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
Architecture studio Grimshaw and the University of East London have collaborated to create Sugarcrete, a biomaterial construction block with an interlocking shape made from the sugarcane by-product bagasse. More about Grimshaw and UEL develop Sugarcrete blocks that "could replace the traditional brick industry"
Copenhagen-based Natural Material Studio and designer Zuzanna Skurka have created an installation at Milan design week from soft bio textiles made from surplus bricks. More about Natural Material Studio creates "flexible and organic" Brick Textiles
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 about Ten different and everyday uses for bioplastics
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 about Nike unveils period-conscious England women's kit with blue shorts
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 about Modern Synthesis uses bacteria to create biomaterial fabric
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 about Researchers develop solution that could make carbon capture three times more efficient
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 about Henn and TU Dresden complete world's first carbon concrete building
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 about "Chameleon-like" facade material could help to heat and cool buildings
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 about Invisible solar panels "finally allow cultural heritage to access solar energy"
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 about Now or Never exhibition visualises the carbon emissions of common materials
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 about Seven alternative bricks made of reclaimed waste and biomaterials
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.
More about Plantd Materials creates OSB board alternative from processed grass
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 about Municipal waste used to form low-carbon brick for Design Museum Gent extension
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 about England bans single-use plastic plates and cutlery to limit "devastating" pollution
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 about MIT and Harvard researchers find secret to "self-healing" Roman concrete
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 about PlasticFree is a database of over 100 plastic alternatives for designers and architects
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 about Eight innovative materials and products made from salvaged seashells