The realities of climate change have driven another big year in material innovation in 2024. Here are 10 of the best solutions that have put a promising spin on cement, plastic, fur, linoleum, or even introduced something new. More
Textile brand Kvadrat has worked with designer Teruhiro Yanagihara to launch its first recycled polyester textile made of waste fabric instead of the usual plastic bottles. More
Tokyo-based design studio We+ has released a portable table lamp made from a material that it has developed, which contains rubble and debris from building sites. More
Designer Rachel Griffin discusses the "utopian qualities" of aluminium for Hydro's 100R exhibition, which is captured in this video produced by Dezeen for the brand. More
Somerset-based designer William Floyd Maclean has created Somer, a collection of freestanding demountable wooden cabinets designed for disassembly, which will launch at London Design Festival. More
Swedish designer Gustaf Westman has collaborated with hosiery brand Swedish Stockings to create a limited-edition collection of tables made from recycled tights. More
Tech start-up Pentaform has devised a potential solution to e-waste: making gadgets that dissolve in water and leave behind only their electronic components for recycling. More
Scraps of fabric have been recycled into edible treats by designer Jinghan Li, who wants people to consider waste as a resource for food. More
Promotion: plastic can remain a useful material long into the future with a thoughtful approach, argues Smile Plastics co-founder Rosalie McMillan. More
Using recycled materials is a better route to reducing the environmental impact of Nike's products than designing for disassembly, the sportswear brand's chief design officer Martin Lotti says in this interview. More
Designer Paul Crofts and furniture brand Isomi aimed to make sofas less wasteful with Tejo, a recyclable system created from natural cork and latex that is launching at Clerkenwell Design Week. More
Design studio Space Available has transformed a former warehouse in Bali into a workshop and office space featuring a mezzanine clad in offcuts from its plastic recycling projects. More
Electronics accessory brand Casetify has launched a series of public art installations in five cities around the world using recycled phone cases as the key material. More
Works by Fernando Laposse, Paul Cocksedge and Studio Raw Material were among those shown as part of New York gallery Friedman Benda's group exhibition highlighting sustainable approaches to design. More
Japanese studio Tono Mirai Architects has used soil and wood to create Toiletowa, a curving structure in Saitama prefecture containing a public toilet that reuses wastewater. More
An aluminium alloy made from 100 per cent recycled waste will be a game-changer for the furniture industry, according to Norwegian designer Lars Beller Fjetland. More
Local studio Hemingway Design collaborated with designer James Shaw to transform a London store interior for charity retailer Traid, which features colourful furniture created from leftover second-hand clothes. More
Georgia-based design collective Garbage Kids has exhibited a "long-lasting" collection of wooden furniture and ornaments made solely from recycled materials at Milan design week. More
With Earth Day 2024 and an increasing number of environmental campaigners calling for an end to plastics, is time finally up for the 20th century's miracle material? Rima Sabina Aouf finds out if we can – and should – abolish plastic. More
Indonesian non-profit Sungai Watch has unveiled the debut furniture launch from its design studio Sungai Design, aimed at creating useful products from the mountains of plastic waste that it fishes from Bali's rivers every day. More