09-30-20

The most innovative sustainability projects of 2020

See all the honorees of Fast Company’s 2020 Innovation by Design Awards in the Sustainability category.

By Fast Company1 minute Read

Winner

[Photo: Ivar Kvaal/courtesy Snøhetta]

Powerhouse Brattørkaia
Snøhetta
The world’s northernmost energy-positive building, located in Trondheim, Norway, which produces more than twice as much electricity as it consumes on average every day

Finalists

[Photo: MIT Media Lab]

Aguahoja II
The Mediated Matter Group, MIT Media Lab

[Photo: Laurian Ghinitoiu/courtesy Bjarke Ingels Group]

Amager Resource Center
Bjarke Ingels Group

[Photo: Allbirds]

The Dasher
Allbirds

[Photo: courtesy Andrea Ling]

Design by Decay, Decay by Design
Design by Decay, Andrea Ling

[Photo: Sabai]

The Essential Collection
Sabai

[Photo: Google]

Google Nest Mini
Google

[Photo: The Ocean Cleanup]

The Interceptor
The Ocean Cleanup

[Photo: Marimekko]

Marimekko Spinnova printed-clothing collaboration
Marimekko and Spinnova

[Photo: Mohawk]

Mohawk Continuum Process
Mohawk Flooring

[Photo: Barber Osgerby]

On & On Collection
Barber Osgerby

[Photo: Sweetgreen]

PFAS-free compostable bowls
Sweetgreen and Footprint

[Image: Field Operations]

South Bay Sponge
James Corner Field Operations

Honorable Mentions

[Photo: Point Line Plane]

BatBnB
Point Line Plane

[Photo: Gantenhammer]

Belle Vie disposable tableware from sugarcane
Gantenhammer

[Photo: United by Blue]

The Bison Ultralight
United by Blue

[Photo: Perkins and Will]

Canada’s Earth Tower
Perkins and Will

[Photo: Converse]

Converse Renew
Converse

[Photo: Hypergiant]

Eos Bioreactor
Hypergiant

[Photo: Pangaia]

Flwrdwn
Pangaia

[Photo: Adidas]

Futurecraft.Loop Generation 2
Adidas

[Photo: MIT]

Growing Islands
Self-Assembly Lab, MIT

[Photo: Cariuma]

Ibi
Cariuma

[Photo: Infarm]

Infarm Kroger partnership
Infarm

[Photo: WhiteGrey]

Living Seawall
WhiteGrey

[Photo: Lumi]

Lumi ID
Lumi

[Photo: Nebia]

Nebia by Moen
Nebia

[Photo: Nike]

Nike Space Hippie
Nike

[Photo: Procter & Gamble]

Oral-B Clic
Procter & Gamble

[Photo: Dell]

Pollution Ink
Dell Technologies

[Photo: WRNS Studio]

Sonoma Academy’s Janet Durgin Guild and Commons
WRNS Studio

[Photo: Takt]

Takt
Takt

[Photo: Thousand Fell]

Thousand Fell circular sneakers
Thousand Fell

Video

Impact

Copenhagen is building a huge island in its harbor to protect against sea level rise

This compostable plastic is actually compostable

It’s time to rethink the asylum process for climate refugees

News

Stimulus update: Is a 4th stimulus check really coming?

GameStop grabs a new CEO and CFO from Amazon, and a board chair from Chewy.com

A Facebook wristwatch with cameras? Hard pass.

Co.Design

This whiter-than-white paint cools buildings down dramatically. Why isn’t it everywhere?

I’m a branding expert—and I think most startups spend way too much on branding

Why the car dealership of the future looks like a midcentury modern living room

Work Life

4 ways to stay top of mind when you’re remote and your coworkers aren’t

Call me back! A CEO laments unanswered phone messages

One of your employees screwed up. Here’s how to handle the situation without killing morale