Waste polystyrene transformed into lightweight stools for El Celler de Can Roca
Plastic waste from one of the world's best restaurants is being transformed into hexagonal stools by Spanish designer Andreu Carulla. More
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Plastic-eating enzyme could aid recycling
Scientists have discovered an enzyme that can "digest" plastic and revolutionalise recycling, but environmentalists warn the "miracle" breakthrough should not make designers complacent about the need to reduce use of the material. More
Rossana Orlandi to launch initiative to create "guiltless plastic"
Milanese design gallerist Rossana Orlandi is launching a project aimed at changing the perception of plastic and ensuring the material is used responsibly. More
"It makes you a bad designer if you make something that can't be recycled" says Cupclub founder
Architect Safia Qureshi wanted to change the world but ended up designing private houses for rich people. So she invented Cupclub, a circular-economy service that could eliminate single-use coffee cups. As it launches in London, she spoke to Dezeen about the project. More
Foraged materials form artist's home and studio in Washington woodland
Architect Les Eerkes rescued plywood cladding, kitchen cabinets and a tiny porthole window from houses set to be bulldozed for this rural cabin near the Puget Sound. More
Pentatonic and Snarkitecture create Fractured furniture from recycled waste
Startup company Pentatonic has collaborated with Snarkitecture to create a collection of modular furniture made from recycled waste, including cans, computer parts and coffee cups. More
Malmö Upcycling Service creates homeware from recycled waste material
Swedish studio Malmö Upcycling Service has repurposed waste material from six different industries to create a range of decorative home objects, launched at this year's DesignMarch festival in Iceland. More
Scrap Life Project transforms waste plastic from injection-moulding process into stools
A group of German designers have created stool seats from oddly shaped pieces of recycled plastic produced at an injection-moulding factory. More
The iPhone is "not very innovative" because it's hard to recycle, says Formafantasma
Electronics companies like Apple need to make their hardware easy for anyone to open up and take apart, according to design duo Formafantasma, who are pushing designers to prioritise recyclability following a two-year research project into e-waste. More
See design made from recycled plastic on our latest Pinterest board
With the news that designers are pioneering ways of using recycled plastic, here's a look at some of the best examples, from an IKEA kitchen built from plastic bottles to Nike shoeboxes made from recycled cartons. Follow Dezeen on Pinterest ›
Recycled plastic "will soon be the only choice"
A new generation of sustainably minded designers is pioneering ways of using recycled plastic as a raw material, as concern over pollution increases. More
Guide to creating circular design launches at Davos
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation has teamed up with design and consulting firm IDEO to create a guide that helps businesses design for the circular economy. More
Plastic furniture made from old toys introduces kids to the circular economy
Antwerp-based brand Ecobirdy has used recycled plastic toys to create a range colourful furniture for kids, aiming to raise their "awareness for sustainability". More
Winners of $1 million Circular Materials Challenge prize for plastic alternatives announced
The winners of a lucrative competition tasking designers to come up with new materials to replace plastic packaging have been revealed. More
Wooden staircase twists through centre of concrete and brick house in Mexico City
An ash staircase lined with a bookcase twists around an atrium in this family home in Mexico City by Tapia McMahon, which has been made from concrete and reclaimed brick. More
Formafantasma explores "above-ground mining" with Ore Streams office furniture
Seemingly random bits of e-waste stud this collection of office furniture, designed by Italian duo Formafantasma for Melbourne's inaugural NGV Triennial. More
Flora-Gato is a cat shelter made from moss and recycled plastic
This captioned movie shows the making of Flora-Gato, a shelter made by Los Angeles-based architects Formation Association, Terremoto and Arktura as part of an annual fundraiser to raise money for the city's stray cats. More
Shahar Livne uses waste plastic to create Lithoplast, a precious material of the future
Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Shahar Livne has created a clay-like material using discarded plastic that could be mined by future civilisations. More
People's Pavilion "has almost no ecological footprint" say designers
Bureau SLA and Overtreders W used only borrowed or recycled materials to create this Dutch Design Week pavilion, which was the venue for Dezeen's Good Design for a Bad World talk series. More
Yinka Ilori teams up with recovering addicts to create range of colourful chairs
Designer Yinka Ilori worked with volunteers from social enterprise Restoration Station to create this collection of brightly coloured chairs, which were showcased during this year's London Design Festival, before being auctioned off for charity. More