Cape Town designers, innovators, students, businesses and non-profit organisations are invited to pitch ideas on sustainable, zero-waste and fully recyclable products for the #cocreate Circular Design Challenge 2024.
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#cocreate is the brainchild of the Mission Network of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in South Africa and the Craft and Design Institute (CDI). It is supported by the City of Cape Town.
The goal is to encourage circular design, a concept in which products are made to produce zero waste and be fully recyclable.
This year, 80 innovators will participate. Design-thinking workshops hosted by the Hasso Plattner d-school Afrika at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and local and international experts within the four circular design focal areas – Repair and Reuse, Organic Waste, Fashion and Textile, and Consumer Education and Behaviour Change will be held throughout the challenge.
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After this, eight finalists will be chosen in August, who must pitch their ideas and vie for four seed-funding awards of R15 000 each.
‘The reason we fund these strategic business partners is to unlock skills and talents that will drive meaningful business impact,’ says James Vos, the City’s Mayco member for economic growth.
‘Our commitment is to develop a workforce that is not only capable but also aligned with the future needs of the economy, benefiting both businesses and the planet.
‘The economic opportunity for the City is to support creative SMMEs and the informal economy to recycle, share, refurbish or repair. When our large clothing manufacturers comply with extended producer responsibility (EPR), we ensure the lifecycle of garments and goods is extended beyond the [consumption],’ he adds.
‘I (…) challenge and encourage all innovators, SMMEs, businesses and students to design circular economy business models that fit our unique context in South Africa, create jobs and stimulate a sustainable economy.’
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Picture: City of Cape Town