Biological Concepts as a Source of Inspiration for Efficiency, Consistency, and Sufficiency

Olga Speck, Martin Möller, Rainer Grießhammer and Thomas Speck
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Olga Speck: Cluster of Excellence livMatS @ FIT—Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
Martin Möller: Cluster of Excellence livMatS @ FIT—Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
Rainer Grießhammer: Cluster of Excellence livMatS @ FIT—Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
Thomas Speck: Cluster of Excellence livMatS @ FIT—Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 14, 1-16

Abstract: Sustainable development is a global challenge addressed by the 2030 Agenda with internationally adopted goals. The consideration of the three major sustainability strategies of efficiency, consistency, and sufficiency can guide us toward more sustainable policy approaches, product manufacturing, service offers, and consumption lifestyles. We select the growth form “liana”, which has evolved several times independently, to identify traits of lianas and general biological concepts derived therefrom. Even though sustainability is an anthropocentric approach and does not exist in biology, we can attribute biological concepts to sustainability strategies. The biological concepts of lightweight construction, modularity, function-related tissue formation, and trade-off can be attributed to efficiency; the concepts of zero waste, best fit, and damage repair to consistency; and the change of growth form and the concept of less is more and good enough to sufficiency. We discuss the analogies between parasitic architecture and the “structural parasitism” of lianas on host trees and between polymers with switchable autonomous properties and ontogenetic changes in the lianescent growth form. Efficiency can be analyzed quantitatively and consistency qualitatively, whereas sufficiency, as an aspect of human consumption patterns, cannot be mathematically measured. Biological concepts can thus serve as a source of inspiration for improving sustainability in the technosphere.

Keywords: 2030 Agenda; Anthropocene; biomimetic promise; consistency; efficiency; biological concept; growth form; liana; sufficiency; sustainability; net zero (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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