Why? Flax is a light, natural fiber used to make linen cloth, but in the hands of François Azambourg, it transforms into high-performance, recyclable furniture. Lin 94 is a composite chair made from 94% renewable materials and an 80% plant-based epoxy resin. Lighter than glass fiber and similar in strength to carbon fiber, flax requires...

In any given day, we touch or handle thousands of different materials that are fundamental to our daily lives: a clay pot to hold the food for our dinner, a plastic toothbrush to perform our morning regimen, and a wool sweater to keep us warm and protected. Facing a simultaneous decrease in resources and an...