Nature-inspired design strategies in sustainable product development: A case study of student projects

In design practice, Nature-Inspired Design Strategies (NIDS) can be applied when developing sustainable products. However, knowledge on how this actually helps designers is lacking. This study explores the effects of applying Cradle to Cradle and Biomimicry in student projects, as compared to using Ecodesign. The findings indicate that NIDS inspire the students, encourage out-of-the-box thinking, and provide absolute -instead of relative- design principles to guide the concept development. Furthermore, the use of examples from nature seems to benefit effective communication of their work