Transparent wood (TW) has attracted much attention in the field of energy saving building structural materials because of its high light transmittance, good thermal insulation performance and good toughness. However, the polymeric resins used in the present study to impregnate lignin-based wood templates are usually derived from petroleum-based chemical resources, which pose a fatal threat to human beings… Here, we report a green and sustainable TW production process based on the bio-recycling concept. …The prepared lignin-based sustainable transparent wood (LSTW) has good light transmittance and good dimensional stability. In addition, the LSTW also shows good thermal insulation and indoor temperature regulation capabilities compared with the common glass.