Ten different and everyday uses for bioplastics
A sequinned Stella McCartney bodysuit and styrofoam cups made from mealworms feature in this roundup highlighting innovative design projects that make use of bioplastics. More
A sequinned Stella McCartney bodysuit and styrofoam cups made from mealworms feature in this roundup highlighting innovative design projects that make use of bioplastics. More
Sportswear brand Nike has unveiled home and away kits for the England women's football team, which both include blue shorts after players voiced concerns about wearing white while on their period. More
Biotechnology company Modern Synthesis has developed a biomaterial from bacterial fermentation that can be used to create a low-carbon alternative to traditional clothing fabrics. More
In an "urgently needed" discovery that could revolutionise direct air capture, researchers from Lehigh University have found a way to potentially make the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere cheaper and more efficient. More
German architecture firm Henn and the Technical University of Dresden have completed the world's first building made of carbon concrete – a form of concrete reinforced with carbon fibre instead of steel. More
Researchers from the University of Chicago have invented a cladding material that changes colour to help with heating or cooling and could be retrofitted to improve buildings' energy efficiency. More
Italian company Dyaqua, which has developed a way to produce solar panels so that they resemble the barrel clay tiles common on the roofs of buildings in Italy, has said the technology is important for the sustainable redevelopment of historical sites. More
Swedish furniture designer Emma Olbers has created the Now or Never – 1kg CO2e exhibition at Stockholm Furniture Fair to showcase the climate impact of materials commonly used in architecture and furniture design. More
Expanded cork, construction waste and human urine feature in this roundup of brick alternatives, designed to reduce the masonry unit's embodied carbon footprint. More
North Carolina firm Plantd Materials has developed a material consisting of processed perennial grasses that it says will be lighter and stronger than traditional timber boards while capturing more carbon.
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Architecture studios Carmody Groarke and TRANS Architectuur Stedenbouw have collaborated with material researchers to develop a brick made from local construction waste, which will be used to build the new wing of the Design Museum Gent. More
The sale of single-use plastic tableware and certain takeaway containers will be prohibited in England starting this autumn, the UK government has announced. More
Researchers from MIT and Harvard claim to have solved the mystery behind the durability of ancient Rome's concrete structures, and are now aiming to bring a modern version of the recipe to the market. More
Environmental organisation A Plastic Planet has launched an online platform to help architects and designers source plastic-free materials for their projects and avoid the "minefield of misinformation" around more sustainable alternatives. More
From concrete-like building materials to restaurant crockery made from the eateries' own food scraps, this roundup explores eight projects created using discarded shells. More
California-based BioLab Studio has developed a system that uses 3D printers to construct wooden scaffolding that cultivates mycelium maintained by a robotic arm. More
Concrete will remain the world's dominant construction material over biomaterials such as timber as the world transitions to net-zero, claims GCCA chief executive Thomas Guillot. More
California materials company Checkerspot has launched a casting kit named Pollinator Kit that allows designers to experiment with making components from algae-based plastics. More
Animal rights organisation PETA has launched the Vegan Wool Challenge, calling on designers and researchers to develop a vegan alternative to sheep's wool with a lower environmental impact. More
As part of the Design Academy Eindhoven student show at Dutch Design Week, graduate Jelle Seegers has presented a smelting machine with an oversized magnifying glass that focuses the sun's heat to melt metal more sustainably. More