OPINION PIECE
Biomimicry & Bio-Materials: How Nature Points Us ‘Back to the Future’ by Shayne Korithoski
We approached a number of people from a variety of backgrounds to write an opinion piece around a topic. The views expressed here are the authors’ alone.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Shayne Korithoski is an eco-entrepreneur and lifelong learner in the field of sustainable design. Shayne has co-founded several eco-businesses in the past 10 years, and has also worked in management and buying roles in the natural products industry. Shayne most recently helped co-found a company aiming to commercialize a bio-based building product. Currently he consults and freelances from his home in Vancouver, Canada. He can be reached via Twitter @shaynekori
A significant re-evaluation of the mainstream economic trajectory is
taking place around the globe. At the same time, the existential threat of global warming is — for many people — finally sinking in. Climate change, after all, is no longer something to worry about down the road; clearly, it’s happening now. At January’s World Bank’s Davos conference, this year (2014) was proclaimed “the year for climate action”. And more recently, the People’s Climate March went down in history as one of the most important social demonstrations of the
Climate action initiatives are not just about standing against something; they are also about standing up for solutions... For disruptive innovations that go far beyond the sum of incremental changes that can be made by individuals. But as we pursue such across-the-board solutions, we are reminded of the fact that climate change isn’t the only big challenge we face; in addition to growing warmer, our planet is also becoming increasingly resource-constrained. So how do we tackle our problems in a co-ordinated way? “sustainable discourse” in the design/maker arena. In her recent piece a dwindling supply of resources at our disposal means we must temper our enthusiasm for making things with pragmatic considerations, like energy & material requirements. Her advice makes sense, but what (or who) should guide our discourse? Is there a Design Expert out there who can be trusted to mentor us? The answer, of course, is yes! Ever since we humans first opened our eyes to various “natural” inventions, we’ve been in awe of the economical elegance that distinguishes them. And, inevitably, we’ve tried to reproduce some of them. The process of examining nature’s ideas (both biological entities and the processes give rise to them) and then imitating them for our own purposes is called biomimicry. Today’s approach to this discipline is rooted in the firm belief that exploring design through biology is what produces the best results. The founder of the modern biomimicry movement, U.S. biologist Janine Benyus, has in the past been named one of Time Magazine’s Heroes of the Environment. As we learn in her essay entitled A Biomimicry Primer, biomimicry has sometimes been confused with other bio-inspired approaches. Terms like “bio-utilization” and “bioprocessed” were therefore coined to make clear distinctions between some of these methods. In 2007, Rocky Mountain Institute’s Amory 1/4
DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION FESTIVAL 2014 ~ OPINION PIECE Biomimicry & Bio-Materials: How Nature Points Us ‘Back to the Future’ between Benyus’ biomimicry and biotechnology, describing the former as “luminous humility — treating nature as model and mentor, cherished not as a mine to be stripped of its resources but as a teacher.” While celebrating the many advancements the scientific world has brought us, biomimicry also opens our eyes to aspects of nature’s wisdom that we don’t yet fully understand. Many evolutionary “winners” transcend the purely mechanistic; moreover, since they’ve been tried and tested over eons, uncovering the wisdom they embody entails a certain amount of reverse-engineering. And that is the reason our quest — a quest to discover the method, if you will, in nature’s “madness,” and to apply it in our own innovations — can be seen, can be seen, metaphorically, as a journey “back to the future.”
Lime Technology’s M&S store
As designers, we of course want to know what biomimicry can contribute to the intersecting worlds of material design, innovation, and the built environment. Even our most idealistic visions of the future must allow for movement in the economy; the question we must ask is whether that movement harmonizes with nature’s own rhythms. Biomimicry suggests we should move from a linear or stepby-step approach to a circular one. Biology has already inspired many inventions, the best known of which is probably the popular fastening tape known as velcro. Newer innovations based on nature’s secrets include artificial photosynthesis (recently touted by Cosmos host Neil de Gras Tyson), which captures and stores the energy from sunlight to create solar fuels, as well as wind farm designs that exploit wind turbulence by mimicking a school of fish. Or how about a new glass called Ornilux that features an ultraviolet coating (inspired by spidersilk) which birds can see and thus avoid when flying near glass skyscrapers...? Another promising area of research is concerned with the utilization and processing of bio-materials: in particular, those that come from fast-growing, low-input sources and/or from waste-streams, and that use life-friendly chemistry. Some projects have already advanced past the research stage. There’s BMW’s new all-electric i-series, for example, which incorporates bio-fibres like kenaf (used in the instrument panel surround and door trim panels). In the U.K. “Hembuild” wall panels (industrial hemp-based panels that are carbon-neutral and non-toxic) produced by Hemcrete Projects Ltd. Part of Lime Technology Group, were used in Marks & Spencer’s award-winning flagship store. And also catching on are Ecovative’s myco-based products, made from mycelium (mushroom roots) combined with agricultural fibre by-products. Described by the company as high performance, environmentally responsible alternatives to traditional plastic foam, products range from polystyrene-free packaging materials to Myco Board, a formaldehyde-free alternative to engineered hardwoods. Innovative projects incorporating bio-materials are, in fact, showing up all over the world. What makes them unique is the fact that they were not just manufactured, but also, in a sense, grown! Hemp and Kenaf
Ecovative’s myco-based products
To people living in Europe, Hemcrete Project’s use of hemp-based panels in their Marks & Spencer project may not seem particularly surprising, since the hemp plant (not to be confused with its psychoactive cousin, cannabis) has been a familiar sight in farmers’ fields there for the last few decades. In the U.S. however, hemp cultivation was illegal until earlier this year, when Congress passed the Industrial Hemp Farming Act. Amazingly, the act received support from both sides of the political spectrum. Now, initiatives in the states of Kentucky and Colorado are promising to revitalize the growth of industrial hemp on U.S. soil. It will likely take some time, of course, to find out which varieties of the plant are best suited to particular locales. (Some types are most suitable for use as food, while others are more applicable to the support of fibre and/or dual-crop purposes.) Still, farmers needing support can always turn to growers in European countries, not to mention those in Canada, where it’s been legal to grow hemp since 1998. 2/4
DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION FESTIVAL 2014 ~ OPINION PIECE Biomimicry & Bio-Materials: How Nature Points Us ‘Back to the Future’ While many plants are useful as single-use crops, hemp—whether produced for food, fibre, or both — is noteworthy for the impressive range of its utility. The plant is known, in fact, to have more than 25 000 uses (a selling point made note of in Popular Mechanics magazine back in 1938). It’s no wonder then that hemp production is on the rise around the world; last year saw a 25% increase in Canada alone. (The Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance predicts total acreage will grow to 250 000 by 2018 — up from approximately 90 000 acres in 2014).
BMW’s new all-electric i-series
Like hemp, kenaf is a fast-growing bast-fibre crop. Both species require low inputs and can produce large amounts of biomass in relatively short periods of time. The two plants look quite similar, and may even be confused with each other while they are growing; nevertheless, they are in fact quite different: kenaf is a type of mallow, while hemp belongs to the mulberry family. They do have similar characteristics and have both been used in the automotive industry. (As far back as 1947, Henry Ford began experimenting with a plastic composite that contained various cellulose fibres, including hemp.) Kenaf use is not new in the automotive world either, but as BMW spokesperson Katharina Singer notes (in regard to the company’s i-series): “...now there is a way to process kenaf in a way that it can be used in visible and touchable areas and underlines the BMW i design philosophy to make sustainability visible and accessible to the customer.” Undoubtedly, there is much more to come--in the way of innovation--from both hemp and kenaf! Bamboo
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Speaking of fast-growing plants, what about bamboo? Use of this bio-material has exploded in recent years, so much so that bamboo is now a hot commodity on international markets. Prompted by questions about sustainable forestry, producers are even offering FSC 100% certified product as an option. Currently it’s common to find bamboo in items as diverse as kitchenware, flooring, even toiletries. And in remote tropical areas where the plant is readily available, it’s also used in building. But could bamboo be used as a construction material, as well, in more developed (urban) areas? Absolutely! Just recently, MIT expressed an interest in incorporating bamboo into a composite building material similar to plywood. In the developed world, such a material could replace some steel and concrete, both of which have environmental footprints that are much larger than that of bamboo. Cultivation of the crop could thus turn out to be a boon in reducing the destruction of old-growth forests. Moreover, because bamboo is easy to grow—even on land that may not be suitable for other crops, it has the potential to substantially improve the livelihoods of people living in impoverished rural communities in underdeveloped parts of the world. Coincidentally, it is within a new era of democratized manufacturing that bio-inspired innovations like those we have considered are sprouting up. The advent of 3D printing (production of threedimensional solid objects from a digitally produced template) is facilitating a maker culture, along with a new “third industrial revolution” (as some are calling it) that relies not on the assembly lines of the first and second industrial revolutions, but instead on a production system that provides tailor-made items for end users right in their own communities. 3D printing (also known as additive manufacturing) is still in its infancy: most products currently being printed off are either models, toys, or medical prototypes. But experiments have shown that structures as large as house walls — and even cars—can successfully be printed. In the not-too-distant future, the availability of a much wider variety of printing feedstocks is likely to facilitate the production of many regular-use items, including the shoes on our feet..and the dishes in our china cabinets. And once again, biomimicry will have valuable lessons to teach us about how to make our stuff. If we apply nature’s wisdom right from the beginning, the process will of course start with life-friendly chemistry. Benign (and local) feedstocks will hopefully replace many of the plastics currently used. One of the exciting things about 3-D printing is that it’s inherently 3/4
DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION FESTIVAL 2014 ~ OPINION PIECE Biomimicry & Bio-Materials: How Nature Points Us ‘Back to the Future’ more “natural” than traditional industrial manufacturing. That’s because the latter is based on subtracting from raw material, while both nature and 3D printers build additively, according to shape. Thus the 3D model, running on biomimetic principles, could eventually lead to much less waste. There’s no denying the fact that the challenges we face today are difficult ones. There are significant obstacles blocking our access to a resilient future; however, we definitely have it in us to conquer them. One avenue, as we have seen, is biomimicry: imitating nature in order to solve human problems. But what exactly are we doing when we copy ideas that are essentially products of evolution? According to author Iain McGilchrist, there is much more to human imitating than mechanically reproducing a process. In his groundbreaking book The Master and his Emissary, McGilchrist describes imitation as “imaginatively entering into the world of the one that is imitated.” Does it follow then that we — in our attempts to emulate nature — must aim for the “fittest” outcomes? Not necessarily. As many biologists have clarified, evolution is not actually about survival of the “fittest,” but rather, survival of the most “fitted-in.” What nature aims for, and what nature’s imitators should aim for as well, is adaptability. For humans, to be adaptive means to become increasingly conscious of everything that surrounds us: to reach beyond the mechanistic aspects of our environment to more fully comprehend the teeming sea of biodiversity in which we are immersed. Our earth, in its capacity to birth and nourish life, is unique, as far as we know, in the entire universe. It’s also our one and only home. By using biomimetic principles, along with bio-based materials, we can design our future in ways that keep us fully integrated in nature’s own web of life. It’s our best chance of “fitting in”...and of continuing the human journey!
SOURCES
Arieff, Allison. Medium. “Yes We Can. But Should We? The unintended consequences of the maker movement.” https://medium.com/re-form/just-because-you-can-doesnt-mean-youshould-252fdbcf76c8 Benyus, Janine. Biomimicry 3.8. “A Biomimicry Primer (excerpt).” http://biomimicry.net/about/biomimicry/a-biomimicry-primer/ “Building a Case for Sustainable Retail.” Lime Technology: Sustainable building innovation. http://www.limetechnology.co.uk/projects/project17.htm Brown, Jamie. CSR Wire. “The Next Frontier of Sustainable Investing: Evolution in This Anthropocene Age.” http://www.csrwire.com/blog/posts/1177-the-next-frontier-of-sustainableinvesting-evolution-in-this-anthropocene-age Chu, Jennifer. MIT News. “Building up bamboo: MIT researchers study bamboo for engineered building material, similar to plywood.” http://newsoffice.mit.edu/2014/researchers-study-bamboo-for-engineeredbuilding-material-0723 Figueres, Christina. UNFCC. “Climate Change Issues Key at Annual World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos.” http://figueres-unfccc.net/2014/01/21/climate-change-issues-key-at-annualworld-economic-forum-wef-in-davos/ http://www.hemptrade.ca Jacobsen, Melissa, Director of First Impressions, Ecovative Lovins, Amory. TIME. “Leaders and Visionaries: Janine Benyus.” http://content.time.com/time/specials/2007/ article/0,28804,1663317_1663319_1669888,00.html MacCarthy, Ian, Business Account Manager, Hemcrete Projects /Lime Technology McGilchrist, Iain. The Master and his Emissary. Yale University Press, c2009 Singer, Katharina, Corporate and Governmental Affairs Spokesman, BMW Group.
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