, plastics, textiles, furniture and many other consumer goods. At the same time, recycled materials are seen as inferior to new materials. Therefore the challenge is twofold. How can we design products so that they are easily disassembled and recycled? And: how can we encourage companies to consider recycled materials as a valuable resource?

4. DESIGN TO REPAIR

What applies to recycling also applies to reparation: modern products, and especially electronic devices are not made to be repaired. They are either too complex or too closed, which makes them hard to disassemble and replace parts. How can we design products that are simpler and easier to repair? Consider programmes that entice consumers and small businesses to take pride in repairing and maintaining products.

5. DESIGN TO LAST

Most marketing strategies are focused on encouraging consumerism in a global economy, thereby increasing material extraction for products that will be quickly disposed of. Mexican consumers are very susceptible to these strategies. The government’s environmental and sustainability regulations are more a set of recommendations than mandatory measures, letting the market continue with business as usual. How can we change the mindset of Mexican consumers to favour more durable products? And how can we empower consumers to demand more sustainable products and regulations?

LOCAL INSIGHT

ORGANIC WASTE

According to official data, urban solid waste in Mexico City is composed of mostly organic matter from the kitchen and the garden. Most of it is disposed of along with other waste in landfills or incinerators. Meanwhile, more than one-third of all the food produced in Mexico is wasted as a result of overproduction and inefficient distribution. To make matters worse, there is a lot of misinformation on how to handle and separate organic waste, which means very little of it is treated and composted. As a result, a lot of poorly sorted waste, underutilised waste, and most detrimentally, excessive waste remains.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR DESIGN

SHORTEN THE CHAIN FROM FARM TO FORK

Mexico produces large amounts of food and 34% of it is wasted, which is the result of overproduction and inefficient distribution. How can we design products, services and programmes that lead to less food waste? Take into account every step of the chain from harvesting and production to the distribution, consumption and disposal of food. Consider ways to shorten the chain by bringing locally produced food closer to consumers. Consider programs to change public perception of what is edible (in terms of aesthetics or expiration date, for instance).

BIOMATERIALS

Biomaterials made of organic waste can be a good alternative for single use products and packaging. Yet, there’s a lack of infrastructure to digest and process food and garden residues. Also there’s little recognition for the potential of biomaterials. How can design help accelerate the development of biomaterials to a commercially viable practice? Consider small-scale, community-run bio waste digestion systems, and types of biomaterials that can inspire consumers and entrepreneurs to become active in the collection and processing of organic waste.

GET INSPIRED

HAGAMOS COMPOSTA

Aiming to improve the organic waste situation in Mexico, Hagamos Composta focuses on collecting it for composting. People pay a subscription and they deliver buckets for houses or businesses to fill. Afterwards, the team will pick up the buckets and take them to a special terrain outside the city for its treatment and composting. 

After 15 buckets of waste have been delivered, clients will receive a bucket of compost. The platform also shares advice and information on how to treat this kind of waste and even make compost at home.

LOCAL INSIGHT

PLASTIC WASTE

A whopping 123 tonnes of plastic waste is produced every day in Mexico City, and only 6% of it is recycled. To try and curb the use of single-use plastics, the Mexico City government has started to implement regulations on plastic bags and disposable products, and to promote biodegradable plastics. Unfortunately, these efforts are met with many challenges. There is a lack of long-term vision in governance, which means there is not enough time to develop infrastructure to recycle all the waste being produced. Most local governments are under considerable financial and political restraint, and struggle to create new programmes to tackle the plastic waste issue.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR DESIGN

TAKE ON SINGLE-USE PLASTICS

Half of all the plastic produced worldwide is only used once. Starting in 2021, Mexico City’s government has prohibited the use of single-use plastic products including plastic bags, forks, straws and cups. But without the imposing fines, a complete end to single-use plastics seems unlikely. To be effective, the measure requires the support of citizens to transform consumption habits and strive towards more sustainable lifestyles. How can we design programmes and campaigns to change mindsets towards disposable products? And what sustainable, biodegradable alternatives for single-use plastics can we design?

TAKE ON PLASTIC PACKAGING

Plastic packaging as a category, may be part of single-use plastic, but is harder to ban as it’s interwoven with nearly everything we buy. How can we reduce the use of plastic packaging? Consider programmes and campaigns to make consumers more aware of the impact of plastic packaging; and addressing brands to take responsibility for their packaging that ends up in our streets, rivers and oceans. Last but not least: how can we design more sustainable packaging systems to replace the current polluting ones?

MOVEMENT TO COLLECT & RECYCLE

A whopping 91 percent of plastics isn’t recycled at all. Instead it ends up in landfills or in the environment. How can we design programmes, services and facilities to encourage communities to collect, separate and process plastic waste? Plus: how can we promote the use of recycled plastic in new products and by doing so reduce the fabrication of virgin plastics?

GET INSPIRED

MICRASTIC

Did you know that 85% of the drinking water in the world is contaminated with microplastics? The main source of contamination is the washing of synthetic clothes: 5 to 10 microns of plastic fibers (average 6 grams of microplastics) are released in every washing cycle. In fact, 80% of the plastic that enters the oceans and rivers comes from this source of pollution.

Created by a Mexican start-up, Micrastic is a device that filters microplastics in water as you wash your clothes. The device is divided into two components: The first is a filter that is installed in the drain of the washing machine to catch microplastics. Later it removes the pollution by passing it to a second stage. This second component is a device that accelerates the degradation of microplastics.

Local insight

Electronic Waste

Mexico generates roughly 1.1 to 1.2  million tonnes of electronic waste annually, ranking among the largest e-waste generators in Latin America. Eight out of every nine electrical or electronic devices in Mexico is thrown away and ends up in landfills, ravines or clandestine dumps, while merely 10% is recycled. 

Mexico City alone generates around 312 tonnes of e-waste per day, making it the fastest growing type of waste in the city. Recently, the recycling and sorting of e-waste has become the primary source of income for a growing number of Mexicans. In most cases, this is done informally, with little or no security measures. This practice exposes workers and peri-urban neighbourhoods to unsanitary conditions and leads to considerable environmental pollution.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR DESIGN

KEEPING ELECTRONICS IN USE LONGER

Electronic equipment is turning periods of obsolescence increasingly shorter, complemented by a cost of acquisition with a downward trend. As a result eight out of nine electrical or electronic devices in Mexico are thrown away. How can we keep these devices in use longer? How might we design electronic devices in way that makes them easy to repair? And at the same time develop a culture of repair and maintenance. Also consider designing alternative services to owning like sharing, leasing and renting;

GETTING THE BEST FROM E-WASTE

Although many valuable materials can be extracted from e-waste,  only 14 percent of discarded electronic devices is being recycled. The rest ends on landfills, illegal dumping sites or is incinerated. The informal sector active in sorting and recycling of e-waste is growing rapidly in Mexico City, yet largely working in unsafe and unhealthy conditions. How might we design programs, services and facilities that improve working conditions and efficiency, so that more valuable materials and parts can be returned in the production chain.

Get inspired

RECICLATRÓN

Reciclatrón  is an activity carried out every year by SEDEMA, which invites citizens to share information and alternatives around how to dispose, treat and recycle electronic waste. Reciclatrón also offers a service to recover electronic cards, cathode ray tubes, data processing units, monitors, computer equipment, various plastics, electrical appliances, ferrous and non-ferrous metals.

Ceci Palacios is the Co-Founder and Director of Coolhuntermx.com. She is a Textile Designer, with a master’s degree in Fashion Marketing and Communication, specializing in coolhunting.  Ceci has a postgraduate degree in Diseño del Mañana and she is the Co-Founder and Director of Coolhuntermx.com, digital platform focused on the amplification and dissemination of creative practices in Mexico since 2009.

Diego Alatorre Guzmán is a designer, professor and researcher at Centre for Research on Industrial Design Research Center of the UNAM. His work explores the link between education and design through play. He has published a book and several articles in specialized and popular magazines. His work includes the development of courses, games, workshops and conferences both in Mexico and abroad. His latest project, the FUTURŒSCOPIO, was published by the Centro de Cultura Digital and exhibited at the second UNAM Design Biennial, the Abierto Mexicano de Diseño and the Premio Diseña México.

Alain Pescador is the Director General of What Design Can Do Mexico. A global citizen from Canada and Mexico, Alain is a public affairs and strategic events specialist with an international network of contacts in government, business and civil society. Currently, Alain directs the Mexico office of What Design Can Do (WDCD), an international organization that uses design and creativity as tools to transform society.

Carlos Pérez Cirera is an expert in public relations and finance, currently Manager of Government Relations for IKEA Mexico and was previously in charge of the sustainability strategy for the company in the country. From 2012 to 2018 he was Commercial Counselor in the Nordic countries for ProMéxico, the state agency for the attraction of foreign direct investment and exports of products and services, as well as the internationalization of Mexican companies to contribute to the economic and social development of the country, and the strengthening of Mexico’s image as a strategic partner for doing business.

Dr. Claudia Garduño García holds a PhD in design from Aalto University (Finland). Currently, she works as a full time professor in the Graduate Program in Industrial Design at UNAM and as research director at DYA Design Your Action, A.C. Her research focuses on the development, implementation and observation of collaborative design methods applied in contexts of high marginalization and/or vulnerability, in order to generate more fair and sustainable communities. She is the founder and coordinator of the project “Action LAB Mexico (ALM)” and also belongs to the founding teams of “SUSLA.app”, “Diseño Activista” and the “Taller Interuniversitario de Diseño (TiUD)”.

Estefanía Arriaga is the Head of the Departmental Unit of Sustainable Solid Waste Management at the Secretariat of Environment of Mexico City. Estefanía is a biologist with a major in Resource Management from the National School of Biological Sciences of the Instituto Politécnico Nacional. She coordinates and elaborates the Solid Waste Inventory of Mexico City, as well as the coordination, monitoring and evaluation of programs, projects and other instruments in the field of solid waste and circular economy, in order to consolidate a sustainable, economically and socially viable vision.

Inti Pérez is the Manager of Creating Shared Value (Social Responsibility and Sustainability) at Nestlé Mexico. Inti has a degree in Nutrition from the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana – Xochimilco. She has postgraduate studies in marketing, communication, social responsibility and impact evaluation of social programs in Latin America by the Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, among others. Joined Nestlé Mexico 12 years ago and is currently part of the secretariat of the Mexican Alliance for Biodiversity and Business, as well as a member of working groups on climate change and circular economy of the Global Compact.

Iván Trillo is the Sustainability Marketing Manager, Packaging & Specialty Plastics at Dow Mexico. Iván holds a degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM). He has been with Dow Química Mexicana for 9 years. He began his career in the production area in the implementation of lean manufacturing, process engineer and automation engineer at the Querétaro, Mexico, plant dedicated mainly to the manufacture of Emulsions. Subsequently, he joined the commercial group through various businesses and portfolios including Industrial Solutions, Coatings, Construction, Monomers, as well as Packaging and Specialty Plastics in the Mexican, Caribbean and Central American markets.

Joaquín Saldaña is responsible forLAR Strategy Marketing for Huawei Latam. He holds a degree in Biomedical Engineering from Universidad Iberoamericana and an MBA from IPADE in Mexico, with 30 years of experience in the IT and telecommunications markets in Mexico and Latin America. He joined Huawei in 2018, focusing on Enterprise and Cloud in the region after working in leading IT companies in consulting, systems integration and outsourcing leadership roles. He has also worked for the Mexican Ministry of Communications.

José de la O is the CEO and Founder of de la O Studio. De la O is also a co-founder and active member of Cooperativa Panorámica, runs the design-driven cultural initiative The Chair that Rocks, is the creative director of his design brand delaO.shop, and co-produces the Spanish-language design podcast Fuera de Contexto.

His work has been put on display at the Milan Design Fair, Dutch Design Week, The Future Perfect in New York, the Design Museum in Taipei, the Shanghai Museum of Glass, The Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg, the Museum of Decorative Arts, Berlin, and the Museo de Arte Moderno in Mexico City.

Kassim Vera is Head of Design at the Ministry of Culture of the Government of Jalisco (MX) and Design Professor at Tecnológico de Monterrey. He was selected as part of the first Creative Leadership Programme in the UK by the British Council Mexico and the University of the Arts London. He is the founder of Emerge MX, a platform for design criticism in Mexico.  

Marcela Izaguirre is the Innovation strategist and Senior Programs Manager at Frog Design. Passionate about Strategic Design and Innovation, she has more than 10 years of experience designing strategies for new products and services for companies in North America, South America and Europe. She holds a Master of Science degree in Strategic Product Design from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Design from Tecnológico de Monterrey.

Mariana Soto is the Partner and Director of Ecolana. Ecolana is a social enterprise dedicated to connecting consumers, brands, collection centers and recyclers in order to prevent plastic and other polluting materials from reaching the oceans and polluting. Mariana is a Mexican entrepreneur, who built her professional career in the hotel and restaurant industry where she worked with top hoteliers and developers around the world for 7 years. She has a degree in Hotel Management and also an MBA with a thesis on “Sustainable Development of the Hotel Industry in Mexico”.

Mauricio Alvarado is a Communications and Public Affairs Manager – North Region of Latin America. Mauricio holds a degree in Communication Sciences from Universidad La Salle, a diploma in Public Relations and Media, and graduated from the Executive Program on Innovative Transformation at UC Berkeley Executive Education. He has built his professional career in the areas of Corporate Communications, media, public relations, sustainability, crisis management and social responsibility for various consumer and business-to-business companies, such as Colgate-Palmolive and Cargill. In 2018 he was awarded the Fratello Medal by the Universidad La Salle and was recognized as Volunteer of the Year by the Organización No Gubernamental Fondo Unido-United Way México.

Natalia Lever is the Branch Manager for The Climate Reality Project – Mexico and Latin America. Natalia studied International Relations at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM), has a Diploma in Social Innovation from the Global School for Social Leaders in Austria and a Diploma in Environmental Education for Sustainability from the Universidad Iberoamericana. In 2019, she was named as one of the 30 Promises of Mexico by Expansión Magazine.

Paulina Coronel is the Senior Advisor for Climate Change and Water at the Embassy of the Netherlands in Mexico. Paulina holds a Bachelor’s degree in Administration from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and a Master’s degree in Environmental Management from Lancaster University in the United Kingdom. She also has studies from the World Energy Council and the Energy Delta Institute in Holland. She has 9 years of experience in strategic areas of the Mexican government such as infrastructure, logistics and energy. 

Ramiro Estrada is the Dean of the School of Architecture, Art and Design for the Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico City region. Industrial designer by training, Ramiro has a Master in Design and Development of New Products, a specialty in Consumer Goods Design and studies in the area of design education. He is currently a consultant for companies focused on the fashion industry, luxury design and craftsmanship, where he carries out projects focused on finding new applications of materials, brand treatment, language and product communication. Through the Advanced Design Center, he has worked in liaison with the Industrial Design Department with more than 100 companies to generate research in the area of new product development, trends, experience design, social innovation, etc.

Víctor López Illescas is a program officer on the Natural Resources and Climate Change team, based in FORD foundation’s Mexico and Central America office. He has been working with Guatemalan and Central American indigenous farmers and fishing communities for more than 20 years in various capacities, including as a forester, a forest firefighter, and a cooperative manager. He sits on the Global Witness advisory board as well as the Forests Dialogue steering committee, and he is an adviser and honorary member of the Utz Che’ general assembly.