WDCD is proud to work with partners from across the globe. WDCD wishes to work with designers, governments, NGO’s, civil society and the industry from the vision that if we want to tackle the issues of our times, we have to work together.
Our partnerships are mutually beneficial, made with diverse organisations who espouse similar sustainable and social values to WDCD to achieve commonly defined goals, in line with our mission and vision.

IKEA Foundation

The IKEA Foundation is the main partner of the No Waste Challenge. It is the philanthropic arm of INGKA Foundation, the owner of the IKEA Group of companies. Its mission is to improve opportunities for some of the world’s most vulnerable children and youth by funding holistic, long-term programmes that enable their communities to create sustainable livelihoods, and to fight and cope with climate change. Learn more at www.ikeafoundation.org.

WWF

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is a supporting partner of the No Waste Challenge. WWF works to help local communities conserve the natural resources they depend upon; transform markets and policies toward sustainability; and protect and restore species and their habitats. What Design Can Do and WWF will work together through the Plastic Smart Cities initiative to support entrepreneurs in their quest to achieve No Plastic in Nature by 2030. Learn more at https://plasticsmartcities.org.

City of Amsterdam

The City of Amsterdam is a funding partner of What Design Can Do in Amsterdam. In 2020, the City adopted a circular strategy focused on ensuring a good life for all of its residents, while respecting the earth and its planetary boundaries. Taking inspiration from economist Kate Raworth’s ‘Doughnut Model’, the City will develop various solutions regarding food, buildings and goods, to achieve a fully circular city by 2050. Learn more at www.amsterdam.nl.

Foodvalley NL

Foodvalley NL is a funding partner of What Design Can Do in Amsterdam. Since 2004, Foodvalley NL has been developing the Foodvalley ecosystem; an international network of organizations and companies that jointly work on the transition to a sustainable food system. Foodvalley NL is the independent organization that guides parties through the transition. This is done in close cooperation with governments — international, national and regional — and renowned educational and research institutions. Learn more at www.foodvalley.nl.

Bureau 8080

Bureau 8080 is the consultancy and fundraising partner of What Design Can Do in Amsterdam. Founded in 2017, Bureau 8080 is an advice and project management company that is passionate about sustainability. They work with cultural institutions to help them develop policy and programmes that lead to sustainable change. Within the waste sector, their expertise lies in project management on (European) law and regulations and European tenders. Learn more at www.bureau8080.nl.

Dawn

Dawn is the strategic media partner of the No Waste Challenge. They are an independent strategy and design agency based in Amsterdam, who build value and create cultural impact through strong identities and creative campaigns. At the core of Dawn’s philosophy is the belief that mission-driven organisations can positively impact society and the world around them, while at the same time growing their business. Learn more at www.dawn.nl.

Impact Hub Amsterdam

Impact Hub Amsterdam is a strategic partner of the No Waste Challenge. They are part of the fast-growing Impact Hub network of innovators with more than 16,000 members in over 100 cities around the world. To make change happen, Impact Hub facilitates entrepreneurial solutions to society’s biggest challenges. From their headquarters in Amsterdam, they host more than 250 impact events and accelerate more than 150 enterprises each year. Learn more at amsterdam.impacthub.net.

Province of North-Holland

The Province of North-Holland is an endorsing partner of the No Waste Challenge 2021. The Province is working hard towards a new economy: a circular economy. The province believes that the transformation from a linear economy to a fully circular economy is necessary to secure a healthy and sustainable environment for all 2.8 million residents of North-Holland. In the new strategy, ‘Agenda Circular Economy 2021-2025’, the province focuses on accelerating the transition and helping the fundamentally needed change of the system. Learn more at https://www.noord-holland.nl/Onderwerpen/Klimaat_Energie/Circulaire_economie.

Unbox

Unbox is the organisation partner of What Design Can Do Delhi. Founded by Quicksand, UnBox Cultural Futures Society is a platform exploring new narratives and building action at the intersection of disciplines, to reimagine India’s plural futures. As part of its agenda, UnBox creates festivals, labs and publications that bring together diverse practitioners as a means of driving more sustainable and impactful social and cultural change in India. Learn more at www.unboxfestival.com.

Quicksand

Quicksand is the research partner of What Design Can Do Delhi. Positioned as a hybrid between design studio and business consultancy, Quicksand facilitates the creation of meaningful experiences through design research and innovation. Their practice builds on inspiration and insights from the ‘experiential reality’ of people, whether they be users, stakeholders or clients. Quicksand also has access to a broad and multidisciplinary network of professionals through their annual international festival UnBox. Learn more at quicksand.co.in.

The Design Collective

The Design Collective is a media partner of What Design Can Do Delhi. Founded in 2019, The Design Collective Periodical is a curated, hand-picked and carefully edited assemblage of the latest in architecture, design and art. It serves as an independent digital publication and online magazine that aims to be at the forefront of creative journalism. TDC also functions as a community which recognizes and acknowledges upcoming talents, initiatives and organizations from different parts of the world.

GNP

GNP is the Founding Partner of What Design Can Do in Mexico - a Mexican insurance company with the most experience and solidity in the country. GNP’s commitment to Mexican families is reflected in the protection it provides to its more than 4 million policyholders in the Life, Major Medical Expenses, Damage and Auto insurance lines. Learn more at https://www.gnp.com.mx/.  

Huawei

Huawei is a Visionary Partner of the WDCD No Waste Challenge in Mexico City. Founded in 1987, Huawei wants to bring digital to every person, home and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world. WDCD México and Huawei are working together on supporting design-based innovations that are looking to reduce, recycle and reuse electronic waste. Learn more at www.huawei.com/en/sustainability.

Dow

Dow is a Leader Partner of the WDCD No Waste Challenge in Mexico City. Dow is a materials science company that, through ambitious targets around advancing a circular economy and climate protection, intends to stop waste by enabling 1 million metric tons of plastic to be collected, reused or recycled through its direct actions and partnerships by 2030. WDCD México is working with Dow to identify and support design-innovations that can fast-track the sustainability goals of the company by stopping plastic waste in the Mexican capital. Learn more at www.corporate.dow.com.

Embassy of the Netherlands in Mexico

The Embassy of the Netherlands in Mexico is a Leader Partner of What Design Can Do Mexico. The Netherlands and Mexico are important trading partners, and The Embassy of the Netherlands in Mexico is committed to supporting projects that strengthen the position of the Netherlands as a commercial investor in the country. Learn more at www.paisesbajosytu.nl.

Coolhuntermx

Coolhuntermx is a Leader Partner of the WDCD No Waste Challenge in Mexico City. Coolhuntermx is an independent media outlet that, rather than reflecting what is happening, questions why it is happening. It was born in 2009 with a very specific purpose: to showcase Mexico's talent through valuable content that represents the creativity in our country. Its commitment is to present new approaches in different creative practices through more real and equitable narratives. Learn more at www.coolhuntermx.com.

Grupo Expansion

Grupo Expansion is a Leader Partner of the WDCD No Waste Challenge in Mexico City. Grupo Expansion is one of the most influential multi-media companies in Mexico. With a mission to create exciting media experiences that enrich the life of their audience, Grupo Expansión has distinguished itself for its high journalistic quality and its ethics based on transparency, truth and respect for its audience. Recently Grupo Expansion has expanded its reach through offering a rich portfolio of services that include: events and experiences, content production and out of home publicity. Learn more at https://grupoexpansion.com/.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico is a Government Partner of What Design Can Do Mexico and the WDCD No Waste Challenge in Mexico City. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs supports WDCD as an international foundation operating in Mexico, with Minister Marcelo Ebrard as the main backer of WDCD’s work both nationally and internationally. It is the entity in charge of carrying out Mexico’s social and environmental agenda in the world, which includes ensuring that the Paris Agreement commitments are reached and that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is implemented. Learn more at https://www.gob.mx/sre.  

Government of Mexico City

The Government of Mexico City is a Government Partner of What Design Can Do Mexico and the WDCD No Waste Challenge in Mexico City. Together with Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, Ambassador of WDCD’s activities in the Mexican capital, the Government of Mexico City is a strong champion of innovation, citizenship and the environment, making it an ideal partner for WDCD. Learn more at https://www.cdmx.gob.mx/. The Ministry of the Environment of Mexico City is a Government Partner of What Design Can Do Mexico and the WDCD No Waste Challenge in Mexico City. WDCD’s activities support Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum and Environment Minister Marina Robles’ efforts around the recently launched “Zero Waste and Circular Economy plan”, an ambitious programme, launched in 2019, aimed to transition the city towards a circular economy by reducing, recycling and reusing waste. Learn more at https://www.sedema.cdmx.gob.mx/.

Inter-American Development Bank

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is an Institutional Ally of the WDCD No Waste Challenge in Mexico City. The IDB is a financial and technical institution that works to improve lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. The IDB prioritizes social inclusion and equality; productivity and innovation; and regional economic integration in its development work, as well as environmental sustainability. Learn more at www.iadb.org.

The Climate Reality Project

The Climate Reality Project is a Civil Society Ally of What Design Can Do Mexico and the WDCD No Waste Challenge in Mexico City. Its mission as an international organization is to catalyze a global solution to the climate crisis by making urgent action a necessity across every sector of society. More than 130 Climate Reality chapters are now at work in 170 countries, empowering everyday people to become activists, equipped with the tools, training, and network to fight for solutions and drive change planet-wide. Learn more at www.climaterealityproject.org.

WWF

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is a supporting partner of the No Waste Challenge. WWF works to help local communities conserve the natural resources they depend upon; transform markets and policies toward sustainability; and protect and restore species and their habitats. What Design Can Do and WWF will work together through the Plastic Smart Cities initiative to support entrepreneurs in their quest to achieve No Plastic in Nature by 2030. Learn more at https://plasticsmartcities.org.

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Tecnológico de Monterrey is an Academic Ally of What Design Can Do Mexico and the WDCD No Waste Challenge in Mexico City. Founded in 1943, Tecnológico de Monterrey is a distinguished educational institution that combines two research approaches: ‘knowledge-driven creation’ and ‘society-driven innovation’. WDCD partners with The School of Architecture, Art and Design at the university, which is committed to undertaking research to educate, innovate and contribute solutions to México’s and worldwide problems. Learn more at www.tec.mx.

School of Design of the National Institute of Fine Arts (EDINBAL)

The School of Design of the National Institute of Fine Arts (EDINBAL) is an Academic Ally of What Design Can Do Mexico and the WDCD No Waste Challenge in Mexico City. Founded in 1961, the EDINBAL has a mission to innovate and experiment with methodologies, strategies, pedagogical models and conceptual and normative mechanisms that support the teaching and learning processes in the field of the arts, as well as new lines of research in design. Learn more at https://edinba.inba.gob.mx/.

Industrial Design Research Center (CIDI) - UNAM

The Industrial Design Research Center (CIDI) of the National Autonomous University of Mexico is an Academic Ally of the WDCD No Waste Challenge in Mexico City. CIDI-UNAM is one of the country’s most prestigious academic institutions, with the mission to train industrial designers for their active involvement in the national and international professional field and, at the same time, be a benchmark of higher education in the industrial design discipline. Learn more at https://cidi-unam.com.mx/.

delaO design studio

delaO design studio is the Research Ally of the WDCD No Waste Challenge in Mexico City. Founded in 2010 in the Dutch city of Eindhoven before relocating to Mexico City, delaO design studio is an award-winning creative agency specialized in design-driven research. They are also experienced cultural translators, who work with international companies to help them align their values with the Mexican market and to expand their cultural impact in the region. Learn more at www.delao.mx.

Kenya Climate Innovation Center

Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC) is the funding partner of What Design Can Do Nairobi. KCIC offers incubation, capacity building and financing options to new, small and medium business ventures and Kenyan entrepreneurs that are developing innovations to address the challenges of climate change. We provide holistic and country-driven support to accelerate the development, deployment and transfer of locally relevant climate technologies. Learn more at https://www.kenyacic.org.  

Design Kenya Society

Design Kenya Society (DKS) is a media collaborator of What Design Can Do Nairobi. Design Kenya Society is a professional association based in Kenya that brings together a network of designers representing design practitioners, design students and design business with the aim of raising professional standards, expanding opportunities and nurturing design leaders. They work to foster design and design recognition in Kenya and Afrika for the improved quality of life and economic prosperity for all. Their daily work is to promote best practice in the design profession in Kenya and Afrika by strengthening teaching and practice of design and presenting a unified voice to shape the industry, influence public policy and engage the public.

Instituto Clima e Sociedade

The Institute for Climate and Society (iCS) is a funding partner of What Design Can Do São Paulo & Rio. It is a philanthropic organization that promotes prosperity, justice and low carbon development in Brazil. The main activity of the Institute is to promote projects and organizations that are dedicated to building solutions to the climate crisis, prioritizing measures that also result in improvements in the quality of life for people, especially for those most vulnerable. Learn more at www.climaesociedade.org.

Dutch Consulate In São Paulo

The Netherlands Consulate General in São Paulo has been a funding partner of What Design Can Do since 2015. The Consulate actively supports international cultural cooperation between Brazil and the Netherlands. The ties between the two countries are intensive and versatile. Over the past several years, the Dutch government has successfully invested in the intensification of this exchange in the areas of culture, the creative industry and shared cultural heritage. These efforts are aimed at sharing knowledge and contribute to the development of talent, based on reciprocity, co-creation and equality. Of further importance is the promotion and visibility of Dutch artists in Brazil.

Oceana

Oceana is a development partner of What Design Can Do São Paulo & Rio. Founded in 2001 and active in Brazil since 2014, Oceana is the largest non-profit international advocacy organization dedicated solely to ocean protection. Present in 11 countries and in the European Union to protect marine biodiversity and increase the generation of the oceans through science-based campaigns, which have already resulted in more than 225 victories worldwide. Learn more at www.brasil.oceana.org.

Museum of Tomorrow

Museum of Tomorrow is a development partner of What Design Can Do São Paulo & Rio. A new icon of the Rio de Janeiro harbour, the Museum of Tomorrow is an experimental museum which explores and imagines the opportunities and challenges which humanity will be forced to tackle in the coming decades. Since launching in 2015, it has received over three million visitors, becoming a leading hub for art, science and technology. Learn more at museudoamanha.org.br.

Mandacaru

Mandacaru is the organization partner of What Design Can Do São Paulo & Rio. As a production and communication studio with more than a decade of experience in cultural and events management, Mandacaru maintains an extensive network of collaborators both locally and internationally. Since 2015, Mandacaru has been the Brazilian partner of What Design Can Do, producing 3 successful conferences in São Paulo and several design challenges and workshops. Learn more at www.mandacarudesign.com.br.

Flutter Innovation

Flutter Innovation is the research partner of What Design Can Do São Paulo & Rio. Flutter imagines, designs and builds the future by bringing together highly skilled people. Their multidisciplinary team is inspired by nature, driven by good challenges, and passionate about collaboration. Flutter works with institutions to foster innovation from concept to execution. As a networking enterprise, they also act as a hub for design research, business development and mentoring. Learn more at www.flutter-innovation.com.

IED

Istituto Europeo di Design is a communication partner of What Design Can Do São Paulo & Rio. Founded in Italy, in 1966, IED is an international school for creative intelligence, focused on education, research, and action in the fields of design, fashion, and communication in its 12 seats around the globe. In Brazil since 2005, IED weaves a rich network of students, professors, and professionals, proposing innovative ideas and solutions for people, businesses, and societies from the creative perspective of design. Learn more at ied.edu.br.

ABRE

ABRE - Brazilian Packaging Association is a strategic partner of the No Waste Challenge in São Paulo & Rio. ABRE was born to be the reference and the connection between different players that make up the Brazilian packaging ecosystem. They walk with their members for sustainable development and they are driven by the sharing of knowledge and the valorization of national packaging and professionals in the sector. This is how they open the doors to innovation and evolution of the Brazilian packaging ecosystem: stimulating the role of the companies and professionals, fostering more sustainable business models and building transparent relationships.

Climate Ventures

CLIMATE VENTURES is an institutional partner of What Design Can Do São Paulo & Rio. CLIMATE VENTURES exists to accelerate a low-carbon, regenerative economy in Brazil. It develops programs to engage leaders from climate, technology, business and finance worlds across sectors. By connecting start-ups with partners and investors, CLIMATE VENTURES maximises their social-ecological impact, producing knowledge & advocacy to influence government decisions and public awareness on the climate change agenda. Its purpose is to develop the climate entrepreneurship ecosystem, contributing to the decarbonisation of the economy and the regeneration of the planet.

Circular Economy Hub Brazil (Hub-EC)

The Circular Economy Hub Brazil (Hub-EC) is an institutional partner of What Design Can Do São Paulo & Rio. The Circular Economy Hub Brazil is an unique ecosystem, idealized by Exchange 4 Change Brasil, who gathers leading companies to work together in order to overcome barriers, break paradigmas and foster projects in order to implement Circular Economy in Brazil. The aim is to show a new model of governance may be created to facilitate knowledge sharing, the integration of value chain and the building of new commercial relationships, bringing together companies of different sectors in an environment of trust and commitment.

Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Japan is a funding partner of What Design Can Do Tokyo. The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is the linchpin in the long-standing relations between Japan and the Netherlands. The Public Diplomacy, Political & Cultural Affairs of the embassy engages in the bilateral political exchange, is in charge of the communication strategy and implements the International Cultural Policy of the Dutch government in Japan. Learn more at www.netherlandsandyou.nl/your-country-and-the-netherlands/japan.

Creative Industries Fund NL

The Creative Industries Fund NL is a funding partner of What Design Can Do Tokyo. The Creative Industries Fund NL is the Dutch cultural fund for architecture, design and digital culture, as well as every imaginable crossover. The Fund supports exceptional and innovative projects of designers, makers and cultural institutions, at home and abroad. The aim is to promote a culture- and knowledge-driven creative economy, while also contributing to design solutions for societal issues. Learn more at www.stimuleringsfonds.nl.

SHIBAURA HOUSE

SHIBAURA HOUSE is the organisation partner of What Design Can Do Tokyo. This unique hub for arts and culture aims to provide a platform for creative projects that are rooted in the local community. This includes events ranging from workshops for local residents to programmes with invited guest creators from abroad. Besides connecting people and championing creativity, SHIBAURA HOUSE also supports various projects engaging with social and environmental issues. Learn more at shibaurahouse.jp.

Impact Hub

Impact Hub is a strategic partner of the No Waste Challenge. The Impact Hub network is the world’s largest community of creative entrepreneurs with more than 16,000 members in over 100 cities. Their mission is to accelerate positive change by building ecosystems to drive collaboration and innovation around the Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), boosting impact at scale through locally rooted Impact Hubs and partners. Learn more at www.impacthub.net.

STBY

STBY is a strategic partner of the No Waste Challenge. As a design research consultancy based in London and Amsterdam, STBY connects organisations with the lives and experiences of their customers, bringing real people into the heart of service innovation processes. STBY is the initiator and co-founder of the global REACH network and has been a design research partner of What Design Can Do since 2015. Learn more at www.stby.eu.

Open Design Afrika

Open Design Afrika is a media collaborator of the No Waste Challenge. Open Design Afrika is a platform where collaboration and creative intelligence are super powers. They believe that every child and citizen of the world should have the right to develop it so that everyone can be empowered to contribute to the future-making of a world we can all feel proud to live, work and play in. Learn more at https://opendesignafrika.org.