While there are many hallmarks of the progress in the 20th Century, globalisation fundamentally changed the world’s approach to sourcing and manufacturing. We’ve built complex supply chains, advanced manufacturing facilities, and last-minute logistics in service of faster, cheaper, and better products. And by many measures it was and remains a marvel of modern ingenuity, but who could have predicted that a global pandemic would fundamentally challenge more than a century’s worth of innovation?

By viewing changing logistics as an opportunity, the world can become more sustainable.

The world has never been more complex

We are slowly finding our way forward from the COVID-19 pandemic. Economies are in flux.

While much of this is just reality, it does speak to a need to simplify our approaches to manufacturing.

Our current supply chains clearly have weaknesses

Less than one year ago, the Suez Canal became blocked by the Ever Given and remained obstructed for nearly a week. We are still dealing with the logistical and economic impacts of that disruption today. This was just one incident.

The literal ‘pinch point’ of Suez is a prime example of how an unexpected incident can disrupt the finely balanced system that we all rely on.

Guy Platten, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Shipping

These are not systems designed with enough resiliency for the volatile world we live in today.

Climate change demands action

In the shadow of COP26, it seems that the whole world is finally waking up to the imminent need for collective action to stem the impact of climate change. Every industry in the world must evolve to reduce the impact of sourcing, production, and consumption of their products.

The World Bank estimates that the fashion industry alone accounts for 10% of greenhouse gas emissions and 20% of industrial water pollution globally. Additionally, if fashion continues on its current path, it could use more than 26% of the global carbon budget associated with a 2°C pathway by 2050, according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

It’s time to think and act locally

All of this clearly points to the need to rethink our approach to manufacturing. However, this opportunity and shift shouldn’t be seen as the next iteration of past generations of materials. A new generation of materials is quickly emerging which rival the performance of their predecessors whilst also bringing new advantages rooted in a more local and sustainable approach.

The most significant quantum leap advancements in technology are enabled by innovations in material science. Material technologies are among the only that can impact all fields, fulfilling basic human needs and improving the quality of life on the planet.

Material Innovation Initiative, Next-Gen Materials

Local material design enables more sustainable sourcing

As we shift our thinking from global to local, sourcing ingredients for materials evolves. Start by asking:

• Do I know where all of my ingredients or materials come from?
• If I needed to source everything domestically, could I?
• Are any of my sourcing needs only available from one place?

It’s not just what materials we can make, it’s also where we make them

Using leather as an example, there are 20+ processes that transform an animal hide into finished leather often spanning multiple continents. This may be a legacy of the leather industry, but not one that needs to be perpetuated in next-gen materials. We believe the ideal scenario is material production facilities co-located with product manufacturing.

A local mindset keeps you focused on impact

It’s all about the relationship between what you make and how it affects the immediate world around you. This also goes well beyond greenhouse gas emissions. You can see the social benefits of jobs created, communities supported, or enabling other businesses.

This change and opportunity is part of why we started Biophilica. Biophilica’s is driven by our desire for environmental impact by using an overlooked and undervalued waste stream – local green waste. Treekind®, our first material, is a completely plastic-free leather alternative which is recyclable and compostable.

We’re incredibly excited about the accelerating change happening in the materials field – which is just at the beginning. A local mindset presents a series of different design criteria and constraints – but these are all solvable. As we’ve experienced, there are remarkable and groundbreaking solutions to the climate crisis that do good and are good business.

By Mira Nameth, Founder - Biophilica

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