Danish designer Sara Martinsen has explored the vast potential of plant fibres in the world of architecture and design at her Phytophilia exhibition at A Petersen in Copenhagen. More
UK company Metalysis has been awarded a European Space Agency (ESA) contract to develop technology that turns lunar rock into oxygen and building materials, which could enable astronauts to set up a base on the moon. More
Utah startup WNDR Alpine has replaced the petroleum-based plastics usually used in skis with algae-based bioplastics that make them "more predictable, stable and durable". More
To highlight sustainable and ethical substitutes for animal leather we've rounded up six materials that can rival its textural and performance qualities, from vegan pineapple leather to a leather alternative made of seafood shells. More
Adidas, Stella McCartney, Lululemon and Gucci's parent company Kering have teamed up to invest in a novel material called Mylo, which is grown from mycelium but rivals the look and feel of animal leather. More
Vegan designer Erez Nevi Pana uses home-grown materials to create cocoon-like shelters for people living in an imaginary tropical version of Milan, which has an unfamiliar climate due to global warming. More
Seetal Solanki of London design studio Ma-tt-er teamed up with Dezeen to host a live panel discussion on textile technology for London Craft Week. More
Newtab-22 has used waste seashells salvaged from the seafood and aquaculture industries to develop a sustainable material that resembles concrete. More
Vietnamese designer Uyen Tran has developed a flexible bio-material called TômTex, a leather alternative made from food waste that can be embossed with a variety of patterns to replicate animal leathers. More
Books, plates and glasses are engulfed by the squishy shelves of Dutch designer Dewi van de Klomp's Soft Cabinets, which are made from foam rubber in a bid to bring more attention to the "overlooked" material. More
Chilean architect Mále Uribe presents three short films and a conversation about her research on art and design's relationship with extreme landscapes in this Virtual Design Festival collaboration. More
Design student Eliza Hague has created a concept for inflatable greenhouses made from shellac-coated bamboo paper to help residents of Jaipur, India, grow their own food. More
Bosnian designer Nataša Perković recycled the fibrous waste from palm oil factories to create the Reclaimed Oil Palm collection, which was made using as little material as possible. More
Natalie Zipfl has used pig blood and gelatine to develop a striking and sustainable material called Blood leather. More
Six students from the Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico have designed low-cost solar lamps made from mud, beans and cactus slime for people living in isolated rural areas with limited electricity. More
As part of Virtual Design Festival's collaboration with Stockholm Design Week, the founder of the Material Library in Stockholm reveals what Scandinavian designers look for when they visit, and discusses environmentally friendly materials. More
VDF studio profiles: scientific research meets design at Studio ThusThat, a multidisciplinary practice whose work exposes the hidden potential in the material world. More
Sea Stone is a concrete-like material made from seashells that Newtab-22 is introducing during the VDF x Ventura Projects collaboration. More
Studio Lionne van Deursen is presenting a material research project and lighting range made using bacteria for VDF x Ventura Projects. More
Chilean architect Mále Uribe Forés has turned salt into reactive wall tiles that will crystallise and grow over the course of her Salt Imaginaries installation. More