The Biodesign Landscape 2022

Published 04 February 2022

Authors
Chloe Frost,

Sioban Imms,

Lauren Chiu

Biodesign is paving the way for the next generation of materials, geared towards sustainability, optimum performance and healthier ecosystems. With global demand expected to generate $87bn by 2026 (F&F, 2021), now is the time to take notice. We spotlight lucrative commercial opportunities for applications across packaging, construction, fashion, product design and automotive.

Clean construction and carbon neutrality commitments are helping to establish biomaterials as a realistic (and necessary) option for architectural and urban projects. Among the accessible plant-based, regenerative and lower-impact building products, biodesign is bringing additional benefits, from self-healing and climate-reactive surfaces to improved biodiversity in cities.
Material innovators are considering how biomaterials and biotechnologies can be further entwined with our daily lives and domestic spaces to create healthy, happy and biopositive environments. Algae-based hygiene products, microbe-infused inks and tableware derived from food waste are all being explored.
Pioneering automakers are actively developing and investing in high-performance bio-based materials to fulfil planet-positive missions. Petroleum-free and biotech-derived vegan products are geared towards conscious consumers, while innovative new composites look set to improve efficiency and recyclability.
With urgent reform needed to improve fashion’s outsized environmental footprint, more brands and innovators are turning to biodesign to revolutionise materials and production practices. Lab-grown fibres, plant-based leather alternatives and bacterial/algae dyes (with serious commercial scope) are helping to address problems like microfibre pollution, CO2 emissions and fossil fuel consumption.
Sustainability has become a focal point for packaging innovation, especially for products with single/short-service lives. Advances in biomaterials are helping to drive progress towards more convenient, resourceful, versatile and reduced-impact packaging products. Developments in algae, flower waste and popcorn are among the novelties. 

The Biodesign Landscape 2022

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Topics

Art & Design
Automotive & Transport
Science & Technology
Home & Interiors
Packaging & Graphics
Materials
Architecture & Spaces
Hygiene
Health & Wellness
Textiles

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