EIGHT INNOVATIVE DESIGN TEAMS NAMED WINNERS OF THE SUSTAINABLE MARKETS INITIATIVE’S 2024 CLIMATE AND BIODIVERSITY COMPETITION, FOUNDED BY HIS MAJESTY KING CHARLES III AND DESIGNER SIR JONY IVE

9 December 2024, London, UK:  The Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Terra Carta Design Lab, launched in 2021 by His Majesty King Charles III and designer Sir Jony Ive, today announces the eight winners of its 2024 global design competition seeking student-led solutions to the climate and biodiversity crisis.

This year’s winners, chosen from a shortlist of 40 finalists, present solutions to a range of climate and biodiversity concerns including air pollution, wildfires, and circular fashion. They have been selected by Sir Jony Ive, designer of some of Apple’s most iconic products, Chancellor of the Royal College of Art, and founder of design collective LoveFrom; and Jennifer Jordan-Saifi, CEO of the Sustainable Markets Initiative. The winners are:

• Airofi: A smart device for patients with chronic respiratory disease that collects real-time data on air pollution (Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation)
• BIOPOD: Ecosystem modules designed to remediate water quality and reintroduce vital fringe marshes into urban environments. (Rhode Island School of Design)
• BlueNose: Solutions to improve the aerodynamics of vessels, particularly container ships, in order to reduce their fuel consumption by up to 5%. (Royal College of Art)
• FUZE: A power-harnessing system that efficiently transforms energy generated while cycling into usable electricity (Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation)
• Pyri: An innovative, low-cost, wildfire detection system designed with remote, unprepared, and vulnerable communities in mind. (Royal College of Art)
• Shellf Life: A biomaterial made from discarded mollusk shells, offering a sustainable and visually striking alternative for use in construction and design. (Rhode Island School of Design)
• Statement Denim: A sustainable denim brand that turns post-production denim waste into stylish, affordable clothing while reducing industry waste. (National Institute of Design Ahmedabad)
• WildWatch: A speed control and wildlife detection system for animal crossing corridors on forest roads. (National Institute of Design Ahmedabad)

The winners of the Terra Carta Design Lab competition will each receive £100,000 in funding to further develop their innovations, enabling the designs to be scaled and taken to market to tackle the issues they identify.

Jennifer Jordan-Saifi, CEO of the Sustainable Markets Initiative, said: “At the Sustainable Markets Initiative, we always want to drive ambitious and practical action to help the private sector accelerate its progress towards a sustainable future. The Terra Carta Design Lab competition truly exemplifies the possibilities of tackling the climate and biodiversity crisis when connecting design, engineering, innovation, technology and art, to develop impactful and commercially viable solutions.

“I want to congratulate the winners of the competition for their innovative and commercially-minded designs. Their optimistic, multi-disciplinary and multi-generational approaches to a variety of climate- and biodiversity-focused issues are truly inspiring and demonstrate the power of collective ideas and co-creation in transitioning to a sustainable future.”

Sir Jony Ive, Chancellor of the Royal College of Art and Terra Carta Design Lab Global Judge, said: “We are delighted with the momentum and impact of the Terra Carta Design Lab. The teams created innovative and practical solutions, describing their thinking and design proposals with a compelling clarity. This collective body of work is made more powerful and relevant with the perspectives of students from India, Dubai and the US, as well as the UK, developing locally relevant ideas and approaches.”

Mohammad Abdullah, President of Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation said: “At DIDI, designing for the community and contributing through design is not just an aspiration, it is woven into the very fabric of our curriculum and is embedded into our DNA. Over the years, we have cultivated a culture where innovation and sustainability go hand in hand, empowering students to create meaningful solutions for the world’s most pressing challenges. Being recognised in the Terra Carta Design Lab affirms our commitment to fostering design excellence that drives transformative change. I congratulate all the students who participated in the 2024 Terra Carta Competition from all the four schools across the globe. The winners from DIDI are a testament to what DIDI stands for: Designing for Change. We are incredibly proud of our students and their ability to lead with purpose and creativity.”

Tanishka Kachru, Senior Faculty and Academic Lead at the National Institute of Design Ahmedabad said: “I congratulate the winners of the Terra Carta Design Lab and wish them the best for bringing their powerful ideas into the world. Working with the Sustainable Markets Initiative network has allowed us to reflect on, and test, our foundational principles, which have been rooted in sustainability, and their potential impact on a global stage. Moreover, all the ideas developed by our Terra Carta Design Lab participants are a reflection of India's potential to create culturally responsive, sustainable solutions, inspiring a future where design drives resilience, equity, and hope.”

Crystal Williams, President of Rhode Island School of Design said: “It has been an incredible honour for RISD to participate in The Sustainable Markets Initiative’s second Terra Carta Design Lab competition," said RISD President Crystal Williams. "We congratulate the winning teams and are immensely proud of all RISD entrants and finalists. These RISD students and alums are putting our question-based approach to problem solving and solution finding into practice to envision a more equitable and sustainable world. I look forward to witnessing the development of RISD’s winning proposals, as well as the outcomes from projects by the Terra Carta Design Lab’s global cohort of innovative thinkers and makers.”

Professor Christoph Lindner, President and Vice-Chancellor of the Royal College of Art, said: “It is an honour and delight to have two projects from the Royal College of Art win this year's Terra Carta Design Lab. Both of the winning projects embody the competition's ambitions to respond to the climate and biodiversity crisis with innovative, multidisciplinary and impactful solutions that can create real change in people's lives globally. I am so excited to see these projects flourish and commend the Sustainable Market Initiative for another highly successful year coordinating the global Terra Carta Design Lab.”

Airofi

"Winning this competition is a validation of the vision that drove Airofi’s creation: to harness the power of technology, design, and medicine to safeguard both individual health and the environment. It is an affirmation that small, purposeful innovations can make a monumental difference in the lives of those affected by chronic respiratory issues and air pollution. As an alumnus of DIDI, I’m proud to say that the institution played a pivotal role in shaping my ability to combine diverse fields like design, technology, and medicine. It provided me with the foundation to build my startup, Bionik Tech, which aims to create hybrid products that elevate the human experience and improve health outcomes."

FUZE

“Winning the Terra Carta competition makes me feel even more grateful to everyone who has ever believed in my vision and supported me throughout my journey. I thank you all! Such an accomplishment brings both the joy and the responsibility of fulfilling the promise of the FUZE system and making its users the true winners. I will forever be grateful for the sincerity and dedication of all my professors and the leadership at the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation. The vision of this institution shapes individuals with a mindset that is truly unparalleled. My heartfelt thank you to my advisor, Marisela Becerra, whose unwavering support and thoughtful feedback were a tremendous source of motivation, helping me deliver the best possible outcomes and overcome numerous challenges.”

For more details about each of the winning designs, visit, visit https://www.sustainable-markets.org/terra-carta/