The Future Looks Green: 7 Super Sustainable Materials

The future looks green. . .and blue and purple and orange—as demonstrated by top picks at FutureGreen, the sustainable hospitality forum featuring these cutting-edge materials from the Material ConneXion library.

1. Material: ECONYL®.

Manufacturer: Aquafil.

Composition Nylon.

Standout: Chemicals harvested from recycled plastics become durable, stain-resistant yarns that are air-textured and solution-dyed in over 138 colors. (Please note that new colors are now available.)

2. Material: EcoPanel.

Manufacturer: Slalom.

Composition: Polyester.

Standout: PET pellets, formed from shredded and melted bottles, are compressed into multilayered acoustical panels in solids, patterns, and faux wood grains .

3. Material: Wood-Skin.

Composition: Plywood and nylon.

Standout: A laminate sandwich of wood and fabric is CNC-routed into triangular patterns, the grooves giving the panels their ability to bend.

4. Material Decorative Coatings.

Manufacturer: Organoid Technologies.

Composition: Leaves, stems, flowers, and grass. 

Standout: Cuttings from an Austrian meadow are combined with fibers from more than 40 trees and plants, from palm to pistachio, then heated and pressed into rigid substrates.

5. Material: Ceranchia.

Manufacturer: Conservation Through Poverty Alleviation International.

Composition: Silk.

Standout: Produced with the help of silkworms in the rain forests of Madagascar, these weblike textiles are naturally lightweight and flame-resistant.

6. Material: Biocomposite.

Manufacturer: Organoid Technologies.

Composition:Natural fibers.

Standout: To create structural or decorative components, wood chips, straw, and other organic materials are ground up, then sprayed on a form that’s removed before sealing.

7. Material: Ligneah.

Manufacturer: Mymantra.

Composition: Wood and cotton.

Standout: Forest Stewardship Council–certified wood veneer is laser-cut and fabric-backed for a result soft and flexible enough to be cut and sewed like a textile.

<<See more from the July 2015 issue of Interior Design