There is a wide range of eco-friendly materials that can be used in design, according to Seetal Solanki, founder of research studio Matter. She picks out five of the most innovative examples.
Solanki is the author of Why Materials Matter: Responsible Design For A Better World, a book that explores how alternative materials can be used across the design industry, to reduce its environmental impact.
It presents examples from designers, artists and scientists that offer potential solutions to global problems, from a plastic substitute made from lupin plants to a leather-like material made using coconut water.
Solanki reveals the five she thinks offer the most potential and explains why:

Gold
"Formafantasma has scavenged gold from discarded electronic items to create surface finishes on chairs, keyboards and more. "The Italian design duo has drawn attention to the vast amounts of digital waste and obsolete electronics, as well as the valuable materials used in them ? gold in computer circuit boards and palladium in hard drives and mobile phones, for example.
"The project offers a glimpse into a future where electronics are dismantled and the precious metals reused, which suggests that we can take a more responsible approach to electronic product design as well as its end disposal."
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