Could a shark help you gain a new market sector?  Could a lily or a bee help tame your energy needs?  They’ve brought profits to other companies while helping people and the planet as well.  If you’re looking at new ways to conduct business – look to nature for your next business partner.

Biomimicry, the practice of observing then mimicking nature’s strategies to solve business challenges, offers a path to healthy profit while working in partnership, and even reciprocity, with the natural world. Other books have described biomimicry, its uses, and its benefits. This book shows readers how to create their own biomimetic or bioinspired solutions with clear benefits to the bottom line, the environment, and people.

Fashioned through storytelling, this book blends snapshots of five successful companies – Nike, Interface, Inc., PAX Scientific, Sharklet Technologies, and Encycle – which decided to partner with nature by deploying biomimicry, the practice of observing then mimicking nature’s strategies to solve business challenges. The book details how they discovered the practices, introduced them to staff, engaged in the process, and measured outcomes. The book concludes with challenges for readers to determine their own next steps in business and offers practical and useful resources to get there.

By revealing the stories of each professional’s journey with lessons they learned, then providing resources and issuing a challenge and pathway to do business better, this book serves as a tool for entrepreneurs, seasoned professionals, and students to emulate nature’s brilliance, apply it at work, and contribute to a healthier, more prosperous world.