Design

In an industry often criticized for waste and pollution, a revolutionary material is changing the narrative. Hyphyn, the first biodegradable performance vinyl, is setting...

Lighting sources that use rechargeable batteries include an LED flashlight, a generator, and an outdoor solar light fixture. Flashlights are some of the more versatile lighting choices, since these devices offer various sizes and brightness. Brightness capability is also known as lumens. If you need strong lighting, choose a device with a higher lumen output.

In 2025, sustainability is no longer a luxury or a greenwashed afterthought—it’s a business imperative. Consumers around the world are making purchasing decisions based not just on price or style, but on how products are made, what they’re made of, and what happens after they’re used. Enter a wave of bold startups building circular, ethical, and regenerative models for everyday items—from sneakers and smartphones to menstrual pads and incense sticks.

Back in the day when we started Green Prophet, “circular design” was a new buzzword and mostly just a slide in a PowerPoint deck—something sustainability consultants pitched people who knew nothing. In 2025, it’s different. Circular design isn’t just theory now—it’s practice. It’s policy in some of the boldest companies, cities, and thinkers who are reshaping the future.

At Green Prophet, we’ve long followed algae’s transformative potential—from algae solar panels and bioplastics to its use in wastewater treatment and as a vegan protein source. Now, as color becomes another frontier of ecological consciousness, we see a full-circle return to Earth’s original pigments.

SOMBRA, a name fusing the Latin words for sun (sol) and shade (umbra), is more than a temporary pavilion—it’s a living laboratory. Shaped like a heliodon, the structure mimics how the sun moves through the sky, providing an intuitive experience of solar patterns. It operates without motors, electronics, or external energy. Instead, it breathes, opens, and closes using only passive physical principles.

The Allpa 42L is made from 100% recycled polyester and repurposed nylon, reducing waste and keeping materials out of landfills. The company also focuses on fair labor practices by partnering with factories that ensure safe working conditions and fair wages for workers.

As with other green burials such as Bios Urna (shrub pots pre-planted with soil, seeds, and human remains) and Poetree Burial Planter (human ashes in a biodegradable cork pot, planted with a boxwood sapling and ringed with the deceased’s inscription in ceramic), families and friends could visit the future flora, care for it and rest in its shade.

Looking toward the future faith, creativity and technology will often intersect. The pathway from “prophet” to “profit” will not always be clear. However, creativity, at times fueled by faith, will help spur greater creativity where-in new technologies will allow the visionaries of the future to unlock new possibilities for collaboration, innovation, and mutual understanding more quickly than ever.

The world's first circular fashion bag? Pre-order it now.

A tree lab at MIT can predict using AI how trees can green a city, or how they will grow in time better serving city planners green plans.

Lovegrove's parametric cardboard pavilion for Dubai Design Week.

Japanese designers LIXIL create a wonderful hanging and foldable tub for modern living.

Avocado is a leader in organic mattresses in the United States.

For the 2024 Dubai Design Week edition, practitioners were invited to propose designs with a focus on vernacular architecture and how community-centric architectural methods—rooted in local materials and technique—can intersect with new environments.