A wave of radical designers in Sweden are experimenting with digital technology and alternative materials to invent new ways of making furniture. Amy Frearson reports. More about Swedish designers doing things that have "never been done before"
Work has begun on the GEM Factory of the Future building in Maine designed by architecture studio Grimshaw and SMRT to integrate technological and robotic advancements with fabrication. More about Grimshaw breaks ground on research building in Maine designed to "revolutionize manufacturing"
A sponge made from a fusion of cotton fibre and squid bone could help to clear some of the world's microplastic pollution after a team of Chinese researchers found it can soak up as much as 99.8 per cent of the particles from water samples. More about Squid-bone sponge found to soak up 99.8 per cent of microplastics
For the V&A museum's 2024 Make Good installation, design and research studio Material Cultures has developed alternatives to plywood and OSB made from underused woodland resources including pine needles and birch bark. More about Material Cultures transforms woodland waste into sustainable sheet materials
Ukrainian architecture practice Makhno Studio has developed a range of textured clay panels for use as insulation and interior decoration that naturally regulate humidity. More about Makhno Studio creates breathable clay panels to improve indoor air quality
A lamp made of discarded mollusc shells and humming furniture featured in the Beyond Perception exhibition in New York City alongside digitized versions of the pieces for a future AI-driven video game. More about Beyond Perception exhibition pairs furniture with digital twin for video game
British textile brand Kirkby Design has created what it believes to be the first interior fabric made from aloe vera – a plant that grows without need for chemicals, fertilisers or additional watering. More about Aloe vera provides "sustainable alternative" to cotton in Kirkby Design textile
Seven French designers and artists have worked with a mycelium-based biomaterial called Reishi to create products including folding screens, desks and lighting fixtures. More about Mycelium Muse exhibition celebrates "variations and irregularities" of mycelium fabric
Researcher Tavs Jorgensen has created a method of extruding cob into brick shapes, in an effort to make the low-carbon biomaterial more accessible. More about Tavs Jorgensen develops cob bricks for low-carbon construction
Colombian brand Fango has combined design with storytelling to produce the Ibuju furniture collection from yaré fibre that aims to address deforestation concerns in the Amazon. More about Fango designs yaré furniture based on indigenous Amazonian craft
Omani design collective Nawa has created a plastic-free filament for 3D printing using waste date seeds, which is on display at Dutch Design Week. More about RePit is a 3D printing filament made from leftover date pits
Designer Christopher Bellamy has sought to marry biotechnology and craft in a series of works that combine traditional knowledge from artisans in the Pacific Islands with a new material made from bioluminescent algae. More about Biodesign meets Pacific Islander craft in glowing Lucid Life objects
US researchers working with SHoP Architects have created a potential alternative to steel and concrete as a structural floor material: recyclable panels made entirely from bioplastic and wood flour. More about Wood waste and bioplastic floor panel boasts the strength of steel
Carpet brand Tai Ping has eliminated "by far the most polluting" part of its production process with the Biophilic rug collection, made exclusively from natural materials that are left raw and undyed. More about Tai Ping blends 35 natural fibres to colour rugs without dye
A garment clad with iridescent wooden sequins is among the projects on display at the Designs for a Cooler Planet exhibition at Finland's Aalto University, demonstrating innovative applications of cellulose. More about Four materials from Helsinki Design Week that explore the potential of cellulose
A pinecone-shaped wildfire detector built out of wax and charcoal has won the UK James Dyson Award, recognising the best inventions by student and graduate designers. More about Pyri wildfire detection device melts in response to fire
Texas-based studio Moontower Design Build has constructed a "plant-based" cabin in Austin that features cross-laminated timber structural elements and a facade clad in cork. More about Moontower Design Build creates "plant-based" cabin in Austin
Mexican design studio Manufactura and New York studio BioMatters have created 3D-printed objects using a composite consisting mainly of shells from industrial lobstering byproducts in Maine. More about Manufactura and BioMatters create 3D-printing composite from discarded lobster shells
Biodesign startup Re:Right Design has reprised its demountable Hayes Pavilion for this year's Glastonbury festival, cladding it in a biomaterial made from seaweed to demonstrate how sets can be built without plastic. More about Glastonbury's Hayes Pavilion "pushes the boundaries" of what bioplastic can do
Danish firm Natural Material Studio has created four biomaterials out of sawdust salvaged from the sawmill of flooring manufacturer Dinesen to explore the potential of using wood waste to make building materials. More about Natural Material Studio turns wood offcuts into biomaterials to "utilise the whole tree"