APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN!

Open Call for New Generation Design leaders shaping a Circular Future! Submit your application to the What Design Can Do Accelerator 2025 by 31 March for an opportunity to join our global network of innovators.

ARADHITA

CELLSENSE | FOUNDER

Cellsense is a response to the problem of beaded garments: conventional beaded embellishments are produced utilising petroleum plastics and resins, which are then manually assembled into garments. Beaded garments are worn about five times before they end up in landfills—contributing to the microplastic crisis. Cellsense has developed a proprietary method to transform algae and cellulose into durable, transparent bio-embellishments with water resistance and appropriate texture. To replace toxic dyes used in traditional embellishments Cellsense has engineered bacteria to produce vivid colours and unique properties like bioluminescence. Recognising the labour-intensive nature of beadwork, Cellsense has also implemented automation to support ethical labour practices: a bead loom and a robotic syringe can efficiently create large-scale graphic beaded panels in seven minutes, which would otherwise take four hours by hand. Individual embellishments can be created on a mass scale using electrodeposition, a technique that streamlines production and lowers energy consumption, forming beads in just 3 minutes.

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

We are on a mission to find the world’s most creative climate solutions. Specifically, the WDCD Accelerator is here to support designers and creative entrepreneurs in shaping and building a circular future. We begin this journey with a worldwide open call, followed by an in-person Sprint Week in Amsterdam and an online programme offering training, mentorship and publicity to help selected innovators thrive.

If you are a designer or creative entrepreneur working on a climate solution that shakes up the status quo — whether it’s a product, material, story, system, service or space — then this call is for you!

SUBMIT YOUR CREATIVE CLIMATE SOLUTION

APPLY NOW!

ASK YOUR QUESTIONS AT THE Q&A WEBINAR

sign up now

YAYRA AGBOFAH

Founder | The Revival

The Revival, founded by Yayra Agbofah, is a pioneering community-led sustainable design NGO committed to addressing textile waste challenges globally. Based in Ghana, it seamlessly integrates education, awareness, art, and job creation. Through innovative upcycling and recycling initiatives, it has diverted over 1 million garments from landfills and oceans, simultaneously reducing air pollution caused by burning textile waste. The Revival’s impact extends to approximately 2,000 people globally through free online courses and lectures. It envisions a future where 20 million garments considered waste are diverted from landfill and the ocean, where an upcycling hub is established in Africa, and legislation curtails overproduction. Collaborations with prominent schools, organisations, and cultural entities underline its commitment to transformative partnerships. The Revival’s unique approach intertwines environmental sustainability, economic empowerment, and social well-being, creating a model for a circular and community-centric textile ecosystem.

WHO CAN APPLY?

This call is open to all designers and creative entrepreneurs from around the globe. At the end of the open call, a minimum of 8 winning teams will be selected according to four key criteria: impact, design and creativity, feasibility and scalability, and the strength of your team and network. To learn more about the kinds of ideas that we invest in, see our application guidebook.

  • ● DESIGN-DRIVEN INNOVATIONS

    We believe in the power of design to envision and create a future we actually want to live in. Because of this, we’re excited by solutions that embrace circular and regenerative design principles and that utilise design mentality and methodologies as a force for good. 

  • ● SOLUTIONS IN DIFFERENT STAGES

    Our programme is ready to meet applicants where they are in the development of their solutions. When making your application, simply tell us which stage best describes your project:

     

    -Idea Stage: Projects in this stage display a compelling vision and a convincing visualisation but only a rough proof of concept. There are at least two initiators, but possibly not the well-balanced team needed to bring the idea to the next stage.

     

    -Early Stage: Projects and initiatives with a core team, a compelling long-term vision and a convincing proof of concept. Your focus is on developing a high-quality product, service or programme and building a solid business case.

     

    -Mature Stage: Projects and initiatives with an existing social or creative enterprise. Your focus is on sustainable growth: expanding market or public adoption, strengthening your organisation, securing funds and increasing impact.



  • ● NEW OR EXISTING SOLUTIONS

    You can apply with a completely new idea or a solution existing with an established business.

  • ● NO INDUSTRY AND DISCIPLINE LIMIT

    As long as design is a clear differentiator in your process, we are open to solutions from diverse industries and disciplines. This includes food, fashion, packaging, consumer goods, education, urban design and media, as well as materials, products, systems, services, spaces, communications,  technologies and collaborative or interdisciplinary projects.

  • ● LEGAL ENTITY OR NOT

    For example, but not limited to companies, non-profits, collectives, studios, communities, startups.

  • ● APPLICATION FEE

    For all applicants except students, we charge a €50 application fee to help us carefully review every submission and ensure each idea gets the attention it deserves. This contribution also helps to sustain the impact of the Accelerator programme. Students can apply for free using the discount code “WDCD-Student”.

DOWNLOAD THE APPLICATION GUIDEBOOK

WHY JOIN?

Over the years, we’ve empowered thousands of creative entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into impact-driven businesses and accelerate their existing solutions to the next level, in collaboration with partners in Kenya, Tokyo, Mexico, India, Hong Kong, Istanbul and Brazil to address urgent local issues. Over the last 7 years, resulting in over 4.000+ submissions, 77 design teams receiving dedicated support, worldwide visibility of urgent themes to a 10M+ audience and measurable impact in pollutive industries.

 

 

YOU CAN HALF A PRODUCT’S CLIMATE IMPACT BY DOUBLING IT’S LIFESPAN

SOURCE: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY

Dive deeper

WHAT CAN I WIN?

SPRINT WEEK IN AMSTERDAM

Winners come together with their cohort at Sprint Week in Amsterdam.

The centre of the programme is an intense Sprint Week, where representatives from each team gather in Amsterdam to connect and learn from each other in person. Throughout the five-day programme, winners share their stories, set their intentions, meet their mentors, visit studios of Dutch designers and changemakers and join various masterclasses by selected experts in circular design, strategy and entrepreneurship.

WIN €1.000 PROJECT SUPPORT

Winners receive €1.000 each to support their projects.

6 WEEKS ONLINE PROGRAM

Winners enter a dedicated online programme to bring their projects to the next level.

Our accelerator programme supports initiatives with established social or creative enterprises that use design as a transformative tool to create sustainable impact and drive regenerative growth, contributing to a circular society. The programme is shaped around three main verticals; Creativity (mindset), Entrepreneurship (toolset), and Leadership (skillset) for impact.

 

1-ON-1 MENTORSHIP

Get support from curated professionals with a wide range of design and business expertise.

We’ll match each winning team with top-notch mentors based on their personal and professional needs. Check out the growing mentors list here. 

Present on stage in Amsterdam, Mexico, or Delhi

Winners get the chance to pitch their projects at WDCD Live Amsterdam 2025.

Every year, WDCD hosts festivals in design capitals around the world. Here, Accelerator winners get the platform to share their solutions with potential partners and investors. Last year’s winners pitched in Amsterdam and in Mexico City and are getting ready for Delhi.

Opportunity to get exclusive support from SECRID

Three of the Accelerator winners will be awarded additional support by our partner Secrid. They do this as part of their Impact Fund programme, in which Secrid pledges 1% of its revenue to support the next generation of designers who are driving change in our industries. These winners will receive;
  • – Secrid winner mention
  • – Accelerator sponsorship for three winners
    – Exclusive coaching to further develop their vision and maximise their impact
    – Professional communication support, including an in-depth interview and social media visibility

Win €7,777 Secrid Talent Award and join Dutch Design Week

One of the three winners selected to receive exclusive support from SECRID will also win a special Secrid Talent Award, which entitles;
  • – Secrid winner mention
  • – Exclusive coaching to further develop their vision and maximise their impact
  • – Professional communication support, including an in-depth interview and social media visibility
  • – A dedicated exhibition space as part of the Secrid Talent Podium during Dutch Design Week 2025
  • – A grant of €7,777.77 to support your journey in making impact

Joining the WDCD’s global design community

The WDCD Accelerator has supported 77 design teams over seven years, empowering creatives in Kenya, Tokyo, Mexico, India, Hong Kong, Istanbul, and Brazil to tackle local challenges. With a network of 200,000+ designers, we connect innovators with organizations to scale climate solutions. As a winner, you’ll join the WDCD global design community and alumni network—where connections, opportunities, and collective impact drive design for a better world.

SUBMIT YOUR CREATIVE CLIMATE SOLUTION

APPLY NOW!

ASK YOUR QUESTIONS AT THE Q&A WEBINAR

sign up now

MEET THE JURY

 

WHY DESIGN,
WHY DESIGNERS?

We are living in a time of climate crisis,but scientists say there’s still a window for action. A better future demands a shift to a fair and circular society, where resources are reused, waste is minimised, and nature is restored. To make this transition, we need to radically redesign the world we live in, from the products we use every day, to the values that feed our economies.

No sector can do this alone — but designers can clear a path by shifting from linear to circular ways of making, using and living. At WDCD, we support the designers taking accountability for design’s role as part of the problem, looking at how we can make better with less, until every industry is more sustainable, equitable and resilient than the last. 

 

 

TIMELINE

Open Call

4 February – 31 March

Creatives everywhere are invited to submit their ideas through the Accelerator platform.

Nominate

March - April

WDCD team and our international advisors decide on a shortlist of nominees.

Triumph

April – May

Our international jury decides on at least 8 winners from around the world.

Sprint

June

Winning teams meet in Amsterdam for a week-long design sprint and pitch their solution at the WDCD Live event.

Accelerate

June - July

Winning teams enter a dedicated mentorship programme to strengthen and scale their impact.

Our partners