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“biomimicry is an approach to innovation that seeks sustainable solutions to human challenges by emulating nature’s time-tested patterns and strategies.” (Biomimicry Institute

Animals, plants, and microbes are the consummate engineers and millions of years of evolution has already addressed many of the world’s challenges and come up with ingenious solutions. Design has famously drawn upon nature for inspiration before; Velcro was inspired by the humble burr and whale fins inspired modern wind turbine fins. Historically designers looked to nature to conquer a specific design problem such as the high-speed trains in Japan that were creating disruptive sonic ‘claps’; by studying the beak structure and shape of the Kingfisher a nose cone was retro fitted to the trains eliminating the problem whilst saving energy.

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biomimicry - design by nature

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In recent years however, biomimicry has become an industry in itself, with designers, engineers and architects actively seeking solutions in the natural world around them.

As society realizes the enormity of the challenges facing humanity and the cross-border impact of sustainability, the biomimicry revolution is bringing together thinkers from across industries to produce innovative solutions to sustainable living.

“ “i think the biggest innovations of the 21st century will be at the intersection of biology and technology. a new era is beginning.” Steve Jobs

source: Jltfoto|Dreamstime.com http://creativecommons.org/2.0/License

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source: The Eden Project

“ “over 80% of greenhouse gas emissions take place during the operational phase of buildings, when energy is used for heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting, appliances, and other applications.” ‘Buildings & Climate Change’ UNEP

resource efficiencyNon-renewable resources are being depleted at an alarming rate and their consumption is wasteful and polluting. Biomimicry challenges designers and engineers to look for materials that offer function with less resource input. For example, the Eden Project roof structure looked at carbon molecule construction to inform the design resulting in a light-weight building solution that saved on energy in its construction and continues to save energy in its on-going maintenance.

The Eden Project Biomes were inspired by the idea of soap bubbles and how they adapt to any surface they settle on and that when two or more bubbles join, the line of the join is always exactly perpendicular.

In response to the demand for sustainable building materials and processes, Blue Planet has developed a cement and aggregate process made from CO2 from factory emissions. The company took their inspiration from coral.

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Carbon-negative plastics have also been developed, notably AirCarbon as used by Dell, Sprint and The Body Shop. Inspired by the way plants extract carbon from the atmosphere, carbon capture eliminates the need for oil based production and actually helps to reverse the negative impact of global warming by sucking harmful methane out of the atmosphere.


“ “by mimicking nature’s process for hardening tissues in living organisms, our technology uses waste CO2 as a raw material to produce carbon-negative building materials. our patented approach is both economically and ecologically sustainable.”www.blueplanet-ltd.com

source: www.newlight.com

source: www.sustainablebrands.com

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co-operation & closed loopNature often works in partnerships and we are beginning to understand that it also works in networks. For example, it has recently been understood that trees in a woodland share carbon and nutrients with other trees through an underground network of fungi. Scientists have dubbed it the ‘woodwide web’. Trees absorb energy and water from the sun and the sky and they create food and habitats for other organisms in the eco-system. Even after they die, trees produce life sustaining nutrients supporting new organic infrastructures. Biomimicry asks ‘why can’t our buildings get their energy from the sun? Why can’t they provide a habitat for plants and animals? Why can’t they be repurposed?

The ABLE Project, thought up by Graham Wiles as a social rehabilitation project, takes cardboard from restaurants and shops, shreds it and sells is as horse bedding. When the horse bedding needs replacing it is picked up and composted in a worm farm. The compost goes onto plant beds and the resulting worms are fed to the fish farm where sturgeon are bred and caviar is produced. The caviar is then sold back to the restaurants where the cardboard was collected in the first place. This is an incredible example of how waste can be used as food, just as waste in nature is always a nutrient and ends up in a cradle to cradle cycle.


when designers look at design challenges holistically, waste can become an opportunityinstead of a mere problem.

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growing garmentsSuzanne Lee, Creative Director of Modern Meadow Inc. produces real leather grown in a laboratory. Lee’s work was inspired by her research at Saint Martins Art School dubbed “biocouture” where she grew her own cellulode textile from vats of green tea, sugar, bacteria, and yeast. Fibers from this microbial soup were moulded into sheets of bacterial cellulose and then into a dress form.

Paramo’s waterproof jackets feature fabric technology inspired by the transpiration activity of trees. Trees have pore-like opening in their leaves that control the release of water vapour allowing the tree to ‘breath’ and keep cool. The company treats its outerwear fabric with a special finish that leaves spaces between the fibers elastic, open, and breathable. This provides water-repellency and traps air next to the skin, directing moisture away from the body and preventing external moisture from entering.


source: Modern Meadow Inc

“ “with biology we can engineer new performance functionality and aesthetic qualities.” Suzanne Lee, Modern Meadow inc

Paramo’s Breathable jacket

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what does this mean for packaging?Everyday billions of packaged items are produced, transported and sold around the world. Packaging is an important part of our society, without it products couldn’t be safely shared, transported or sold but because it often ends up in the bin it is seen as wasteful. What can the packaging industry learn from nature?

The food packaging industry is working on ways to produce safe, breathable films to keep perishable foods fresh for longer. Biomimicry takes this further to look at how this packaging could be sustainable? Can it disappear along with its ingredients? Can it be consumed? Can it be repurposed?

Packaging designers are actively looking for inspiration in nature for example, Ecover the sustainable cleaning products company set out to redesign their bottle to reduce the use of raw materials and product weight. Inspiration came from organisms called diatoms and radiolarians that use tiny holes to create strength. The result is a beautiful bottle with a 20% reduced weight. The bottle is made of recycled ocean plastic, and is reusable and recyclable.

Vitalis, a major Portuguese bottled water brand, has produced a new bottle that is lighter than traditional polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles while also providing a strong brand identity. The goal was to develop the lightest PET water bottle on the market that would still fit existing industrial filling lines. The design was inspired by the spiral growth pattern of certain pine trees including Scotts Pine and the bottle can withstand vertical, horizontal, and diagonal loads with minimum material usage.


source: www.makezine.com

source: www.asknature.org source: www.asknature.org

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responsive design

Tomorrow Machine is a Swedish company pioneering sustainable packaging design. Their designs are achieved through a combination of science and creativity.

Noting that in nature many organisms respond to changes in the environment by shrinking or expanding, and working in partnership with materials developer Innventia, they designed a self-expanding instant food package. The pack saves space in transportation because it’s compressed and it’s made out of a 100% bio based and biodegradable material.

When the consumer pours hot water onto the package contents the active material reacts to the heat and transforms into a serving bowl. This is the new generation of sustainable package design, using materials that are both smart and environmentally friendly.

Food manufacturers and retailers are obviously concerned with how packaging supports the transportation, freshness and safety of products but research shows that younger consumers (Gen Z) are increasingly motivated by sustainability. Technology is evolving that puts these consumers in the driving seat – inspiring, innovating & collaborating their way to sustainable solutions and crowd-sourcing ventures see huge support for sustainable products and services.


source: Tomorrow Machine

source: Crowd Funder UK

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Tapping into the consumer’s growing appetite for sustainability and collaborative design, The Biomimicry Institute runs an annual design competition inviting entries from across all industries and countries, ‘to engage and mobilize thousands of students and professionals to tackle food system challenges using biomimicry design solutions.’

One of the winning solutions in 2016 was B-all, “a sustainable, edible food packaging system, designed to protect food in the journey from producer to consumer.” Design inspiration was taken from fruit and beetles to design a simple, edible protective outer coating with a protective inner layer.

Watch the video.

Edible packaging solutions eliminate waste problems creating a truly closed-loop and presenting the packaging industry with some exciting opportunities. For example, currently millions of tonnes of plastic pollutes the oceans with devastating affects on sea life but could edible packaging actually nourish sea life? Craft beer company, Salt Water Brewery has launched biodegradable packaging that is 100% edible after research showed how much damage ocean plastic can cause to fish and marine mammals such as turtles.

source: The Biomimicry Institute

https://youtu.be/-YG9gUJMGyw

https://vimeo.com/166075115

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compostable packagingAnother clever innovation is using the bi-product of food production to manufacture the packaging. A closed loop system turning the agricultural waste product into packaging which can then be safely composted and used to grow more crops. This approach mimics the natural world’s ability to turn waste into nutrients and can be a powerful marketing tool. Veuve Clicquot produced packaging made from waste grape product at their vineyards as part of their commitment to sustainability. Furthermore, a Dutch company, Solidus Solutions has produced an award-winning solid board made from tomato crop waste which is being used to package the next seasons crop.

Nature’s packages are home-grown and fit their contents perfectly. This was the inspiration behind Ecovative’s innovative mushroom packaging. A mould of the product is taken and mushrooms are cultivated to fit precisely. It only takes a couple of days to grow and has all the benefits of traditional formed polystyrene but is 100% compostable. In true closed loop style it actually adds nutrients back into the soil as it degrades.


source: Packaging Europe

SPOR’s Mushroom Packaging: Ecovative Design

“ “SPOR is a net-positive, renewable energy brand that creates solar powered products. ecovative’s mushroom packaging inserts transport products safely and communicates their ecological commitment, allowing them to eliminate any harmful plastic components from their packaging.” Evocative Design

>< the future of global packaging+44 (0)1279 874641 morefromlessglobal.com 11


>< opinionNature provides amazing organic packaging solutions that offer great benefits. Inspired by nature the packaging industry continues to innovate and produce designs that improve moisture protection, safety, ease of use, material efficiency and a long shelf life.

As advances in technology and science combine we see new product and packaging opportunities that address wider issues of sustainability; these opportunities will drive customer engagement and foster loyalty creating competitive advantage.

Scientists are looking to biomimicry for answers to some huge problems and in the future solutions will be more interconnected and interdependent – like ecosystems. Nature shows us that ecosystems are self-cleaning and self-healing and by understanding how these work we can apply learnings to design and promote closed loop systems that promote sustainable living.

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