Who is biomimicry (really) for?

So you ask ... who is biomimicry really for?

I have often heard the phrase ‘biomimicry is for everyone’. I disagree. Let me explain.

Biomimicry is for anyone, but not everyone.

If something is for everyone, it’s for no one. Why? Well, there are approximately 8,019,876,189 (i.e. 8 billion-odd) humans, and therefore, there are 8 billion opinions, preferences and lives. Heck, if you've ever tried to choose a movie to watch with your partner, you'll know how hard it is to suit the needs of even just two people, never mind billions.
FACT: You can never please everyone.

So that rules out everyone.

But what about anyone? "Anyone" means that biomimicry could be practiced by any of those 8 billion people, but it's unlikely that they will, or even need to.

I believe that biomimicry is best suited for the very few individuals or organizations that are willing and able to do things differently (aka innovate).

 Now, (almost) everyone says they want innovation, but not everyone actually wants innovation. Innovation requires saying no, a willingness to fail, be wrong, and I haven’t even mentioned the extremely high probability of losing money and your valuable time.

A good litmus test is to first ask, what are you willing to give up for your innovation?

Time, money, effort… all great innovations require some sacrifice.
Just ask Nikola Tesla, Michael Pawlyn or Leonardo da Vinci.

Who wants innovation VS who is ready to innovate VS who is ready to fail. Biomimicry is nature-inspired innovation, and thus - biomimics are really comfortable with change, failing and doing hard things.

Innovators are cross disciplinary, meaning that it’s best not to think of innovators as a profession. To make sense of who biomimicry is for, it’s best to think in terms of psychographics.

Psychographics are based on psychological characteristics and traits such as values, desires, goals, interests, and lifestyle choices. 

Why not just professions? We’ve seen biomimicry applied to engineering, architecture, design and businesses… So couldn't we just start there?

What I have personally learnt is that biomimicry isn’t an industry - it’s a theme.

For example, when I was enrolled to design and build ports whilst studying Port and Coastal Engineering, I was taught to build a port. I wasn’t taught how to innovate, or create a port which considers marine life in its design… and my class wasn’t interested in the environmental effects or ecological destruction related to the port.

That's why we need biomimicry. To innovate our way out of this climate and ecological crisis… naturally.

With that said, there are some professions which lend themselves better to biomimicry. Why? Because some professions allow for more innovation than others. For example - lawyers are not really known for innovation per se. 

Side note: Being a lawyer doesn't mean that you can't love biomimicry. Quite the opposite, in fact: you could love it so much, that it inspires you to create Natural Law policies, or support the rise of biomimetic businesses and products. It is incredibly hard to change deeply entrenched systems, and policies are one of the most effective ways to usher in new processes and products. It's only by working together and building bridge from both sides that we can create conditions conducive to life.

Contrast that with a designer in a Maker Lab or a researcher in an innovative company known for their products… aka innovation city!

Which professions are best suited to biomimicry:

Biomimicry follows two primary frameworks - Challenge to Design and Biology to Design (we discuss this in depth in this article: Biomimicry Design Frameworks). 

The Biology to Design approach is best suited to biologists interested in biomimicry. For everyone else, we focus on the latter framework - Challenge to Design. 

The Challenge to Biology Framework is all about starting with the problem ... and working backwards. We dive into how to apply this framework in our Biomimicry Short Course Set here.

When tackling a challenge, the most important thing is to first fully understand it – if you're solving problems in your own field, you already have insider knowledge. 

The best nature-inspired innovators and biomimics fall in love with the problem, not the solution. 

If you're passionate about what you're working on, it means that you will be fuelled to keep improving and innovating in your practice.

Biomimicry for the Built Environment:

From sustainability to regeneration... Jacobs and the Biomimicry 3.8 dive deep into the power of biomimicry in transforming the built environment. You can find their latest report here.

EIAs - Environmental Impact Assessments are currently our approach to building with Life in mind. What a shame that we have only tools that come after our design is drafted. 

A nature-inspired innovator might ask: “what if we considered Life at the earliest stage of our architectural designs?”

Biomimicry for Chemical Engineers:

Beyond Benign is a great resource for educators looking for tools, training and support. 

The chemical sector is the largest industrial energy consumer and the third largest industry subsector in terms of direct CO2 emissions (according to the International Energy Agency). The majority (67%) of GHG emissions from the chemical industry came from fuel combustion, while 33% were linked to industrial processes and product use.

A biomimic might ask: “How does nature use energy to make specific materials or compounds at ambient temperature?” OR “how might these mechanisms inspire the next generation of chemical processes which are low-energy, non-toxic and use CO2 as a building block?”

Biomimicry for Product Designers:

Only 10% of plastics are recycled. Many products are designed in a linear process of take > make > waste. We know that in nature, there is no such thing as waste.

A biomimic might ask: “what if we could link businesses' waste to be the feedstock of other businesses?”

This question is what sparked the Biomimicry Practitioner Rana Hajirasouli to found the business The Surpluss - the world's first Business to Business platform for surplus resource sharing.

Biomimicry for Sustainability Consultants

Sustainability Consultants are always looking to help their clients think differently. Creating change is difficult, and often, trusting the innovative process to become sustainable is a big challenge.

A nature-inspired consultant might ask:
"How might my clients innovate towards reaching their SDG requirements?”

Biomimicry for Founders

Biomimicry is well suited to founders starting businesses, because typically startups are where real innovation happens. 

A biomimic might ask: “What can we learn from nature to solve food waste problem in India?”

This is the question that Deepak asked. Deepak harnessed the language of plants to extend the life of fruits and vegetables, and can potentially revolutionize the way we preserve food. You can read the full biomimicry founding story of GreenPod Labs here. 

Biomimicry for Chief Sustainability Officers and Innovation Officers 

Chief Sustainability and Innovation Officers are responsible for managing the innovation process inside their organizations. In a cross-organizational position and enables this person to work across organizational silos. Using biomimicry as a framework can help drive sustainability across the organization. 

A Chief Sustainability Officer might ask: “What are the existing biomimicry innovations that I can apply to my organisation?”

Nature thinks in circles. The Take-make-waste economy is poorly designed.
It's time we stop thinking so linearly, it's time for the circular economy.

Commonly asked questions

Which fields can biomimicry be applied to?

Biomimicry can be applied to any field from product design to urban design, from businesses to government to social innovation. It is not limited to any field.

Why do people use biomimicry?

Environmental sustainability and innovation are the two main reasons we use biomimicry. Biomimicry is both a mindset and methodology for improving how we live on this planet. 

Biomimicry is a practice that learns from and mimics the strategies used by species alive today. It offers a way to better understand how life works, its interconnectedness and ultimately a new way for humans to create conditions conducive to life.

Who famously has used biomimicry?

Leonardo da Vinci applied biomimicry to the study of birds in the hope of enabling human flight. He very closely observed the anatomy and flight of birds and made numerous notes and sketches of his observations and countless sketches of a proposed "flying machine"... known today simply as an airplane.

What is the ultimate goal of biomimicry?

The ultimate goal of biomimicry is to create conditions conducive to Life, through nature-inspired innovation. 

For example: By applying biomimicry we can create products and systems that eliminate waste and create a circular economy - by copying highly efficient natural forms, processes and systems. 

Who first used biomimicry?

It’s impossible to say. Before the term was coined, biomimicry was practiced informally in isolated instances by unnamed indigenous peoples and a number of individual inventors Lu Ban, Da Vinci, Frank Lloyd Wright, Frei Otto, and Buckminster Fuller. 

The history of biomimicry is quite complex. The term biomimicry appeared as early as 1982 and was popularized by scientist and author Janine Benyus in her 1997 book Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature.

In Summary:

Biomimicry is best suited to innovators across a range of industries. It helps to think of biomimicry as a theme, and not an industry. 

Today, the world needs nature-inspired innovations and innovators, now more than ever. 

It’s time to think outside, in every sense, and learn biomimicry.

Wild regards
Alistair, Biomimicry Practitioner

If you are interested in biomimicry and learning more, check out our biomimicry Short Course Set. Gain the skills, strategies and tools you need to bring nature’s genius to your career, project and organisation. Designed to fit around your life, start anytime and learn anywhere.