In the current environment of ecological and energy transition, biomimicry is opening an exciting path for companies and countries wishing to engage in sustainable development. Described for the first time by American scientist Janine Benyus, biomimicry seems to promise great achievements provided we know how to change our vision of the world.
Demystifying biomimicry
Biomimicry is less of a new discipline than a new approach that lets biologists and engineers work to imitate and be inspired by nature’s inventions. Yes, nature’s inventions! Because inventions are not only peculiar to mankind. As evidence, for nearly three billion years nature has been evolving and adapting to its natural environment so that its various species survive. It has thus become a source of inspiration and teaching for man, who must also think of his survival and that of the planet. For some, the key would be in ecosystem biomimicry, an organization based on cooperation between ecosystems (like the clown fish that gives its excess food to the sea anemone which in return provides it with protection) and not on competition (the current system of men in which both parties lose). However, two other forms of biomimicry are more well known and more easily adaptable by man – first, biomimicry of form. So for example the beak of the kingfisher, which has to go from ambient air to water (a more dense environment) has inspired engineers to deal with a problem of noise when a train enters a tunnel (a more dense environment). Second is biomimicry of materials, with its legendary Velcro, which comes directly from the Burdock seed and its system as described by the French words vel(ours)-cro(chet), meaning velvet and hook.
What about biomimicry in our economies?
Today, it is estimated that 10% of creations are inspired by nature. This low rate is partly related to the attractiveness of technology which in many cases moves us away from nature and also to a misconception about costs. Many industries believe that biomimicry is very expensive, probably forgetting that nature has already taken care of research and development. However, biomimicry seems to be in the air, as evidenced by this study from the Fermanian Business and Economic Institute which predicts that the United States by 2030 will have a high percentage of bio-inspired activities (10% for the textile industry, 12% for plastics, 15% in chemistry) representing a gross domestic product of $425 billion and 2.4 million jobs. In parallel with the statistical studies, the Da Vinci Global index (index of 100 in 2011) was created which provides a ranking of countries based on their patent filings and publications of scientific articles in the field of biomimicry. The index has today reached… 630. From a microeconomic point of view, there are many company departments (marketing, production, communication, human resources) that could use this tool to be economically, ecologically and socially sustainable, provided they know how to work transversally by putting more emphasis on symbiosis and cooperation that on competition.
If you think the term biomimicry is too scientific, its principle too complex and its application too far removed from your concerns, just begin to meditate on this quote from the philosopher Robert de Lamennais in 1838: “Nature is full of teachings, open your eyes wide and it will instruct you.”