What Biomimicry Means for the Future of Product Design
Has there ever been a time when artists, designers, and other creatives did not look to nature for inspiration? Probably not. Even back in the Paleolithic era, our human ancestors sketched animal figures on cave walls for reasons not fully understood. Millennia later, we are still decorating our walls with images of flora and fauna. Nature is the ever-enduring muse.
The key difference between the past’s use of nature and today’s is how much Mother Earth has changed. Since the dawn of the Industrial Age, our planet’s temperature has risen nearly 2°F. That may not seem like much, but it’s enough to change our global climate—and potentially lead to our extinction. But what if, instead of destroying our planet, we learned from it? What if, instead of using nature as an inspiration to beautify, we used it as an inspiration in how we design?
This is the idea propelling scientists and designers to collaborate on projects using biomimicry. While not new, biomimicry will play a vital role the healing our planet, as well as ourselves.
“What if, instead of destroying our planet, we learned from it? What if, instead of using nature as an inspiration to beautify, we used it as an inspiration in how we design? ”
Biomimicry mines the evolutionary lessons found in the natural world and finds ways to apply them to human problems. One of the most ubiquitous examples of biomimicry is Velcro(R), whose concept came to Swiss engineer George de Mestral after examining the small burs that stuck to his clothing. For another example, look to the nose cones of bullet trains, which take their long, narrow shape from the beak of the Kingfisher. Even Da Vinci looked to nature while sketching his inventive ideas for flying machines.
Despite its long history, biomimicry is finally reaching a tipping point. In the twenty-year period between 1985 and 2005, the number of patents worldwide using biomimetic concepts increased by a factor of 93, significantly higher than the 2.7 factor growth rate of non-biomimetic patents. Given the increased demands for climate neutral design systems, it’s safe to assume that this trend has only continued. So much so that in the next five to ten years advancing research will make it easier for new products to be developed using biomimetic systems.
One of the biggest lessons we can learn from nature can be found in its circular ecosystems. One organism’s waste becomes another’s resource—a fact first described as one of the four laws of ecology by American biologist Barry Commoner. Though Commoner wrote his book The Closing Circle in 1971, most brands are only now starting to think beyond just a linear production model. Over the past few of years, many brands have announced semi-circular initiatives including Stella McCartney, Allbirds, and EcoBirdy. While finding ways to recycle materials and reduce emissions is a step in the right direction, none of these systems is fully circular. For a truly closed loop system, brands must consider every element of their supply chain, find ways to create product from material reuse, and think about how their products will decompose or be recycled once they’ve reached their end of life. In short, there must be no waste in manufacturing.
Mycelium, the vegetative root system of fungi, can be used to replace many plastic and carbon-intensive household materials.
Some of the ways designers and engineers are doing this is through the development of new biomaterials that can be composted or reused once the product has reached its end of life. One promising material can be found beneath our feet. Many commercial brands including Adidas, Lululemon, and Stella McCartney are turning to mycelium, the vegetative root system of fungi, to produce vegan leather alternatives. Others are exploring ways to use it in place of traditional construction materials, creating an inexpensive and environmentally sustainable replacement for foam, wood, and even some plastics. In the not-so-distant future, mycelium could effectively replace many plastic and carbon-intense materials throughout the home, potentially replacing Styrofoam, concrete, petrol- and latex-based sponges, housing insulation, and even meat.
Another growing material of interest is spider silk. Considered to be one of nature’s best materials, spider silk is prized for its outstanding strength, elasticity, and toughness. Dragline silk (the silk used in the scaffolding structure of a spider web) is five-times stronger than steel and twice as flexible as nylon, while flag silk (the silk used in the radial threads of the web) can stretch up to 270%. It is this strength and elasticity that allows the web to withstand the impact of flying insects and still remain intact as they struggle to break free. Unfortunately, unlike silkworms, spiders are difficult to cultivate for their silk, making textiles woven from it some of the rarest and most expensive in the world. To get around this, two companies (Bolt Threads and Spiber) have developed methods to reproduce spider silk, bioengineering the proteins needed from plant-based materials. Once created and isolated, these proteins can be spun into an incredibly soft, luxurious fabric. Spiber also uses this technology to similarly produce animal-free fur, leather, and tortoise. In 2019, North Face Japan released its 50 Moon Parka using lab-grown spider silk from Spiber.
These are just a couple of examples of how the combination of nature and emerging technology will influence the future use of materials. Next month I’ll be exploring now biomimicry will impact stylistic trends in the next 10 years.
