Biomimicry: the nexus for achieving sustainability in the people-process-planet relationship

Population growth inevitably gives rise to an increase in consumption of products and services. This has the domino effect of more exploitation of already scarce natural resources, with its concomitant pollution from the industries that process these natural resources into products and services for man. At the end of life of these products, they are disposed of as waste to landfills. All these issues threaten the sustainable development of any society. To proffer sustainable solutions to the environmental problems associated with the process industry, it has incorporated the concepts of process intensification via modularization, lean manufacturing, and industrial ecology into its operations. These same concepts are used by nature, though in a different way. As nature has survived for billions of years, looking to nature for inspiration – biomimicry, might be the only sustainable solution to the planet's problem. This paper, reviews nature's strategies that have been tested, and are relevant to the process industry. It highlights biomimicry as a powerful tool for achieving sustainability in the people-process-planet relationship as it assists to reduce waste, increase process efficiency and reduce reliance on scarce natural resources. As the process industry seeks to reduce its negative impact on the planet, biomimicry offers a promising approach to creating a more sustainable future.