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quantity of energy saved and the economic input needed, from biggest to smallest,
i.e. from large savings, small investment to large investment, small savings. One
then calculates the accumulated sum according to rank and represents it graphically.
The subsequently savings-investment curve aids decision makers in structuring the
measures available and finding the most appropriate solution by maximising savings
at the lowest cost (Scarpellini et al., 2013; Zabalza et al., 2011).
Principle 8: Nature does not produce waste
All waste symbolises defeat in the connection and design of a system. Nature by
comparison does not produce waste. Instead one organism's waste is another one's
feedstock which when assimilated produces another form of waste. This then becomes
the root of new products and other types of waste, which in turn become again a
resource for new products and waste and so on and so forth in a cyclic fashion.
Corollary 1: Embrace Biomimicry in product design.
Corollary 2: Practice Industrial Ecology and promote Eco-Industrial Parks.
Corollary 3: Design with recycling in mind avoiding complex mixtures of ma-
terials. It will minimise rebound effects.
Corollary 4: Energy must come from renewable sources (as should the materials
used to generate it).
Reflection 1: Nature does not produce cans, bottles nor tetra pack but placen-
tas, peels, rinds and shells. Natural packaging is as recyclable and organic as its
contents. Such concepts should serve as a reference point for e
cient and practical
design. Transferring solutions from biology to technology requires some procedure
of translation. Vincent et al. (2006) propose the “Theory of Inventive Problem Solv-
ing” (TRIZ) as a suitable technique for identifying functions and transferring them
from Nature to engineering.
Benyus (2002) explains that current industry uses the “heat, beat, and treat”
techniques to make materials instead of following natural methods. The example
used is the high-tech Kevlar fibre which is compared to a waterproof spider silk.
The latter has a much greater toughness and elasticity. Ounce for ounce, it is five
times stronger than steel although manufactured in water, at room temperature
and pressure, using no chemicals or oil.
Following this line of thinking is the Blue Economy, a movement created by
Gunter Pauli that advocates the use of resources in cascading systems in such a way
that each waste of a product must be a resource feed to produce another product,
thus creating a new cash flow. It is based on 21 founding principles. The Blue
Economy seeks for solutions adapted to local environments using in depth Physics
and Ecology as sources of inspiration. Gravity is a prime mover for Blue Economy
solutions (Pauli, 2010).
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