A group of graduates from the Icelandic Academy of Arts have traced the global journey of a single banana to showcase the complexity of the food exportation process. More about Banana passport explores issues surrounding food exportation
Iceland University of the Arts graduate Soley Thrainsdottir has turned leftover materials like pine needles and horse fat into a series of cleaning tools and products. More about Soley Thrainsdottir creates sustainable cleaning tools using natural waste materials
A team of scientists in the UK have developed a biodegradable construction material made from desert sand – a resource that has until now been useless for construction. More about New material made from desert sand could offer low-carbon alternative to concrete
Canowater has revealed the latest addition to its range of environmentally friendly water cans – a special-edition container created by fashion designer Christopher Raeburn for London Zoo. More about London Zoo swaps plastic water bottles for cans designed by Christopher Raeburn
Lego is set to launch a range of botanical elements made from a plant-based plastic sourced from sugar cane, in a bid to reduce its plastic waste. More about Lego to launch sustainable bricks made from sugar cane
British tea brand PG Tips is launching a new tea bag made from 100 per cent biodegradable plant-based materials, replacing its old design that included a proportion of polypropylene plastic. More about PG Tips ditches plastic to create completely biodegradable tea bags
London studio Made Thought looked to the style of old propaganda posters when designing the identity of the "world's first" plastic-free supermarket aisle for environmental charity A Plastic Planet. More about Made Thought creates bold branding for world's first plastic-free supermarket aisle
Japanese designer Jin Kuramoto has created a "100 per cent biological chair" using flax fibres – a completely biodegradable material that is most commonly used for banknotes, tea bags and linen. More about Chair made from flax fibres and bioplastic named best product at Stockholm Furniture Fair
Electronics companies like Apple need to make their hardware easy for anyone to open up and take apart, according to design duo Formafantasma, who are pushing designers to prioritise recyclability following a two-year research project into e-waste. More about The iPhone is "not very innovative" because it's hard to recycle, says Formafantasma
Design duo Iskos-Berlin has designed a chair for Danish furniture brand Handvark that is intended to be passed down through generations. More about Handvark promotes "aesthetic sustainability" with chair designed to last a lifetime
Designers are working harder than ever to create projects with a social and environmental conscience, according to the curator of an exhibition about "changemakers" at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. Here's a look at seven figures leading the charge. More about Seven designers from the Change the System exhibition who are tackling global issues
Foomann Architects has renovated a single-storey house in Melbourne, exposing wooden beams that span the entirety of the property. More about Foomann Architects exposes timber framework in Melbourne bungalow renovation
US start-up Lia has developed a flushable pregnancy test that is made from sustainable, biodegradable materials, which they claim to be the first of its kind. More about Lia launches "world's first" flushable pregnancy test
Designer Stella McCartney and ex-sailor Ellen MacArthur are calling for the fashion industry to rethink textile production methods to radically reduce the amount of waste it produces. More about Stella McCartney calls for overhaul of "incredibly wasteful" fashion industry
Dutch designer Kelly Gijsen has collaborated with startup company Graviky Labs to create a range of scarves that are patterned with ink made from carbon emissions. More about Kelly Gijsen patterns cotton scarves using ink made from pollution
The first 3D-printed concrete bridge has been completed in the Netherlands as a crossing for cyclists, but construction company BAM Infra claims it could take the weight of 40 lorries. More about "World's first" 3D-printed concrete bridge opens in the Netherlands
Robots may outnumber humans in a new pioneering city billed by Saudi Arabia as "a new blueprint for sustainable life", which would be entirely powered by renewable energy, and served by driverless vehicles and vertical farms. More about Saudi Arabia to invest 0 billion in fully automated city spanning three countries
The latest movie in our ongoing Dezeen x MINI Living series features floor tiles developed by London-based startup Pavegen to produce kinetic energy when stepped on. More about Pavegen's floor tiles could power future cities with footsteps
Aiming to create a sustainable alternative to standard cleaning products, Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Mirjam de Bruijn has condensed detergent, dish soap and shampoo into solid forms that are activated by water. More about Mirjam de Bruijn turns household cleaning products into waterless capsules
Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Billie van Katwijk has developed a process for turning bovine guts into a material that can be used to make bags and accessories, and is presenting the results at Dutch Design Week. More about Billie van Katwijk transforms discarded cow stomachs into leathery material