Designer Eleonora Ortolani has created what she believes to be the first food made from plastic waste, as part of her final-year project at Central Saint Martins. More about Eleonora Ortolani recycles plastic into vanilla ice-cream
Materials can become a much bigger part of our everyday lives and the way we see the world if people are willing to give up mass production, Natural Material Studio founder Bonnie Hvillum tells Dezeen in this interview. More about Materials "have so much more to give" says Natural Material Studio founder Bonnie Hvillum
The first materials designed by AI could be less than 18 months away, according to Orbital Materials CEO Jonathan Godwin, who aims to harness the technology to create materials to help with carbon capture. More about Orbital Materials combines ChatGPT with physics to invent "transformational materials"
North Carolina firm DR Horton has begun construction on a residential home using building materials from local technology studio Plantd, including panels made from compressed perennial grasses. More about DR Horton builds North Carolina house with grass-based ceiling and wall panels
The growth of AI will put an increased environmental burden on the planet, say experts who argue it's time to think about the invisible physical infrastructures of our technology. More about AI's "eye-watering" use of resources could be a hurdle to achieving climate goals, argue experts
Dutch design studio Loop Loop has pioneered a process of adding colour to aluminium using pigments made from plants rather than petroleum. More about Loop Loop develops "world's first plant-based aluminium dying process"
Scientists from Texas A&M University and Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico have observed metal cracking and fusing back together, in a discovery that could pave the way for self-healing machines, vehicles and bridges. More about US scientists prove that metal can heal itself
A research team at the University of Michigan has created biodegradable formwork out of sawdust in an attempt to mitigate wood waste in the process of laying concrete. More about DART Lab creates biodegradable concrete casts using sawdust
US architecture studio Lever Architecture and a team of researchers have successfully tested the earthquake-resistant capabilities of a 10-storey, mass-timber building in California. More about Largest earthquake test for mass-timber tower successful in California
Fashion brand Ganni and materials company Polybion have debuted a jacket grown by bacteria during the Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen, marking a milestone for bacterial cellulose as a leather alternative. More about Ganni unveils faux leather jacket made using bacteria instead of cowhide
Scientists at the University of Manchester have developed a concrete-like material that could be made with extraterrestrial dust and used to build colonies on the moon and on Mars. More about StarCrete is a concrete-like material that could be made from extraterrestrial dust
Street furniture brand Vestre and designer Emma Olbers have produced a piece of furniture using fossil-free steel that was made without creating carbon emissions. More about Vestre launches "world's first" furniture made from fossil-free steel
The conversation of sustainability is at the forefront of design but there is "still a long way to go" said designer Caroline Till at the Materials of Tomorrow symposium during 3 Days of Design. More about "We've got a bit of a crisis in the design industry" says Caroline Till
Danish design practice Natural Material Studio has unveiled its Human Nature exhibition, which featured compostable biofoam seating and biomaterial textiles, at 3 Days of Design. More about Natural Material Studio drapes floor-to-ceiling biotextiles across Copenhagen art gallery
American roofing firm GAF has completed the first phase of a public-private initiative that seeks to mitigate urban heat in Los Angeles through solar-reflective coating. More about GAF applies solar-reflective coating to mitigate Los Angeles heat islands
The process of recycling can actually make plastics more hazardous to human health, according to a recent Greenpeace report that calls on the United Nations to rule it out as a scalable fix for plastic pollution. More about Recycled plastics often contain more toxic chemicals says Greenpeace
A material that alerts people to "an invisible threat" by changing colour in response to UV radiation has been displayed in an installation by Crafting Plastics Studio and DumoLab Research. More about Sensbiom 2 biomaterial installation changes colour with UV exposure
Design practice EcoLogicStudio has turned algae into a biodegradable biopolymer, from which it has "grown" a 3D-printed, 10-metre-tall tree that carries out photosynthesis. More about EcoLogicStudio turns algae into air-purifying biopolymer "tree"
Bentley has collaborated with designer Frederico Peri and Italian company Paper Factor to produce a marble-like table that is actually made from paper and was unveiled during Milan design week. More about Bentley Home collection features table made from paper marble
Dezeen has teamed up with innovation platform The Mills Fabrica to livestream a number of talks that explore design solutions to planet-related issues on 11 May 2023 as part of London Craft Week. More about The Mills Fabrica to host design talks at London Craft Week