Industry · 9 examples
9 nature-inspired innovations in food and agriculture, each traced from the organism to the design principle behind it.
Plant volatile signaling systems
Plant volatile emission patterns inspire bio-based food preservation sachets that extend shelf life without synthetic chemicals.
Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and aromatic plants
Nanomik Biotechnology harnesses the volatile chemical defenses that plants use to fight fungal disease — encapsulating them in edible bio-polymer microcapsules that adhere to crops and release protection on demand — replacing toxic synthetic fungicides with nature's own chemistry.
Nematode (Caenorhabditis elegans)
Nematode chemical signals disrupt pest behaviour without pesticides.
Prairie Ecosystem (North American Tallgrass Prairie)
Polyculture perennial grains mimic prairie biodiversity.
Bromeliad water-capture leaf structure
Bromeliad rainwater-capture architecture inspires reforestation pods that establish seedlings in water-scarce regions without irrigation.
Ecosystems (multiple species interdependence)
Closed-loop business model developed by the Green Business Network and Graham Wiles that cascades waste from one production stage to become input for another.
Natural ecosystem nutrient cycling
This zero-waste urban greenhouse concept mimics natural ecosystem nutrient cycling, where waste from one process becomes input for another, generating food, energy, and water treatment simultaneously.
GoodMeat In a world where both animal and plant based products can contribute to climate change in some shape or form, cultured meat is a good alternative.
Mycelium networks (fungal hyphae)
Brewery and business clustering inspired by mycelium network structure for resource sharing and integrated waste-to-resource systems.
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