The Royal College of Art has revealed the Winners of the 2022/23 Grand Challenge: Engaging Communities for Generating Marine Sustainable Economies. In partnership with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), RCA students were asked to explore how design can make use of “citizen-led practices for increasing the health and productivity of the world’s oceans”. First place was awarded to Sea Seeds, a concept developed in Oban, Scotland, that allows kayakers, sailors and others to strategically replant seagrass by dropping so-called Sea Seeds. Design Week has the details here

“How we became a carbon neutral company”. Jon Khoo, Head of Sustainability (Europe and Asia) at flooring company Interface, explains to Sage how reducing waste and improving the lifespan of its products helped the company reduce its carbon impact. Watch the interview here

Finnish design company Woodio has created a toilet, where everything from the seat to the bowl is formed from wood composite that reportedly generates 99 per cent fewer emissions in its production than ceramics. Dezeen has the story here

Allbirds claims to have developed the world’s first carbon-neutral trainer – without the use of any carbon offsets. The M0.0NSHOT. trainer, which will launch with an initial prototype in June, is made from merino wool which, the brand claims, is carbon negative in its production, helping the overall shoe achieve carbon neutrality. More at Vogue here

We’ve mentioned Lavacrete here before on the newsletter. Now Bloomberg Green reports from Wolf Ranch in Austin, Texas, where 100 homes are being built using the material via a 3D-printing process which “promises to deliver energy-efficient and climate-resilient homes that can be built faster, in novel designs and with minimal construction waste”. Read “The World’s Largest 3D-Printed Neighborhood Is Here” er, here

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