Sustainable materials that are influencing product design

Bamboo
It grows fast and strong and used in place of wood and some packaging. It’s trending most in furniture design, flooring and construction. It’s expensive to process but high quality.

Cork
It grows in popularity now and then, both functional and stylish as kitchen pan coasters or bulletin boards. It’s a good insulator making it useful as flooring if you can afford it. Cork is a great accent to light, small appliances.

Recycled Plastics
It’s still a plastic, but hands get tied. Plastics are a miracle despite the environmental part. Search for companies like Eastman Chemical Company (previously Kodak) for new and upcoming recycled plastics.

Hemp
It’s becoming less taboo and more available. As difficult as hemp can be to process, it requires less water than traditional crops that can grow quickly. It’s found in place of wood, cotton, plastic packaging, or construction materials. It’s a versatile material with more study needed.

Mushrooms
Mushrooms are occasionally being used in packaging or building material but it’s not practical for most cases. They begin to degrade within weeks of being created and are rather lumpy. They’re useful for specialty packaging to replace large foam inserts. They can be turned into plastic-like material for longer lasting uses, but packaging and construction are where they thrive.

Bioplastics
These are made from corn starch or sugarcane and are just as strong as plastics. They thrive in furniture, toy, packaging, and food industries. Bioplastics are great alternatives when they meet the practical needs of the product.