By using different strategies, such as awareness-raising campaigns, the reuse of waste or helping disadvantaged communities, social design becomes a valuable weapon to try to alleviate the consequences of the current lifestyle in most parts of the planet. The principle of social design is to try to end needs instead of creating them.  

Product design might be the field in which this trend becomes more evident. Large corporations like Adidas–with its adidas x Parley collection manufactured with up to 75% of recycled plastic waste recovered from the oceans–and small start-up companies that fight to publicize their products, they all try to find imaginative solutions to this problem. One very special case is Indianes, a start-up company that has researched for years how to create a totally natural, biodegradable and chemical-free shoe. And they have found the answer in banana farming waste. With the collaboration of the communities in the mountains of Colombia, the founders of Indianes are able to extract natural fibers from banana waste which can be used as raw material once they are properly cleaned. When compared to cotton, the banana fiber fabric requires less water and generates almost no emissions, as the fiber comes from agricultural waste that does not need to be farmed.

Likewise, Vestergaard is a global company innovating game-changing solutions that contribute to a healthier, more sustainable planet. They have several ongoing projects such as LifeStraw®, a water filter that turns polluted water into drinking water, an invention that could change the lives of thousands of people with no access to drinking water in their homes.