Sustainable design: 10 biomaterials you need to know about

In recent times, professionals in the design field have been dedicated to researching new ways of producing, causing minimal impact on the environment . In addition to trends, it is a question of survival and helping to control waste. Thus, there is no lack of creativity in this new wave of creations, which combine aesthetics and environmental responsibility. Called biomaterials — derived from living organisms, including plants, animals and fungi —, these innovations are the future of design , as you will see below!

1. Biomaterials made from wood sawdust

With the aim of exploring the potential of wood waste in the manufacture of construction materials, the Danish company Natural Material Studio created four biomaterials from sawdust taken from the sawmill of the flooring brand Dinesen. The biomaterials were showcased at Dinesen’s Copenhagen showroom in an architectural installation called Smuld, which means “sawdust” in Danish. The first material is a flexible fabric made from a mixture of finely sieved wood dust and planer shavings. To make the second material, the team glued fine sawdust and cellulose to wood fibre boards to form insulation.

2. Fabric made from apples

Japanese design studio Sozai Center has created Adam Sheet , a washable and scratch-resistant biomaterial made from apple pomace waste mixed with bioplastic . Called a biotextile, the material is translucent and displays earthy tones. In its production, all parts of the fruit are used, including the pulp, peel, seeds and stem. First, the bagasse is ground into a fine powder, which is then adjusted to the correct moisture and sugar content. The powder is then mixed with a small amount of bio-based polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

3. Recyclable stool

Made from potato waste and sawdust and featuring robust lines, the Briket stool is designed by Swiss designer Renaud Defrancesco, who created Briket , a recyclable stool made entirely from potato waste and sawdust. An interesting fact is that the stool can be completely recycled by means of fire to heat a room during the cold seasons. The piece emerged from Defrancesco’s experimental research into various waste products from local industries as an attempt to recover and repurpose these discarded byproducts into functional objects. To produce Briket, leftover sawdust and wood waste are compacted with potatoes . Rather than applying paint or other design features, the designer left the piece in its raw state, opting to showcase the natural materiality of the original ingredients.

4. Hemp and seagrass chair

In partnership with Norma Copenhagen , design duo Foersom & Hiort-Lorenzen have created a collection of plant-based chairs called Mat . There are two models: one made from hemp and the other that combines hemp with eelgrass — a marine plant similar to seaweed. These biomaterials were used as an alternative to injection-molded plastic. The pieces were made from hemp stalks rather than leaves, which already have other uses in food and textile production. These stalks come from farms that normally treat this part of the plant as waste. For the dual-material chair, the hemp fibers are combined with dried eel, collected after being washed up on the Danish coast. Production involves turning the ground hemp and eel fibers into a sheet material, which is then shaped by a compression machine.

5. Hemp lamp

The hemp is mixed with a bioplastic polylactic acid (PLA), derived from sugarcane, along with wood cellulose and various minerals to create a fossil-free and gas-free composite. The material is then extruded to create the main body of the light. To create an even more natural effect, the electrical cables are covered in linen.

6. Seaweed Chair

Originally made from recycled plastic, the Kelp chair , created by Swedish design studio Interesting Times Gang , has been given a new version made from seaweed . According to the designers, seaweed plays a vital role in capturing carbon and producing at least 50% of the Earth's oxygen, so increasing the cultivation and use of this material means helping to mitigate the effects of climate change. The chair is made from a type of seaweed called Nordic Sugar Kelp , which is brown in color and grows in the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. The plant is transformed into a 3D-printed bioplastic. The piece can be complemented with a cushion, which is also made from the same material. According to Interesting Time Gang, the chair is biodegradable at the end of its useful life.

7. Plastic film made from potatoes

Australian biomaterials company Great Wrap has created an alternative to cling film with a material made from potato waste. It consists of starch extracted from potato peels , mixed with other ingredients including used cooking oil and cassava. The clear packaging, which comes in colorful dispensers made of recycled plastic, has a similar texture and performance quality to petroleum-based plastic film, the company says. When the material reaches the end of its useful life, it can be composted in landfills or home composting systems, where tests have shown it will decompose within 180 days.

8. Corn tiles

Circular Matters and StoneCycling have teamed up to transform corn cobs into biodegradable , almost entirely bio-based cladding. Available in tile and sheet form, CornWall aims to be a more sustainable alternative to ceramic or plastic laminate cladding. The material is derived from more than 99 percent renewable biological sources , is grown at low temperatures using primarily solar energy, and emits less carbon dioxide in production than is captured by corn during growth. To give the products a long shelf life, the companies have manufactured the tiles with a mechanical fastening system, so they can be disassembled and reused or returned to the company for cleaning and recycling.

9. Banana fabric

How about a fabric made from bananas? The textile company Bananatex has developed a lightweight, biodegradable jersey made from extracting fibers from the stems of the Abacá banana tree. The fibers are then cooked until they form a pulp, which is then turned into yarn through a papermaking process. In the next step, the paper is knitted and transformed into the final product. At the end of its life cycle, the fabric can be composted and biodegraded in 10 weeks in industrial composts and 16 weeks in seawater.

10. Bioceramics

Have you heard of bioceramics ? Created by designer Cynthia Nudel , this technique transforms eggshell and seaweed waste into a series of biodegradable sculptural pieces. The professional proposes a more sustainable alternative to traditional ceramics. Using previously used organic waste, the designer creates a series of sustainable vases and pots that are inspired by nature. While the black pieces symbolize destruction, the green tones evoke nature and the whites reflect purity. The earthy tones remind us of our essence. Furthermore, at the end of its useful life, each piece disintegrates and returns to the earth, closing the cycle.