Charlotte Böhning and Mary Lempres of Doppelgänger have developed a bioplastic version of polystyrene foam that is made from the exoskeleton of mealworms and breaks down in soil in a couple of weeks. More
World leaders from 175 countries have agreed to draw up a legally binding UN treaty that will regulate plastic production and pollution on an international scale for the first time. More
Massachusetts Institute of Technology chemical engineers have invented a new type of plastic that is twice as strong as steel and could one day be used as a building material. More
Danish brand Sinful has created a range of three sex toys using ocean plastic collected in Southeast Asia. More
Discarded plastic medical equipment from hospitals across Europe was melted into a filament and 3D-printed to create the mobile toilet cubicle The Throne, designed by Spanish studio Nagami for the To.org foundation. More
Rotterdam studio The New Raw has recycled misprints and prototypes from its previous experiments in additive manufacturing to 3D print a limited edition chair called Ermis. More
Thinking of using plastic in your project? Our latest Dezeen guide includes more than 11 types of plastic commonly used in architecture, design and interiors, with links to hundreds of projects for inspiration. More
The winners at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics will be crowned on podiums designed by Japanese artist Asao Tokolo, which were made from 24.5 tonnes of discarded household plastics. More
Toy brand Lego has created its first prototype bricks using recycled PET plastic from discarded bottles. More
Berlin startup Made of Air has developed a bioplastic made of forest and farm waste that sequesters carbon and can be used for everything from furniture to building facades. More
German designers Kai Linke and Peter Eckart have created an exhibition for the London Design Biennale in which disposable plastic cutlery is displayed as archaeological artefacts. More
New York artist Hugo McCloud has created a series of artworks that contain no paint or glue, only thousands of small plastic pieces cut from single-use bags and melted together to form a motif. More
Designers and environmentalists have slammed Coca-Cola's efforts to tackle plastic pollution as "greenwashing" and "a huge step backwards in sustainability". More
Technology company Razer has developed a conceptual design for a clear plastic face mask with lights and a built-in sound system to improve social interaction during the pandemic. More
London designer Tom Robinson used 100 per cent recycled plastic from e-waste to produce his Evolve Chair, which aims to give the manmade material a more natural feel. More
Fashion designer Virgil Abloh has created a water bottle for Evian that is made almost entirely from recycled plastic and visualises this history through a distinctive hammered texture. More
South Korean designer Donghoon Sohn has pressed plastic slabs together like slices of bread for his latest furniture series, allowing primary coloured, recycled binder to bleed from the cracks as if it was melted cheese. More
For the third consecutive year, an audit by environmental initiative Break Free From Plastic has found The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo and Nestlé to be the companies creating the most plastic pollution. More
Seoul-based brand Supublic has developed a series of more sustainable cleaning supplies that save on single-use plastic by replacing liquid products with dissolvable tablets. More
Plastic can help create more energy-efficient products that reduce the need for fossil fuels, according to Håkan Nordin, head of sustainability at flooring company Bolon. More
