Welcome To Open Circle Innovations
Sustainable Business Strategies 
for Today's Business Landscape
Today's business landscape is unprecedented.Oil prices are fluctuating wildly. Nanotechnology is generating new materials. Natural resources are diminishing. Climate change is already raising cost, operation and supply chain uncertainties that no business has ever encountered.
We are the transitional generation adapting to what is arguably the most complex, dynamic and unpredictable business landscape ever.
Corporate "green business" initiatives...the meltdown of global financial markets...surging demand in China driving up commodity prices...nearly 3,000 Japanese companies approaching zero waste...the net result is that corporations must navigate a business landscape with more moving parts, more surprises and more opportunity than ever before.
On the risk side, executives and Boards of Directors are asking very serious questions about how this new landscape will impact their cost structures, revenue streams and investor relations.
On the opportunity side, it means a level of market fluidity that rivals the early days of the automobile, personal computing and the Internet.
Fundamentally, it means companies need better maps and more innovative strategies if they are to reduce their costs, lower their liability, extend their market advantage and sustain their financial performance.
These innovative business strategies go beyond today's "green business" and "sustainability" initiatives. They address not only traditional business fundamentals, but also a host of emerging and interlinked variables.
For companies seeking to expand their financial performance and competitive position, Open Circle Innovations provides a Portfolio of Services optimized for today's business landscape.
In particular, OCI can map the emerging landscape; evaluate your company's risks and opportunities; and provide a roadmap through the terrain.
Furthermore, OCI can align your Business Units and functional divisions to profit from the new landscape.
And OCI's Network of Experts can recommend new technologies with the power to increase your profitability and competitive position, while lowering your costs and regulatory pressure.
| Nature's 100 BestTM provides a framework for introducing new business models, changing the competitive game and tilting the playing field in your favor. |
View from the Open Circle
Nature's 100 Best™: The Next Big Innovation Thing
Depending on your company's products, can you imagine toxic-free coloring based on the structure of a peacock feather? How about friction-free surfaces modeled on an Arabian Peninsula sandfish? Or a super-small pacemaker device based on the heart of a super-large humpback whale?
If your company is seeking to capitalize on the contemporary business landscape, there is a treasure chest of innovative designs, technologies and business solutions that mimic natural organisms.
Introducing Nature's 100 BestTM solutions. Many are available today. Others will be soon.
Collectively, they represent a critically important tool for reducing costs, shedding liability, lightening the regulatory load and creating opportunity .
Furthermore, they provide a framework for introducing new business models, changing the competitive game and tilting the playing field in your favor.
Nature's 100 Best TM
At the Product Development Marketing Association's recent "Front End of Innovation" conference, I watched several dozen people from Shell, the US Army and other organizations lining up to talk with two co-presenters: Janine Benyus and Gunter Pauli, both of whom are members of OCI's extended Network of Experts.
Ms. Benyus is a biologist. Her best-selling book - "Biomiimcry: Innovation Inspired by Nature" - is the classic work on commercial solutions inspired by natural organisms.
Mr. Pauli established one of the first "green" businesses in Europe. He is also the founder of the Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives (ZERI) Foundation , and one of the most respected advocates of applying systems thinking to create business opportunities.
Together, they are co-authoring a book to be published next year entitled "Nature's 100 Best" in cooperation with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (ICUN).
Having reviewed early case-study drafts, I fully expect "Nature's 100 Best" to be a break-through business book. At a time when innovation is the life-blood of thriving corporations and companies face tremendous performance pressure from their shareholders, regulators and customers, "Nature's 100 Best" will:
Nature-Inspired Designs
In the last year, I have witnessed how positively business people respond to biomimetic solutions. Several months ago, e.g., I presented a few of the solutions at a conference. During the Q&A, the North American Environmental Director for a large European consumer goods company raised his hand. The gist of what he said is this: "I started my career as a biologist, and I've been working on green corporate activities for a long time. But I've never seen anything like this. It's terrific."
His comment represents what I all-too-often find in working with companies: namely, that design ideas come from modifying current technologies, competitors' activities and other sources. But an extraordinarily large source of design solutions, i.e. the natural world, has been overlooked and under-tapped.
Not entirely, of course.
The Wright brothers studied birds.
Perhaps the most well-known biomimetic solution, Velcro®, was developed, after a Swiss scientist studied the structure of burrs on his hiking pants.
Today, we are on the brink of a biomimetic explosion. Ms. Benyus and Mr. Pauli have already collected more than 2,100 peer-reviewed, biomimetic articles. They are the tip of the iceberg or - perhaps more appropriately - the tip of the butterfly's wings. Fundamentally, we are re-discovering Nature as a source of design ideas as well as a source of materials. We are learning from Nature, as well as learning about Nature.
What is especially exciting is that these solutions provide profitable ways to address the signature issues of our time, including climate change, waste build-up, pervasive toxicity and the supply of energy. Furthermore, they provide a model for the future because natural organisms solve their problems at ambient temperature and pressure using local materials and renewable energy. Imagine the reductions in cost, risk and human suffering that we could achieve by increasingly doing the same.
Inside the Treasure Chest: Cross-Industry Solutions
To cite just a few biomimetic examples:
Problem/Solution Set #1:
Microbes corrode oil pipelines. People die from highly resistant "super-bugs". Businesses face class-action law suits because of bacterial activity associated with contact lenses.
Imagine if there were one solution for all three problems. Well, there is - a bio-film that emulates a species of algae that jams bacterial communication and keeps the bacteria from colonizing. Not only is this solution available for the oil, medical and eyewear industries, but think of what it could do for the restaurant, packaged food and other industries.
Problem/Solution Set #2:
The EU, Japan, China, US states and other geographies are slamming the door on toxic flame retardants. This presents tough challenges for manufacturers of cell phones, computers, furniture, pillows, children's pajamas and other products.
Imagine the marketing and customer-loyalty possibilities, if these companies could use a non-toxic flame retardant. Well, they can. It removes one regulatory boot from their neck. Plus, because it is derived from citrus waste, it opens up a new revenue stream for the citrus growers and reduces landfill pressure on local communities.
Problem/Solution Set #3:
Oil is around $130 a barrel. Are petroleum-using plastics manufacturers doomed to higher production costs? Yes. Are plastic-using companies staring at a parade of regulations like the Netherlands' recent tax on the carbon footprint of packaging? Hard to imagine they aren't.
But here's the good news: plant-based plastics that are biodegradable. Even better from a cost, risk and sustainability perspective: there are biomimetic solutions that generate bio-plastics from agricultural waste, algae and even carbon dioxide. As such, they do not use the high volumes of water, pesticides and energy that are today required for so-called "green" bio-plastics. And they do not contribute to global food shortages by converting land for food crops to non-food uses.
The common threads in the above (and many, many other) examples are the scientific study of living organisms; the role of human ingenuity; and the application of both to commercial areas and business opportunities.
Innovation-Driven Opportunity
Beyond the commercial value of any given biomimicry solution, businesses should pay attention to an emerging fact of business life: high profile, market-leading companies are already examining the competitive benefits of implementing a portfolio of biomimetic solutions. These portfolios have the potential to transform the construction, electronics, medical, food and other industries in the next decade. From a business perspective, they will enable companies to not only enhance their financial performance, but to also tilt the playing field and dominate their fossilized competitors.
Should every company investigate biomimetic solutions in general and Nature's 100 BestTM in particular? Frankly, it would be insane - and financially irresponsible - to not do so.
Recently, the US government added polar bears to its Endangered Species List. Companies with narrow-minded executives, passive shareholders and a core business of manufacturing highly toxic products with end-of-life waste are "polar bear" companies on an Endangered Corporations List.
For those companies who recognize today's macro-shift towards a safer, saner world, biomimicry solutions are powerful tools for capitalizing on the macro-shift. Especially when used within a wide-angle, systems-thinking approach, they are solutions whose time has come. They are strategies that will simultaneously delight your customers, enrich your shareholders and satisfy your regulators.
Harvey Stone
If your company is seeking to capitalize on the contemporary business landscape, there is a treasure chest of innovative designs, technologies and business solutions that mimic natural organisms.
Collectively, they represent a critically important tool for reducing costs, shedding liability, lightening the regulatory load and creating opportunity .
Furthermore, they provide a framework for introducing new business models, changing the competitive game and tilting the playing field in your favor.
Nature's 100 Best TM
At the Product Development Marketing Association's recent "Front End of Innovation" conference, I watched several dozen people from Shell, the US Army and other organizations lining up to talk with two co-presenters: Janine Benyus and Gunter Pauli, both of whom are members of OCI's extended Network of Experts.
Ms. Benyus is a biologist. Her best-selling book - "Biomiimcry: Innovation Inspired by Nature" - is the classic work on commercial solutions inspired by natural organisms.
Mr. Pauli established one of the first "green" businesses in Europe. He is also the founder of the Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives (ZERI) Foundation , and one of the most respected advocates of applying systems thinking to create business opportunities.
Together, they are co-authoring a book to be published next year entitled "Nature's 100 Best" in cooperation with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (ICUN).
Having reviewed early case-study drafts, I fully expect "Nature's 100 Best" to be a break-through business book. At a time when innovation is the life-blood of thriving corporations and companies face tremendous performance pressure from their shareholders, regulators and customers, "Nature's 100 Best" will:
- Describe innovative design solutions that sharks, mussels, lotus plants, geckos and other living organisms have evolved in order to survive
- Highlight how industry-leading companies are emulating those natural solutions and applying them to their own business
- Underscore the extraordinary opportunities for developing new and potentially lucrative business models that reduce risk, cut costs and provide competitive differentiation
Nature-Inspired Designs
In the last year, I have witnessed how positively business people respond to biomimetic solutions. Several months ago, e.g., I presented a few of the solutions at a conference. During the Q&A, the North American Environmental Director for a large European consumer goods company raised his hand. The gist of what he said is this: "I started my career as a biologist, and I've been working on green corporate activities for a long time. But I've never seen anything like this. It's terrific."
His comment represents what I all-too-often find in working with companies: namely, that design ideas come from modifying current technologies, competitors' activities and other sources. But an extraordinarily large source of design solutions, i.e. the natural world, has been overlooked and under-tapped.
Not entirely, of course.
The Wright brothers studied birds.
Perhaps the most well-known biomimetic solution, Velcro®, was developed, after a Swiss scientist studied the structure of burrs on his hiking pants.
Today, we are on the brink of a biomimetic explosion. Ms. Benyus and Mr. Pauli have already collected more than 2,100 peer-reviewed, biomimetic articles. They are the tip of the iceberg or - perhaps more appropriately - the tip of the butterfly's wings. Fundamentally, we are re-discovering Nature as a source of design ideas as well as a source of materials. We are learning from Nature, as well as learning about Nature.
What is especially exciting is that these solutions provide profitable ways to address the signature issues of our time, including climate change, waste build-up, pervasive toxicity and the supply of energy. Furthermore, they provide a model for the future because natural organisms solve their problems at ambient temperature and pressure using local materials and renewable energy. Imagine the reductions in cost, risk and human suffering that we could achieve by increasingly doing the same.
Inside the Treasure Chest: Cross-Industry Solutions
To cite just a few biomimetic examples:
Problem/Solution Set #1:
Microbes corrode oil pipelines. People die from highly resistant "super-bugs". Businesses face class-action law suits because of bacterial activity associated with contact lenses.
Imagine if there were one solution for all three problems. Well, there is - a bio-film that emulates a species of algae that jams bacterial communication and keeps the bacteria from colonizing. Not only is this solution available for the oil, medical and eyewear industries, but think of what it could do for the restaurant, packaged food and other industries.
Problem/Solution Set #2:
The EU, Japan, China, US states and other geographies are slamming the door on toxic flame retardants. This presents tough challenges for manufacturers of cell phones, computers, furniture, pillows, children's pajamas and other products.
Imagine the marketing and customer-loyalty possibilities, if these companies could use a non-toxic flame retardant. Well, they can. It removes one regulatory boot from their neck. Plus, because it is derived from citrus waste, it opens up a new revenue stream for the citrus growers and reduces landfill pressure on local communities.
Problem/Solution Set #3:
Oil is around $130 a barrel. Are petroleum-using plastics manufacturers doomed to higher production costs? Yes. Are plastic-using companies staring at a parade of regulations like the Netherlands' recent tax on the carbon footprint of packaging? Hard to imagine they aren't.
But here's the good news: plant-based plastics that are biodegradable. Even better from a cost, risk and sustainability perspective: there are biomimetic solutions that generate bio-plastics from agricultural waste, algae and even carbon dioxide. As such, they do not use the high volumes of water, pesticides and energy that are today required for so-called "green" bio-plastics. And they do not contribute to global food shortages by converting land for food crops to non-food uses.
The common threads in the above (and many, many other) examples are the scientific study of living organisms; the role of human ingenuity; and the application of both to commercial areas and business opportunities.
Innovation-Driven Opportunity
Beyond the commercial value of any given biomimicry solution, businesses should pay attention to an emerging fact of business life: high profile, market-leading companies are already examining the competitive benefits of implementing a portfolio of biomimetic solutions. These portfolios have the potential to transform the construction, electronics, medical, food and other industries in the next decade. From a business perspective, they will enable companies to not only enhance their financial performance, but to also tilt the playing field and dominate their fossilized competitors.
Should every company investigate biomimetic solutions in general and Nature's 100 BestTM in particular? Frankly, it would be insane - and financially irresponsible - to not do so.
Recently, the US government added polar bears to its Endangered Species List. Companies with narrow-minded executives, passive shareholders and a core business of manufacturing highly toxic products with end-of-life waste are "polar bear" companies on an Endangered Corporations List.
For those companies who recognize today's macro-shift towards a safer, saner world, biomimicry solutions are powerful tools for capitalizing on the macro-shift. Especially when used within a wide-angle, systems-thinking approach, they are solutions whose time has come. They are strategies that will simultaneously delight your customers, enrich your shareholders and satisfy your regulators.
Harvey Stone
