Insects are an unlikely "collaborator" in British designer William Eliot's Digested Objects stool, which was shaped by plastic-eating mealworms as they gnawed their way through blocks of polystyrene. More about Plastic-eating mealworms "collaborate" in stool design by William Eliot
Furniture brand Takt has begun using a new kind of lifecycle assessment for its products that was devised by the European Commission and considers a product's full impact on nature and human health. More about Takt chair is first furniture piece to receive EU's "more transparent" sustainability score
With Earth Day 2024 and an increasing number of environmental campaigners calling for an end to plastics, is time finally up for the 20th century's miracle material? Rima Sabina Aouf finds out if we can – and should – abolish plastic. More about Is a plastic-free future possible?
Japanese design studio Sozai Center has created Adam Sheet, a washable and scratch-resistant biomaterial made of leftover apple pomace mixed with bioplastic. More about Adam Sheet is a waterproof biotextile made from apple waste
Indonesian non-profit Sungai Watch has unveiled the debut furniture launch from its design studio Sungai Design, aimed at creating useful products from the mountains of plastic waste that it fishes from Bali's rivers every day. More about Ombak chair consists of 2,000 plastic bags salvaged from Bali's rivers
British design studio Seymourpowell has put cheap electronic goods under the spotlight with Un-Made, a project imagining four possible ways to design for quick disassembly and recycling. More about Toothbrush pops open for recycling in Seymourpowell's Un-Made disassembly concept
Design research agency FranklinTill has compiled a list of principles to help designers, makers and brands avoid greenwashing when sourcing textiles. More about FranklinTill shares nine principles for a shift to regenerative materials
Norwegian studio Snøhetta has teamed up with lighting brand Ateljé Lyktan to create Superdupertube, an office lamp made from extruded hemp and sugarcane bioplastic. More about Snøhetta designs compostable hemp light Superdupertube
Swiss furniture brand Vitra will prioritise reducing the environmental impact of its existing lines through material innovation, CEO Nora Fehlbaum tells Dezeen in this interview. More about Vitra "willing to take risks" over changing products' appearance to improve sustainability, says CEO Nora Fehlbaum
Is it possible to stage a trade fair without producing excessive waste? Dezeen editor-at-large Amy Frearson explores eight approaches that were all on show at this year's Stockholm Furniture Fair. More about Eight ways that Stockholm Furniture Fair exhibitors cut down on waste
Scientists from South Korea's Yonsei University have invented what they believe to be a sustainable, high-protein food in the form of "beef rice", made by growing cow cells in grains of rice. More about Scientists develop hybrid "beef rice" as future meat alternative
Biomaterials have the potential to significantly cut carbon emissions but designers should approach them with caution to avoid creating a whole new set of problems, warns Sioban Imms. More about "The allure of the 'bio' prefix must be taken with some healthy scrutiny"
Two British materials companies, Sages and Osmose, have collaborated to dye sheets of mycelium with natural food waste, mimicking the appearance of tanned leather and suggesting a colourful future for the biomaterial. More about Food-waste dyes bring colour to mycelium leather in Sages and Osmose project
The world's first full-scale timber wind turbine has started turning in Sweden, with a tower built by wood technology company Modvion. More about First full-height timber wind turbine opens in Sweden
Packaging designs aimed at boosting recycling rates and reducing the prevalence of single-use plastics are destined to fail unless they help to change people's behaviour, writes Matt Millington. More about "We need to design for human behaviour if we're ever to get rid of single-use plastics"
British design studio Layer has aimed to bring sustainability to mattress design in a collaboration with Chinese start-up Mazzu, creating a modular, foamless product made up of textile-covered springs. More about Layer rethinks bed design with foamless and disassemblable Mazzu mattress
Climate fatalism stands in the way of a sustainable future but designers and architects are in an ideal position to overcome it, writes Katie Treggiden. More about "Our biggest climate challenge is no longer denial, but despair"
Materials companies Circular Matters and StoneCycling have used corn cobs – one of the world's most plentiful agricultural waste materials – to make interior cladding that is biodegradable and almost entirely bio-based. More about CornWall gives discarded corn cobs new life as tiles
Industrial designer Mary Lempres has created a bio-cement structure developed to mimic naturally occurring oyster reefs that tackle coastal flooding, filter seawater and promote biodiversity. More about Reef Rocket is a bio-cement reef grown from plant enzymes
After an unsteady 2023, Dezeen's editorial director Max Fraser considers what 2024 might hold for design. More about Design trend predictions for 2024 include rush for sustainable accreditation