Nature and supply chain innovation

Innovators think differently from the rest of us. They are risk-takers, but they also see the world differently. While many of us see a problem and try to solve it, the innovator thinks about what caused the problem and tries to solve that. Some of us react, and some are proactive. It is the difference between getting through life and changing life.

The same holds true in business and the supply chain in particular. Innovation comes in many shapes and forms, but without it, the supply chain won’t evolve. There are researchers out there who continue to think about the supply chain differently. They think about supply chain innovation by first thinking about biomimicry. Biomimicry is the search for solutions to human challenges by mimicking nature.

The idea that nature can inspire business is not new. One of our most famous and successful products, Velcro, was born out of a nature walk. It came from a walk that Swiss engineer George de Mestral took in 1941. De Mestral and his dog took a hunting trip in the Swiss Alps. After the trip, he noticed both he and his dog were covered in burdock burrs. Intrigued by how they attached themselves so effectively to his clothes, de Mestral studied them under a microscope. He noticed they were made of hooks that effectively caught on anything with a loop such as clothing or a dog’s fur. Ten years later, Velcro was introduced.

I started thinking about the inspiration for innovation recently when we published an article on scmr.com from Dr. Maciel M. Queiroz, an associate professor of operations and supply chain management at FGV EAESP, Brazil. Queiroz wrote about the Internet of Animals (IoA) and how layering GPS tracking, blockchain, and AI onto real-time animal behavior could benefit supply chains.

“Beyond predictive analytics, IoA can inspire regenerative supply chain models,” he wrote. “Consider bats, which contribute to forest regeneration by spreading seeds across vast distances. Could supply chains adopt similar strategies to rebuild resources, restore ecosystems, and enhance circular economy initiatives?”

Queiroz argued that leveraging the vast amounts of data generated by wildlife and using AI-driven analytics could turn this information into predictive models for logistics, risk mitigation, and operational efficiency.

Consider:

1. Scientists have created less invasive needles for medical applications after studying how mosquitoes bite their prey.
2. Mercedes-Benz engineers created its most efficient two-door car models after studying the Box Fish.
3. Researchers from Amherst studied the feet of Geckos and their seemingly superhuman ability to climb without falling. The result was an adhesive called Geckskin that can hold up to 700 pounds with just a single index-sized card application.

There are many more examples or real-world solutions developed thanks to the study of nature. “Despite its potential, IoA remains largely unexplored in supply chain and operations management. This is a missed opportunity,” argues Queiroz.

As the saying goes: nature is amazing.

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