Sekhina designs minimal light switches and sockets from concrete
Hungarian design brand Sekhina has made a series of light switches and plug sockets from concrete as an aesthetically pleasing alternative to plastic. More
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Designers "deeply worried" as pandemic slows move away from single-use plastics
The coronavirus pandemic is increasing demand for plastic and delaying the drive towards sustainable alternatives, say designers. More
Studio Plastique investigates "complex issues as if they were supply chains"
The founders of Belgium's Studio Plastique explain how their research-based projects and material investigations aim to position design as "a tool for a world that is in transition" in this interview as part of our VDF x Alcova collaboration. More
Ecopixel exhibits circular products made from "what others throw away"
Manufacturing company Ecopixel is showcasing its contribution towards a circular economy as part of the VDF x Ventura Projects collaboration. More
Hola Studio creates playful plastic lamps using 3D printing
Hola Studio is introducing three 3D-printed lamps at VDF's collaboration with Ventura Projects that are designed to be playful and emotive. More
Recycled plastic turned into face shields and hands-free door handles to fight coronavirus
Recycling initiative Precious Plastic's open-source machines are being used to recycle plastic and turn it into face shields, respirator masks and hands-free door handles to fight coronavirus. More
MIT develops one-piece plastic face shields for coronavirus medics
Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers have begun mass-producing disposable face shields for medical workers fighting Covid-19, which come flat-packed and can be folded into shape. More
New York's Plastic Bag Store stocks groceries made from single-use bags
Brooklyn artist Robin Frohardt has used old plastic bags to create foods such as tomatoes and sushi rolls for an installation in New York's Times Square. More
Sweet Sneak Studio's photo series puts focus on microplastics in the food chain
Sushi wrapped in shopping bags and beer frothing with styrofoam bubbles are among the unappetising images in Sweet Sneak Studio's Microplastic Photo Series that explore the impacts of plastic pollution. More
Pretty Plastic shingles made from recycled PVC windows and gutters are "first 100 per cent recycled cladding material"
A new range of facade cladding tiles made of recycled PVC construction waste, designed by Dutch studios Overtreders W and Bureau SLA, has been used on a permanent building for the first time. More
Thier & van Daalen's The Plastic Mine homeware reveals hidden patterns in factory waste
Dutch designers Iris van Daalen and Ruben Thier's The Plastic Mine is a series of home accessories made from plastic clumps gathered from a factory floor. More
Watch the video of the discussion about post-plastic materials at Dezeen Day
Designers disagreed about whether we can live without plastic at the inaugural Dezeen Day conference, with architect Arthur Mamou-Mani saying "we still need" the material and designer Nienke Hoogvliet arguing that "we shouldn't produce any more". More
Four technologies tackling the problem of plastic pollution in rivers
Most ocean plastic starts off in rivers. From bubble curtains to googly-eyed trash wheels, here are four technologies designed to intercept river plastic before it gets to the sea. More
Enis Akiev makes marbled tiles from post-consumer plastic waste
Kazakhstani designer Enis Akiev has developed a method for turning single-use plastic packaging into tiles, by emulating the organic process of rock formation. More
UK student's fish-waste bioplastic MarinaTex wins 2019 James Dyson Award top prize
An easily biodegradable material that could be "part of a global answer" to single-use plastic pollution has won its inventor, British designer Lucy Hughes, the international James Dyson Award. More
Charlotte McCurdy creates "carbon-negative" raincoat from algae bioplastic
New York designer Charlotte McCurdy has fashioned a water-resistant jacket from a plastic made of algae. More
Plastic recycling is "bullshit" says Richard Hutten at Dezeen Day
Dutch designer Richard Hutten clashed with the CEO of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation at the Dezeen Day conference last week, with the two speakers disagreeing over the role of plastic in the circular economy. More
The Ocean Cleanup launches system to catch plastic waste in rivers
Dutch non-profit The Ocean Cleanup has launched the Interceptor, an autonomous system for collecting plastic pollution from rivers before it reaches the sea. More
Dorian Renard blows plastic like glass for a collection that reconsiders the material's value
French designer Dorian Renard has applied traditional glassblowing techniques to a series of plastic furniture and sculptural pieces, in a bid to present the maligned material in a new light. More
Studio Drift reduces plastic bags into blocks for Materialism installation
Amsterdam-based Studio Drift has created an installation of 3,000 blue blocks, which each represent the plastic used to make an individual supermarket bag, at the Van Abbemuseum for Dutch Design Week. More