Fig. 1: Materials and surfaces in nature are adaptive, biodegradable, multifunctional, self-assembling, self-cleaning, and self-repairing.

The five images within the bioinformed cycle show examples of materials/surfaces exhibiting these features (self-repairing not shown) and describe bioinspired materials and technologies with these properties. Bioinformed materials should ideally exist within a circular bioinformed material lifecycle to achieve sustainability. Such materials can be designed and manufactured to be biodegradable using recycled materials, they can then be distributed using methods which reduce environmental waste, and finally at the end of life, materials can be recycled or reused. All images from unsplash.com.