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What is Biomimicry?

Biomimicry is learning from and then emulating nature’s forms, processes, and ecosystems to create more sustainable designs.

Spider webs, for example, represent nature’s ability to deter collisions.

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SAFER WINDOWS INSPIRED BY SPIDER WEBS

Spiders weave UV reflective strands of silk into their webs to prevent birds from flying through. Invisible to humans, the spider-inspired principle of including UV strands in glass has been used by Ornilux, a company that has create a transparent, bird-friendly glass.

This is an example of mimicking form.

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Nature’s chemical recipes can help us design sustainable foams and plastics.

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CREATING HIGH-PERFORMANCE CHEMICALS WITH CARBON DIOXIDE

In nature, carbon dioxide is a feedstock used in materials-production processes like photosynthesis. Novomer Inc., a sustainable materials company, created a process to convert carbon dioxide to produce a family of low-cost, high-performance organic chemicals that can be used to form sustainable foams and plastics. Since 2016, the process has been owned and used by Saudi Aramco.

This is an example of mimicking process.

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And the native ecosystems of Australia can show us how to build a factory that functions like a forest.

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PROPELLING A CARPET FACTORY BEYOND SUSTAINABILITY

Ecosystems provide ecosystem services like purifying water and storing carbon. If we emulate nature’s genius, buildings can too. Interface Inc. has enlisted Biomimicry 3.8 to lead a groundbreaking project that is studying the existing biome and ecosystem site conditions, along with key reference habitats, so its manufacturing facilities can do business in a regenerative way.

This is an example of mimicking systems.

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Biomimicry 3.8 trains, equips, and connects change-makers with nature’s 3.8 billion years of brilliant designs and strategies.

Our founders developed the biomimicry methodology and training programs now employed around the world by designers, engineers, business leaders, architects, and other innovators. We work with a diverse set of inspired clients, professional learners, and partner organizations to share the power of biomimicry. See our full list of clients and collaborators

We are the recognized global leader in nature-inspired innovation services and biomimicry training for professionals.

How can Biomimicry 3.8 help you?

Biomimicry ushers in an era based not on what we can extract from nature, but on what we can learn from her. This shift from learning about nature to learning from nature requires a new method of inquiry.

— Janine Benyus, Biomimicry 3.8 Co-Founder
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