Beyond impressive examples, biomimicry paves the way for a more sustainable and resilient society that truly integrates environmental issues. Drawing inspiration from nature could also enable the development of new activities and the creation of new jobs.
Biomimicry: drawing inspiration from nature to innovate
" 3.8 billion years of R&D ", " open sky library ", " idea reservoir ", these are the expressions frequently used to define the innovation potential linked to biomimicry. Coined in 1997 by Janine Benyus, the term biomimicry (or biomimicry in English) refers to the study of living organisms in order to draw inspiration for innovation.
Biomimicry is not new or even recent. Since always, humans have drawn inspiration from their environment to develop new tools or materials. Leonardo da Vinci's designs for flying machines accompanied by sketches of bird wings illustrate this.
A growing enthusiasm around the topic
But in recent years, press articles, television news topics, and conferences on biomimicry have become increasingly frequent, with the subject gaining notoriety among both academic and economic actors as well as the general public. Even political figures are taking it up; Edouard Philippe stated in November 2017 at the Sea Economy Conference: "Because biomimicry shows that we have much to learn from the sea. Because measuring, observing, and evaluating marine fauna and flora will be both our compass and our barometer."
However, while the enthusiasm for biomimicry is growing, there is still a long way to go for it to concretely and widely permeate the economic sphere. Many brilliant and encouraging examples already exist (see in particular this article by Gilles Boeuf), but we are still at the stage of discovering the potential of biomimicry, particularly in France. The transition to industrial scale is not obvious but is necessary for the development of biomimicry beyond pilot projects. This is where the transition between levels 3 and 6 on the TRL scale (Technology Readiness Level) commonly used in innovation is at stake, representing the gap between the level of maturity of an application developed by researchers and the starting point for developing a product for the industrial world. This transition to a higher speed requires addressing various challenges and needs: access to knowledge; the transition between fundamental research and industry; the development of demonstrator projects; training of stakeholders; and funding for biomimetic research.
This last point is an essential aspect of the development of biomimicry, as it requires a crucial but costly R&D phase; however, both public and private investors remain quite hesitant. They often demand proof of return on investment that is difficult to provide, and the uncertainty of the economic benefits of adopting a biomimetic approach poses a significant barrier to overcome. Additionally, as some stakeholders summarize, the economic potential of biomimicry is currently mainly judged by the engagement of neighboring countries on the subject and the interest shown by large groups in the theme: "If they are interested, it is because there is an economic interest."
What economic potential lies behind the enthusiasm for biomimicry?
Currently, there are few figures to support the feelings of stakeholders who are often deeply convinced of the value of the approach. Therefore, to address this question, we explored the potential for innovation that biomimicry represents through the source of inspiration that is nature. Thus, it is through its function as an innovation methodology that biomimicry can serve as a lever for economic development. Indeed, innovation is considered a driver of growth. According to the OECD, innovation is even "a determining factor for the growth and performance of the global economy"[1]. Furthermore, by being based on the accumulation of knowledge rather than capital, innovation promotes sustainable growth, as it is long-term and relies on the rational use of finite resources[2].
We have therefore looked into the innovation process that biomimicry represents and sought to identify the influence of a biomimetic approach on R&D and production processes in four sectors (chemicals/materials, building, agriculture, and ocean) in terms of time savings, energy savings, raw material savings, and waste reduction[1]. We then integrated these variations into our economic model ImpacTER[2], which allows us to model the interactions between sectors of activities in an economy at the scale of a given territory, here Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
Looking ahead to 10 years, we assessed the socio-economic impacts of developing biomimicry if ¼ of neo-Aquitaine companies in these four sectors adopted a biomimetic approach.
- + 575 million Euros of GDP and
- + 5 626 salaried jobs,
such would be the potential socio-economic impact of the development of biomimicry at the scale of Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
The attached infographic illustrates the results obtained, particularly the differences in impacts across the studied sectors.
Far from being predictions, these figures demonstrate the potential of a biomimetic scenario for our economy. They provide initial elements, a "What if?<", in response to the hesitations and uncertainties of decision-makers. Uncertainties that the New Aquitaine Region is currently overcoming by working on the development of a regional policy on biomimicry[3]<.
What impacts would a broader adoption of biomimicry have within our society?
In this work, we explored the first two levels of biomimicry inspiration: forms and materials. These are the two most common and easiest to implement. More complex to grasp, the last level, organizational, however, reveals considerable potential that many actors already agree upon.
The third level of biomimicry invites us to draw inspiration from the functioning of ecosystems to optimize our organizations and modes of communication. It involves thinking of our systems in the image of natural ecosystems, in order to gain efficiency, sustainability, and resilience. As Gilles Béuf said at the last Biomim'expo[4] in 2017: " Who wouldn't dream of a company that would last 4 billion years? ".
The biomimetic approach consists of drawing parallels between the principles of living organisms and the operational modes of our organizations. It is a process of improving the existing by examining our organizational models through a different lens, that of cooperation rather than competition[5], communication and transdisciplinarity rather than siloed thinking, etc.
Click here to see our infographic on bioinspiration
Let’s take the hierarchy as an example, which remains a structuring element of companies today. In nature, hierarchy is used to prevent change from occurring. Indeed, it limits growth and is particularly useful when it prevents certain cancerous cells from developing. Hierarchy is therefore not an effective model for successfully adapting to change, whereas in the business world, change is constantly occurring, and it is crucial for a company to be able to adapt to it.
It is certainly neither possible nor recommended to try to apply the organizational functioning of an anthill or a beehive directly to a company. The idea is rather to draw inspiration from key principles of living organisms. Thus, when we cross-reference the key success factors of management with the functioning of a forest, we observe interesting overlaps that can be summarized through the following principles:
- A shared objective ensuring the commitment and motivation of all;
- Regular monitoring with constant feedback;
- A division of labor into small tasks or steps;
- Effective and regular communication with constant interactions throughout;
- A presence of "keystone" individuals who ensure the connection between stakeholders;
- Redundancy and diversity to ensure resilience.
These principles have also been verified by a team of American researchers who analyzed the longevity of over 30,000 publicly traded companies in the United States to identify applicable ecosystemic strategies for businesses to improve their robustness[6].
Concrete applications: from the company to the territory
The example of the company Interface®
Interface® is now one of the most advanced examples of applying biomimetic principles in a business context. Their thought process began with the desire to design the cleanest carpet possible. They drew inspiration from the distribution of leaves on the forest floor to create a random design that breaks away from the traditional uniform carpet. This random design saves raw materials by reducing waste during carpet installation (1-2% waste compared to 5%), as well as when replacing damaged tiles.
Beyond product design, Interface® aims to spread biomimicry throughout the entire company. Numerous actions and experiments inspired by nature have been implemented, such as an operations management style modeled after the functioning of ants. To mitigate the hyper-specialization of production line employees, five individuals on the same line have been trained for all five positions, similar to ants that can take on different roles when needed. This way, production line employees can switch their roles when necessary, helping to avoid certain issues in industrial production and ensuring better performance through increased resilience.
[8] To learn more about the support provided by Vertigo Lab:
The example of the Vignerons de Buzet – Inspired by Nature
Having been committed for several years to sustainable viticulture and winemaking, the Vignerons de Buzet wanted to go even further in their approach. Supported by Vertigo Lab, they developed a strategy "inspired by Nature" materialized through various actions including the creation of a filter garden (a natural ecosystem treating process waters) as well as the implementation of payment for environmental services[8].
Nature also serves as a source of inspiration for organizations on a larger scale than just businesses, for networks of companies. Natural ecosystems can indeed inspire interactions among companies located in the same geographic area, which is the concept of industrial ecosystems. Directly inspired by the operational principles of natural ecosystems, industrial ecosystems rely on an integrated and circular vision[9]. The circularity of material and energy flows is at the core of the concept, mirroring the forms of collaboration observed in nature. The symbiosis between trees and mycorrhizal fungi is one example: the tree provides the fungus with sugars from photosynthesis, while the fungus supplies the tree with nutrients like nitrogen or phosphorus and water.
Many industrial sites in Europe apply these principles; in 2014, 40 projects were completed or underway[10], the most well-known being the port of Kalundborg in Denmark. The most commonly implemented practices include the reuse of residual flows from one production process to another and the shared recycling of waste.
If biomimicry seems to be a promising solution to the ecological, social, and economic challenges we face, it is still important to remain vigilant about its use, in the sense we give it. Nicolas Hulot's warning. " our world is characterized by a profusion of sciences and a deficit of consciousness" we warn against the technological purpose that biomimicry should not strive for. Thus, as with any tool, it is the way biomimicry is used that determines whether its effects are virtuous or not. It is essential to ensure that biomimicry remains at the service of nature: drawing inspiration from life for the sake of life.
This article was published in Sud-Ouest: https://www.sudouest.fr/2018/04/27/s-inspirer-du-vivant-pour-developper-notre-economie-regionale-5012538-10275.php<
References
- [1] Cette étude a été réalisée pour la Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine dans le cadre d’un partenariat signé avec le CEEBIOS (Centre Européens d’Excellence en Biomimétisme de Senlis). L’intégralité de l’étude est disponible ici : https://vertigolab.eu/app/app/uploads/2026/04/rapport-biomimetisme-en-na_vf.pdf
- [2] Pour en savoir plus sur le modèle économique utilisé : https://vertigolab.eu/app/uploads/2026/04/plaquette-impacter.pdf
- [3] https://www.nouvelle-aquitaine.fr/sites/alpc/files/2017-03/Etude%20R%C3%A9gionale%20Biomimetisme.pdf
- [4] Biomim'expo has been the major annual gathering of stakeholders in biomimicry since 2016 https://biomimexpo.wordpress.com/.
- [5] To delve deeper into the subject: "Mutual aid, the other law of the jungle" by Pablo Servigne and Gauthier Chappelle. Published by Les Liens Qui Libèrent.
- [6]< M. Reeves, S. Levin, D. Ueda. 2017. The Biology of Survival. Harvard Business Review.
- [7] Moana Lebel. 2016. Biomimicry – Eco-design Conference 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvwS7iNfmeU
- [8] Pour en savoir plus sur l’accompagnement réalisé par Vertigo Lab : https://vertigolab.eu/projet/accompagnement-transition-agroecologique-vignerons-buzet/ ainsi que celui auprès du Grand Dax : https://vertigolab.eu/projets/diagnostic-territorial-grand-dax/
- [9]< The circular economy aims to increase the efficiency of resource use to reduce our impact on the environment. This translates in nature into an absence of "waste" since one person's waste is another's resource.
- [10] "The collection of industrial and territorial ecology approaches." 2016. http://www.oree.org/ecologie-industrielle-territoriale/presentation.html
- [1]< OECD. 2007. "Syntheses". http://gy.beckham.free.fr/temp/root/miage/AESE/Dossier%20innovation/gy/AESE%20Keynote/expos%C3%A9/39676363.pdf<
- [2] Philippe Aghion. 2013. "Innovation: engine of growth and competitiveness in the knowledge economy?" http://ihest.fr/IMG/article_PDF/article_a780.pdf
