As climate pressures intensify and the risks of dependence on fossil fuels become increasingly apparent, biodesign offers an important route towards more resilient and resource-conscious production. Harnessing living organisms such as bacteria, fungi and algae to grow and engineer materials, it provides alternatives to conventional manufacturing while reshaping material aesthetics and challenging established ideas of value, craftsmanship and luxury.

As biodesign evolves beyond creating more sustainable material alternatives, future-thinking creatives and scientists are exploring how materials can actively repair environmental damage, regenerate landscapes and restore ecosystems. From using plants and microorganisms to clean polluted environments to transforming waste into valuable resources, these approaches seek to give back to the natural world.

A softer, more natural aesthetic is taking hold as sustainability and wellness reshape the materials around us. Beyond environmental credentials, bio-based innovations offer new sensory qualities, from velvety surfaces to warm, tactile finishes, offering comfort, understated luxury, and a closer connection to nature.

As anticipated in our Look Ahead 2026, bio-based materials are moving from niche innovation towards wider adoption, as renewable feedstocks increasingly replace fossil-derived ingredients. While luxury brands are helping to bring new materials into view, advances in production are supporting greater accessibility and commercial scale.