Biodegradable Material Archives: Tools for Regenerative and Circular Design.
In today’s design landscape, selecting materials involves more than considerations of performance or aesthetics; it requires an understanding of how materials interact with ecological systems throughout their lifecycle. Biodegradable material archives, whether physical collections or digital platforms, offer designers structured access to materials that can safely re-enter natural cycles, providing both practical knowledge of mechanical, thermal, and aesthetic properties and insight into sourcing, processing, and end-of-life pathways such as compostability and biodegradability. Beyond technical specifications, these archives preserve tactile, visual, and sensory information that informs design decisions and enriches user experience. By engaging with these resources, designers can move beyond linear “take-make-dispose” approaches, experimenting iteratively with materials in ways that are functional, visually compelling, and ecologically responsible. In this sense, archives are more than repositories, they are instruments of material literacy, ecological foresight, and regenerative design practice, enabling informed, forward-thinking decisions that bridge creative practice and circular futures.
Connecting Science with Practice
Material archives serve as curated repositories bridging scientific data, design practice, and ecological considerations. They document:
• Material properties: mechanical, thermal, and aesthetic characteristics relevant for product applications.
• End-of-life pathways: biodegradability, compostability standards, and guidance on reintegration into natural systems.
• Source and process information: feedstock origin, processing methods, and, where available, open-source formulations.
• Design‑oriented insights: tactile, visual, and sensory attributes that inform material selection and user experience.
Example Resources
I would like to highlight three leading hands-on material archives that enable knowledge and experimentation with biodegradable, bio-based, and sustainable materials. These resources provide designers with practical, hands-on materials, supporting experimentation, testing, and the creation of regenerative and circular design solutions.:
Future Materials Bank — A forward-looking experimental archive for sustainable, bio-based, and regenerative materials, providing hands-on exploration for designers and researchers. They also run a Fellowship Programme: artists/designers / researchers can apply to be “Future Materials Fellows.” Their work then feeds back into the Bank.
Biomaterials Library — Biomaterials Library — Combines physical samples with digital documentation for bio-based material exploration. Curated and run by designer Austėja Platūkytė and organized by the NGO Medžiagotyra, it also offers workshops sharing hands-on knowledge of bio-based materials.
Supporting Frameworks
While not a material archive, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation is another useful resource, provides designers with a comprehensive strategic framework for circular and regenerative design solutions. It bridges the gap between hands-on material experimentation and systems-level thinking, offering guidance, tools, and case studies that illuminate how materials, products, and processes can be conceived within circular economy principles. By engaging with these resources, designers are encouraged to consider not only the properties and applications of materials but also their broader ecological and societal impact. The Foundation thus serves as an indispensable companion for those seeking to transform practical experimentation into innovative, forward-looking, and ecologically responsible design solutions, making it an essential resource for anyone committed to shaping a regenerative design practice.
Header image: © Mantissa, Unsplash.
Post images: © Future Materials Bank, © Materiom, © Biomaterials Library, © Ellen MacArthur Foundation
