69 sustainable materials that can be used for object. Narrow them down by feedstock and availability.
Recycled raw material made from recovered ocean-bound plastic, supplied as pellets, yarn and filament, certified to GRS and OBP.
Among ocean-plastic feedstocks, this one leaves a paper trail — GRS and OBP certification plus a material pas…
A PHA biopolymer platform produced by microbial fermentation.
PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate) that a Korean manufacturer makes by fermenting plant-derived feedstock. Specificat…
A circular material that pelletizes post-consumer plastic waste for large-format FGF printing.
Instead of cutting sheet stock, waste-plastic pellets can be 3D-printed at large scale to produce custom part…
A sheet-form leather alternative using pomace/peel by-products from the apple juice industry.
A candidate when looking for a coated fabric to use instead of natural leather. It can be cut and sewn, and i…
A plastic-free technical fabric from abacá (banana family) fibre grown in Philippine highland permaculture — "no pesticides, fertilizer or extra water". Cradle to Cradle Certified Gold (Dec 2021; Natural White, All Black, Gravel, Asphalt and DWR versions). Compostable at home or industrially, with a paper-recycling loop turning used fabric into new yarn. A collaboration between Swiss brand QWSTION and Taiwanese yarn and weaving specialists.
The highest-certified plant fabric on the axis (C2C Gold). Where pineapple and cactus leathers carry coating…
A 100% natural fiber refined from the stem and leaf residues of food and medicinal crops.
A spinnable fiber feedstock extracted from cellulose-rich agricultural residues such as the stems and leaves…
A building block compression-molded from hard-to-recycle mixed plastics.
Hard-to-recycle plastics that were headed for landfill or incineration are compressed into blocks.
A low-carbon recycled aluminium range using a high proportion of post-consumer aluminium scrap.
Aluminium that uses at least 75% post-consumer scrap (for CIRCAL 75R). Recycled content differs by grade.
Low-carbon stainless steel made from 100% low-carbon raw materials such as recycled steel scrap. Carbon footprint down to 0.5 kg CO2e per kg — up to 93% below the global industry average of 7 kg (company average 1.6 kg). Batch-specific product carbon footprint certificates verified by TÜV SÜD in line with ISO 14067. Launched May 2022; 16 products as cold/hot rolled coil; adopted by 30+ companies across Europe and Asia.
The stainless counterpart to SSAB Zero (carbon steel). A rare metal product with batch-specific measured carb…
A dissolving pulp chemically recycled from 100% waste cotton textiles, made at the world's first commercial-scale textile-to-textile chemical recycling plant (Ortviken, Sundsvall, Sweden), with commercial production restarted in February 2026. Fibre makers such as Tangshan Sanyou and Aditya Birla use it for viscose and lyocell, with brand partners including H&M, Mango and Marimekko (four new partners announced June 2026).
An upstream feedstock record for textile-to-textile circularity — one step above recycled yarns (SaXcell, Hyo…
A molded composite combining used coffee grounds with recycled wood fiber and plant-based polymer.
A molded material that mixes coffee grounds with recycled wood fiber and plant-based polymer.
Korean-made PVC fabric produced by recycling composite PVC waste.
A Korean closed-loop material case: industrial composite PVC waste is recycled into flakes, powder and pellet…
A Korean wood/cellulose-based material for injection molding.
A wood by-product-based feedstock that can be run in existing injection molds, linking the formal freedom of…
Recycled plastic solid surface
It can be fabricated into countertops and washbasins like an ordinary solid surface while showing the recycle…
PA6 feedstock and yarn chemically regenerated from nylon waste such as fishing nets and carpets.
Rather than a finished product, it returns nylon waste to PA6 at the feedstock stage, so it can be connected…
ecothylene® — a material recycled from old plastic toys, made into furniture and lighting. "The ecoBirdy technology turns old plastic toys into design furniture which is entirely recyclable." Known for its unmixed speckled surface. SGS, CE and VOC certifications shown; the company is a B Corp. Designed in Antwerp, Belgium; made in Italy. Charlie chair, Luisa table, Rhino lamp and more.
Revives an emotionally loaded waste stream — toys — as design furniture. A rare recycled plastic you can prop…
PET/copolyester resin family made by mechanically and chemically recycling post-consumer PET and other inputs.
Recycled PET and copolyester from a Korean manufacturer. The recycling method differs by grade.
Decorative / sound-absorbing brick made by compressing textile waste with a bio-based binder.
A brick-type module that keeps the original color and texture of the textiles, so the origin of the textile w…
Recycled rubber granulate made solely from end-of-life tyres, separated from steel and textile at 99.99% precision. Seven standard fractions (0.8–7.0 mm). Third-party LCAs (FORCE Technology, IFEU; ISO 14040/44, peer-reviewed) show 700 kg CO2 saved per tonne recycled instead of incinerated. All six plants ISO 9001/14001/45001/50001. For sports floors, playgrounds, flooring, acoustics and asphalt.
The three existing rubber records are finished flooring; this is the upstream feedstock granulate. A rare raw…
A coated/sheet-type alternative leather material that uses grape by-products from the wine industry.
A material combining grape by-products from the wine industry with vegetable oils and natural agricultural fi…
Moulded material grown from mycelium on local agricultural waste fibres — 5 days growing plus 2 days drying. Stated "100% compostable" and "suitable for 100% home and marine composting". Protective packaging (Industrial, Luxury, Insulating), GIY (Grow It Yourself) kits and interior products. A European source for the material family of Ecovative's MycoComposite (US).
A record for sourcing mycelium packaging in Europe. Same material family as Ecovative (US) but a different su…
A wood-alternative panel made by compressing industrial hemp fiber.
It keeps a woodworking experience similar to wood while extending fast-growing hemp fiber into furniture, pan…
Bio-based polyethylene from Brazilian sugarcane ethanol. Avoids about 5 t CO2e per tonne versus fossil PE — stated as a third-party verified full LCA. ISCC PLUS and BONSUCRO certified (since 2011) with a responsible ethanol sourcing programme (since 2010). Processes and recycles like conventional PE. Capacity 275 kt/year after the 2025 expansion.
The scale baseline of the bio-polymer axis. Unlike PLA/PHA (biodegradable family), this is a drop-in riding e…
A terrazzo-like slab combining recycled glass and cement.
A countertop and surface material that exposes colored fragments of waste glass like terrazzo while using a c…
Engineered board made from textile waste
It converts textile waste into a high-density board without hiding the fibers, making it suitable for uses su…
Large translucent/opaque glass-ceramic panels made by sintering waste glass.
A panel the manufacturer describes as 100% recycled glass.
Sheet material based on bacterial cellulose cultured in coconut-processing wastewater / waste coconut water.
A bacterial cellulose material cultured in coconut water that would otherwise be discarded.
A press-moulding waste composite from Mater, Copenhagen. Coffee bean shells (roasting by-product), sawdust, post-consumer e-waste and post-industrial fibres mixed with a binder — nine blends (five with plastic-waste binder, four with sugarcane-derived biodegradable plastic). Formed by standard furniture-industry press moulding; all Matek furniture can be returned to Mater and recycled into new furniture. Designed for disassembly and repair.
A furniture-axis case where waste composite is mass-produced as shells and seats. Clear coffee-and-e-waste na…
A family of biodegradable, compostable bioplastics containing renewable feedstock such as starch.
A family of bio-based polymers that are biodegradable and compostable. The composition differs by grade.
Recycled wool fibre and fabric from Manteco (est. 1943), Tuscany. GRS certified, EPD (ISO 14025) and a peer-reviewed LCA (published in MDPI): −99.2% climate change, −99.9% water, −93.3% energy vs generic virgin wool. Recype no-dye colouring blends shade-sorted fibres into 1000+ colours without chemicals or dyes. Offered as Pure (100%), Woolten (TENCEL blend) and cashmere-blend fabrics.
The most tightly evidenced recycled wool on the textile-waste axis. Recype removes dyeing itself — the substa…
A premium flexible sheet made by precisely growing mycelium.
Uses the fiber structure of mycelium to create a feel and expression between leather and fabric, offering a n…
Architectural rolled copper made in Finland. The EPD (EPD Hub HUB-0258) states the raw material is "100% scrap copper" and declares GWP A1-A3 of 0.332 kg CO2e/kg (issued Jan 2023, valid to Jan 2028). Sheets and coils 0.3–4.0 mm in seven surfaces (Standard, Brown, Brass, Bronze, Royal, Green, Blue) for roofs, facades and cladding.
Copper fills a previously empty metal axis in the archive. A third-party EPD pins both feedstock (100% scrap)…
Recycled aluminium sheet from one of the world's largest aluminium rollers and recyclers. Average recycled content 63% in FY2025 (75% target by 2030), 84 billion used beverage cans recycled a year. Emissions intensity 3.6 t CO2e/t FRP (below 3 by 2030; −10% intensity achieved). EPDs published for architectural products. Supplied into beverage cans, automotive, aerospace and building sheet.
Broadens the aluminium axis beyond Hydro CIRCAL into rolling and the can-to-can loop. The sheer scale of cans…
A surface / leather-alternative material that uses by-products from orange and cactus processing.
A soft material that blends citrus and cactus processing by-products with polymer and binder.
Fabric from cellulose extracted out of citrus juice industry by-products (Catania, Italy, since 2014; patented process) — stated as the world's first. Used by Salvatore Ferragamo and H&M, and in a 2021 TENCEL Limited Edition with Lenzing (citrus pulp in lyocell). Developed as luxury-leaning fabrics such as satins.
Adds citrus to the food-by-product fabric axis (apple, grape, cactus). Distinct for being fabric-first rather…
A natural interior surface material made by pressing spelt husks, a by-product of spelt processing.
It shows the actual texture and color of a grain by-product on the finish surface, letting an agricultural by…
A cellulose composite made by molding kraft paper layers and a bio-based binder under high pressure.
A board of kraft paper and cellulose laminated with a bio-based binder.
Recycled paper composite panel
It aims for durability close to stone while being workable like wood, making it well suited to linking workto…
A family of ABS resins that recycle plastic recovered from sources such as waste appliances and electronics.
A recycled ABS based on post-consumer recovered feedstock, made by a Korean manufacturer. Recycled content va…
A coated nonwoven surface material made from pineapple leaf by-products.
Pineapple leaves, an agricultural waste, are used as a leather-alternative sheet that can be applied as a sur…
The pattern of the color boards is not made with added pigment; it forms as printing ink left on the Tyvek sp…
A translucent, hand-made solid surface made from 100% recycled polycarbonate.
It turns waste polycarbonate into translucent sheets with a wax- or onyx-like depth, suited to backlighting a…
A bio-based material platform that applies plant-based additive technology to plant-derived PLA.
A resin of PLA (polylactic acid) made from plant-derived feedstock with proprietary additives. Specifications…
100% recycled polystyrene surface material for large-scale projects.
With large-format panels and more than 50 patterns, it is well suited to showing waste plastic directly as a…
A structural paper board with a patented core (Re-board Technology AB, Swedish company). 80% lighter than the wood equivalent (16 mm at 2.0 kg/m², 10 mm at 1.5) yet stiff enough that "many cars has launched standing on a Re-board sheet". "100% Recyclable — no mixed materials" with a stated third-party verified lifecycle (EPD). 20+ years in market; for exhibition stands, event structures, POS and retail.
Pairs with Xanita on the exhibition axis. Mono-material means it recycles as paper with no separation, and th…
A family of nylon yarns made by recycling pre- and post-process nylon waste.
A recycled nylon yarn made by a Korean manufacturer. Depending on the grade, waste from the production proces…
A recycled nylon yarn made from recovered waste fishing nets.
A nylon yarn made from recovered discarded fishing nets.
A polyester yarn recycled from waste PET bottles.
A recycled polyester yarn made from waste PET bottles. Grades and certifications vary by product.
A traceable polyester yarn, fiber and resin made by recycling waste PET bottles.
A commercially available recycled PET feedstock that extends beyond fabric to nonwoven, sheeting, film and re…
A high-density paper composite made by laminating recycled paper with resin under high pressure.
Although paper-based, it fits into the fabrication workflows of wood and solid-surface materials, such as cou…
A recycled fiber made by recovering cellulose from pre- and post-consumer textile waste with high cotton content.
A fiber made by extracting cellulose from waste textiles with a high cotton share and regenerating it through…
A decorative biocomposite made from food by-products such as eggshells and nutshells.
A composite of discarded eggshells and nutshells bound with an organic, biodegradable binder.
Recycled PET decorative panel
A panel that shows the labels and colored fragments of waste plastic as a surface pattern, so the origin of t…
A rigid composite panel combining low-value Herdwick wool with bio-resin.
A panel of Herdwick wool set in bio-resin.
Swedish steel melted from recycled scrap with fossil-free electricity and biogas. Third-party-verified EPDs put cradle-to-gate A1-A3 at 0.57 kg CO2e/kg and SSAB's own operations (scope 1-2) below 0.05 kg CO2e/kg. Available as hot- and cold-rolled, metal- and colour-coated sheet, tubes and sections.
At a time when "zero-carbon steel" is loosely used, this is a rare case where the maker itself separates own-…
A biocomposite for injection/extrusion that combines industrial by-product wood with biopolymers.
A composite of wood-industry by-product particles mixed with a biodegradable biopolymer.
Lyocell and modal fibres from responsibly managed wood pulp by Lenzing, Austria. Stated at least 50% lower carbon emissions and water use than standard, EU Ecolabel certified, with biodegradability and compostability certifications stated. HQ in Lenzing, Austria. The reference regenerated-cellulose fibre for apparel, home textiles and upholstery.
The industrial baseline for regenerated cellulose fibre. Where Circulose covers the pulp stage, this is the f…
A plastic-alternative material based on natural polymers extracted from grain processing residues.
A material made by converting grain processing residues into a natural polymer.
Decorative / sound-absorbing biocomposite platform combining food and agricultural by-products with various binders.
A composite using, per the manufacturer, 60–95% by weight of malt husks, grass fibers, hazelnut shells, eggsh…
A copolyester built on molecular recycling — breaking waste plastic back to its chemical building blocks. Up to 50% certified recycled content, tracked by ISCC PLUS mass balance. Targets of 250M lb (2025) to 500M lb (2030) of waste plastic recycled annually. Made in Kingsport, Tennessee. For durable clear applications: bottles, drinkware, cosmetics, electronics, medical devices.
A commercial record of molecular recycling — taking waste mechanical recycling rejects back to chemistry. Sam…
Thermoplastic composite for molding, converted from hard-to-recycle mixed household waste.
Converts mixed household waste that is hard to sort and recycle into a pellet-form composite that can replace…
An injection-molding biocomposite combining cellulose fiber with wood-waste-derived PP.
By raising the cellulose share in a form usable on existing injection equipment, it can reduce the amount of…
A terrazzo-type surface material of recycled glass pieces bound in a binder.
A countertop material that the manufacturer states uses 100% recycled glass aggregate.
Paper, bioplastic (injection, extrusion, 3D filament) and bio-concrete from Dutch-grown elephant grass (miscanthus). The crop absorbs about 30 t CO2 per hectare per year (four times a European forest), needs no fertiliser, and grows on marginal non-food land — figures stated both on the company's page and in the Holland Circular Hotspot case. Rotterdam-based, with Wageningen University guidance noted by HCH.
A local-feedstock material whose crop is itself a carbon sink (30 t/ha). Evidence is thin — company and publi…
A vegan, compostable material made by microbial fermentation. Microbes generate granules in fermentation units, which are extracted, pelletised and moulded on standard equipment with natural pigments. Stated to break down "fully in any soil and marine environment, leaving behind zero microplastics". Food contact certified, compatible with water- and oil-based formulations — commercially applied in skincare packaging.
A compostable moulding material from the third route — microbial fermentation rather than fossil or plant oil…
A waterproof wood composite molded from wood chips and a bio-based binder.
A composite of wood chips and fibers bound with resin. Used for bathroom products and furniture.
A kraft-paper structural board made in Cape Town, South Africa. Core of recycled and virgin fibres with kraft liners (printable white Print, natural Kraft). Up to 75% lighter than MDF, "100% repulpable" and "100% recyclable". FSC certified (FSC_C195005); the Print board is stated VOC-free. For retail displays, exhibitions, event structures and commercial interiors.
A baseline MDF substitute for exhibitions and displays. Being paper, it repulps after the event, and at a qua…
Multi-purpose waterborne paint from NOROO's eco brand Soon&Soo. Special acrylic emulsion applied primer-free to concrete, gypsum board, wood, wallpaper and light-duty steel. Korea Eco-Label no. 23898 and HB Mark HB2443F21-01. Stated as dramatically reduced VOC with no heavy metals. Coverage 14.0 m²/L, recoat 3 h, water dilution ≤10%.
A baseline low-VOC waterborne paint you can buy in Korea today. Double-certified (Eco-Label + HB Mark) with a…
Recycled nylon-6 recovered from discarded fishing nets by a Busan social venture. The whole chain from marine-waste collection to raw-material production is verified under UL ECV 2809 OP (Ocean Plastic, 2023-04); supplied to Kolon Plastics, LG Chem and Samyang.
One of the few cases where fishing nets from Korean coasts become recycled feedstock in a Korean plant, with…