what design can do & IKEA launch redesign everything challenge

redesign everything with what design can do

Brace yourselves for a design revolution as What Design Can Do (WDCD) presents the Redesign Everything Challenge, a bold collaboration with the IKEA Foundation. Set to kick off on January 17 and run until March 13, 2024, this marks WDCD’s fifth Climate Action Challenge, calling on visionaries worldwide to submit groundbreaking ideas that reimagine a circular world from the ground up.

From January 17 to March 13, 2024, submit your revolutionary project online here!

(above) previous challenge winner, Landless | ©What Design Can Do

(banner) previous challenge winner, Guiding the Runoff | ©What Design Can Do

all images courtesy of What Design Can Do

In the face of the alarming climate crisis, What Design Can Do (see here) invites global innovators to tackle the challenges of our time. The urgency is clear – extreme weather, rising sea levels, and ecological disruptions are already wreaking havoc. However, the window of opportunity to act is still open as solutions that span every scale and sector, and that recognize the interconnected nature of our problems are becoming more and more essential. As the world heats up, WDCD opens the doors to its most expansive challenge yet – The Redesign Everything Challenge. For 2024, the platform partners with IKEA Foundation, a strategic philanthropy focused on fighting poverty and climate change, granting over €200 million annually.

‘In the face of our planet’s greatest challenges, design emerges as a powerful catalyst for change,’ says Liz McKeon, Head of Planet at the IKEA Foundation, on the transformative role of design.

this marks WDCD’s fifth Climate Action Challenge, set to kick on January 17 and run until March 13, 2024

(previous challenge winner, Packing Up PFAS | ©What Design Can Do)

Design as a Catalyst for a Circular Society

To combat the climate crisis, designers must shift from linear to circular ways of making, using, and living. This involves radical imagination, envisioning what doesn’t yet exist and bringing ideas to life. Since 2011, WDCD has engaged the global creative community in addressing pressing societal and environmental issues through conferences and design challenges. With The Redesign Everything Challenge, the platform is on another lookout for creative climate solutions across various sectors and disciplines, from food and fashion to digital services and construction.

‘Redesigning everything is a call to action and an invitation to think boldly about reshaping our world. Now, more than ever, we need inclusive and circular solutions that harness the transformative power of design,’ says Richard van der Laken, Co-founder and Creative Director of What Design Can Do.

to combat the climate crisis, designers must shift from linear to circular ways of making, using, and living

(previous challenge winner, Modern Synthesis | ©What Design Can Do)

apply HERE before march 13, 2024

The challenge spans five disciplines: products, materials, communications, spaces, and systems & services. In April 2024, a jury of design, social impact, and climate action experts will select a minimum of 10 winners. The winners get to receive €5,000 in funding and access to a global development program, including online training, mentoring sessions, and a boot camp.

Join the WDCD Challenge network, gain global visibility, and showcase your ideas at the platform’s events.

the challenge spans five disciplines: products, materials, communications, spaces, and systems & services