"Design as we know it is doomed, but that's a good thing for designers"
The inevitable transition from a take-make-waste society to a circular economy presents exciting and rewarding challenges for designers, writes Sarah Housley. More
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MillerKnoll installation shows sustainable production getting "bigger and better"
American furniture design group MillerKnoll has showcased its material and testing processes through a pair of installations at its showroom in Chicago. More
Filter Caps transform bottles into handheld water treatment system
Global design agency Ogilvy has developed a compact water filtration device that can attach to any plastic bottle, offering an accessible and affordable way to provide communities with clean drinking water. More
Jessica Thies designs "living footwear" capable of absorbing carbon dioxide
Brooklyn-based designer Jessica Thies has developed a concept for a shoe that is printed with ink containing living algae capable of absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. More
Four materials made from banana plants at Future Fabrics Expo
At this year's Future Fabrics Expo, banana plants emerged as a fruitful source for making more sustainable materials. Here, we spotlight four examples of the plant being transformed into leather alternatives and clothing fabric. More
Vitra and Panter & Tourron avoid foam and glue in future-minded Anagram sofa
Design brand Vitra has worked with Swiss studio Panter & Tourron on its latest sofa, Anagram, which is intended to "act like a bridge between today and tomorrow". More
Glastonbury's Hayes Pavilion "pushes the boundaries" of what bioplastic can do
Biodesign startup Re:Right Design has reprised its demountable Hayes Pavilion for this year's Glastonbury festival, cladding it in a biomaterial made from seaweed to demonstrate how sets can be built without plastic. More
Natural Material Studio crafts entire home interior from bioplastic
As part of 3 Days of Design, Danish practice Natural Material Studio has created a futuristic fossil-free home interior where all the elements, from the curtains to the sofa, are made from the same bioplastic. More
Dundee Design Festival sets out to become world's most sustainable
Dundee Design Festival has outlined the sustainability strategy that it hopes will make Scotland's largest design event the world's most sustainable design festival. More
A New Normal exhibition presents designs for a self-sufficient Sydney
The A New Normal exhibition has presented designs that aim to transform Sydney into a self-sufficient city, including a pub making beer from recycled wastewater. More
Recycled materials will give Nike "biggest impact" on sustainability says chief design officer
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
Five projects that highlight circular design at Southern Sweden Design Days 2024
Fashion garments made from airbags and furniture crafted from "unattractive" materials are among the projects on show at this year's Southern Sweden Design Days in Malmö. More
"Cutting out sustainability in the face of economic downturn is short-term and misguided"
Brands are backing away from prioritising the planet amid difficult financial conditions but sustainability cannot be a mere trend, writes Caroline Till. More
Isomi "challenges norms" of sofa design with cork and latex Tejo
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
Arper releases chair that aims to limit environmental impact "by doing what trees do"
Promotion: Italian furniture brand Arper has created Catifa Carta, a chair that the company claims can sequester carbon dioxide. More
Quilt launches whole-home heat pump system with "thoughtful design"
Studio Mike and Maaike has worked with California start-up Quilt to create a design-led heat pump system, to make it more appealing for people to switch their homes to low-carbon heating and cooling. More
Designers at New York exhibition showcase "poetic responses" to mass extraction
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
Plastic-eating mealworms "collaborate" in stool design by William Eliot
Insects are an unlikely "collaborator" in British designer William Eliot's Digested Objects stool, which was shaped by plastic-eating mealworms as they gnawed their way through blocks of polystyrene. More
Takt chair is first furniture piece to receive EU's "more transparent" sustainability score
Furniture brand Takt has begun using a new kind of lifecycle assessment for its products that was devised by the European Commission and considers a product's full impact on nature and human health. More
Is a plastic-free future possible?
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