Biomimicry Could Add $300 Billion to U.S. GDP in 15 Years

In 15 years the emerging field of biomimicry could represent $300 billion annually of U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) in 2010 dollars, according to a new report. Additionally, It could account for 1.6 million U.S. jobs and provide another $50 billion in terms of mitigating the depletion of natural resources and reducing CO2 pollution.

Biomimicry, the discipline of applying nature’s principles to solve human problems, provides the means to achieve both environmental and economic goals. Many of the mechanisms and systems found in nature are highly efficient, eschew waste, and are sustainable in a virtually closed system.

Two different approaches are followed in the use of biomimicry. In some cases, scientists see an interesting concept in nature and then find a commercial application. In other instances, firms are seeking a solution to a specific problem and find an answer in the natural world.

Notable examples of biomimicry-inspired products include Velcro, wind turbines inspired from whale flippers and bullet trains based upon a kingfisher’s beak.

Companies that are currently working in this field include QUALCOMM, Proctor and Gamble, InterfaceFLOR and PAX Scientific, as well as entrepreneurial startups.

“Biomimicry could represent a revolutionary change in our economy by transforming many of the ways we think about designing, producing, transporting and distributing goods and services,” says Randy M. Ataide, executive director of the Fermanian Business & Economic Institute (FBEI) at Point Loma Nazarene University, which produced the report for the San Diego Zoo.

According to the report, firms selling biomimicry-inspired products in the marketplace have frequently seen a doubling of sales annually in the early years. Many of these products can offer customers reduced energy requirements, less waste, and enhanced performance while being sold at prices competitive with or even less than those of existing products.

In the case of Interface, the company employed biomimicry in the development of its i2 carpet line in 2000. The i2 carpet line utilizes carpet squares that are unique and do not follow a specific pattern. It mimics the randomization of colors that naturally occurs on the forest floor.

The i2 carpet system is inexpensive to manufacture because it allows each carpet square to be made without the need to precisely replicate the same pattern and color in every tile. The dye lots that are used during manufacturing do not need to be matched since each tile is unique. This cuts down on inventory costs substantially.

“The completed report organizes many existing efforts in this field by significant companies across the globe, then develops in greater detail the potential economic and investment implications on the global, U.S., and regional economies, and finally articulates a compelling case for making the San Diego region a global biomimicry hub,” says Ataide.

A key finding of the report is that biomimicry holds the potential to attract sizable capital inflows, driven by the prospects of rapid growth and high rates of return, and that venture capital potential could flow into the field at a pace at least equal to that of biotech, estimated to be about $4.5 billion in the U.S. in 2010.

Modeling done by the FBEI projects that a San Diego biomimicry hub could add $325 million to San Diego’s gross regional product and $162 million in total personal income on an annual basis, with an initial 2,100 new jobs created for San Diego. 

The San Diego Zoo’s effort to build biomimicry as a new approach to solving technical and economic challenges arises from its mission to conserve endangered species. “The key to biomimicry is the value we place on natural systems and species,” said Paula Brock, chief financial officer for the San Diego Zoo.  “Biomimicry offers an opportunity to bring successful economics together with conservation. We hope this study will inspire new companies and entrepreneurs to focus upon the development of this field.” 

According to the study, the Zoo is currently the only facilities-based provider of biomimicry services in the world and it has plans to build the first biomimicry research and education network to drive major biomimicry research and commercial applications.

Bart King is a PR consultant and principal at Cleantech Communications.