ECUADOR –  Aglomerados Cotopaxi and the Instituto Metropolitano de Diseño, La Metro, have announced the launch of Re! —Reflect, Reinvent, Resolve—, a collaborative contest aimed at strengthening ties between academia and industry to promote environmentally responsible design.

The competition marks the 40th anniversary of La Metro, a pioneering design institution in Ecuador, and challenges students to create innovative, sustainable furniture solutions for children. Participants will work with MDF boards produced by Aglomerados Cotopaxi, a company with over 47 years of experience and internationally recognized for its responsible forest management model and status as a Carbon Negative organization.

The material used comes from cultivated forests that follow rigorous sustainability standards, ensuring biodiversity conservation, resource regeneration, and efficient industrial transformation.

“Our goal with Re! is to inspire young designers to explore responsible design using sustainable materials that bridge creativity, industry, and environmental care,” said Estívaliz Auz, Product and Trend Consultant at Aglomerados Cotopaxi. Luis Vallejo, industrial design instructor at La Metro, emphasized that “Re! offers a valuable real-world experience, aligning design practice with traceability and current sustainability challenges.”

This first edition positions itself as a dynamic platform to boost student creativity, promote emerging talent, and connect academic learning with real industry demands and environmental awareness.

Photo: Camilo Gavilanes, Spokesperson for the La Metro Design Institute; Luis Vallejo, Spokesperson for the Re! Together with Fausto Rivera, Marketing Manager of Agglomerados Cotopaxi.