Design studio Other Matter has built on its flagship product, a petrochemical-free signage film, by recycling it into an upholstery material called Other Matter Leather, on show this week at 3 Days of Design. More about Other Matter launches bio-leather made from single-use signage
Copenhagen-based Natural Material Studio has created speckled pendant lighting out of kelp waste, salvaged from miso soup that would otherwise be thrown away at Sticks n Sushi in Lyngby, Denmark. More about Natural Material Studio crafts lighting from leftover seaweed at Sticks n Sushi restaurant
A lantern-like sports court sits on the roof of this load-bearing stone and timber school in France, designed by local studio Le Penhuel & Associés. More about Le Penhuel & Associés prioritises "warm and welcoming" biomaterials at French school
Inspired by local microbreweries, London-based start-up Arda Biomaterials has made a plastic-free leather alternative by altering the protein structures in brewer's spent grain. More about Arda transforms beer waste into plastic-free faux leather
British company Carbon Cell has used agricultural waste to make a carbon-negative and compostable alternative to polystyrene packaging and building insulation that avoids contributing to plastic pollution. More about Carbon Cell makes plastic-free alternative to polystyrene
Eames chairs reupholstered with a denim-mycelium hybrid textile and mycelium fibre encased in an acrylic coffee table have been showcased in a biomaterials exhibition in New York City. More about New York exhibition "reimagines the home" using furniture made of biomaterials
Locally sourced, bio-based materials, including hemp and crushed seashells, feature in Spring Studio's interior for the World Heritage Centre building in Lauwersoog, the Netherlands. More about Spring Studio uses biomaterials to create sustainable interiors for World Heritage Centre Wadden Sea
London's discarded takeaway coffee cups are given a long and useful life in Cupsan, a new biomaterial that local design practice Blast Studio has started producing at scale. More about Blast Studio launches Cupsan biomaterial made from London coffee cups
Fashion designer Stella McCartney showcased the "world's first" plant-based alternative to feathers for the grand finale of her Spring/Summer 2026 show at Paris Fashion Week. More about Stella McCartney debuts plant-based faux feathers at Paris Fashion Week
Environmental organisation A Plastic Planet has removed the paywall around its PlasticFree database, giving designers and brands unfettered access to its directory of expert-verified plastic substitutes. More about PlasticFree makes database of hundreds of plastic alternatives "forever free to all"
There's more to rattan than wicker. Designers are finding new ways of shaping the vine material into furniture with a lower carbon footprint than metal or plastic alternatives. More about "There's still a lot we don't know about rattan" say designers finding new uses
Making clothes using living organisms is fundamentally changing how Iris van Herpen thinks about materials, the Dutch fashion designer tells Dezeen in this interview. More about Biodesign adds "a whole new range of possibilities" to fashion says Iris van Herpen
Insulation panels made using mycelium and a modular timber construction system were used to create PAKK Pavilion, an angular timber structure in Tallinn, developed by materials company Myceen and the architecture department at the Estonian Academy of Arts. More about Mycelium insulates experimental timber pavilion by Myceen and EKA PAKK
Material research studio Matter at Hand, founded by Assemble co-founder Lewis Jones, has created a prototype clay-based construction method named Poured Earth that emulates casting concrete. More about Poured Earth is a sustainable construction method modelled on concrete casting
In this Dezeen Studio video, architecture reporter Amy Peacock answers everything you need to know about building with cob. More about Everything you need to know about building with cob
Local studio Nina+Co used responsibly sourced materials, including clay plaster and recycled plastic, to create a layered interior for east London restaurant Ara. More about Nina+Co combines natural and salvaged materials in London restaurant Ara
Peat meadows are the most effective terrestrial carbon sink on Earth. In this interview, designer Henriëtte Waal offers solutions for preserving these swampy landscapes, from bio-based products to repurposed farmhouses. More about Henriëtte Waal's peat atelier tackles climate change with "new ways of living" in wetlands
American start-up InventWood claims to have "reinvented wood from the inside out" with a patented process that restructures the material's molecules to make it ten times stronger than regular wood. More about Superwood is a chemically modified wood that is stronger than steel
Design studio Material Cultures and architecture practice Studio Gil have used a mix of local, bio-based and recycled materials to create a home for a community food-growing hub in London. More about Material Cultures and Studio Gil use biomaterials for London community hub
Continuing our Building with Cob series, we take a look at a cob classroom designed for educational charity Global Generation, which is being built from waste earth sourced near its site in King's Cross. More about Waste earth forms walls of cob classroom in King's Cross