Savannah College of Art and Design | SCAD Lacoste, France | Spring 2015 | School of Design, Biomimicry Class

Project Title:
Project Team:
Project Members:

LOOP
Lacoste Design
Daniel Cheon, Keith Costa, Paul Hawkins, Andrew Moore, Bailey Preib, Meghan Preiss, Taylor Ross, Jingya Zhang

Scoping Phase Process

Scoping Phase Outcomes

During the scoping phase, the design team defined the design challenge, researched
and clearly defined the context in which the design was to succeed, identified the
function the design needed to fulfill, integrated lifes principles and a systemic
approach to sustainability into the vision for the desired outcomes. During this
phase, it was important not to jump to solutions, but to keep an open mind toward
learning about the existing problem and its dynamic in the social fabric, and then
set the bar for the design challenge by outlining the background, the context, the
goals, and constraints.

Scoping Phase Design Criteria:

Design Challenge (function to be emulated): Our design must upcycle food waste
from local open-air markets in order to create value for stakeholders so that it is
enthusiastically adopted.

The design team conducted contextual field research in local open-air markets in
the Provence, France (our location at the time during our study-abroad semester),
to research the problem of food waste and define opportunities for food waste
reduction. The design team visited multiple markets and farmers, observed market
operations and sales processes, and interviewed vendors and stakeholders.

Figure 1: Design team researching open-air market in Apt, Provence, France. Authors
image.
Video describing the scoping phase can be accessed here:
https://vimeo.com/130186063
In an effort to reduce food waste and economic inequality in France, the French
government passed an amendment to a law in 2015 that banned supermarkets from
disposing of unwanted food and halt the practice of deliberately poisoning waste
food as a measure to prevent foraging. Supermarkets will instead be required to
donate the food.
Willsher, K. (2015, May 25). Man who forced French supermarkets to donate food wants to take law global . The Guardian. Retrieved from
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/25/french-supermarkets-donate-food-waste-global-law-campaign?CMP=share_btn_fb

Vision Statement: Our design enables people in open-air markets to upcycle their
food waste, it enhances the experience of children visiting the markets, is also
accessible to adults, repurposes the waste into useful products, and leads to the
experience of fun and to creative expression.
Natures Unifying Patterns: Please note that the design team used the traditional 26
Biomimicry Life Principles as a guide for addressing natures patterns (as this was
a mandate for succeeding with the class work). These life principles are a more
refined version of the ten unifying patterns of nature used in the Biomimicry
Challenge process. The team chose four of the principles in particular that they felt
had specific relevance to the challenge at hand.

Incorporate Diversity
Include multiple forms, processes, or systems to meet a functional need so
that the final concept can take full advantage of the diversity of the region.

Recycle all Materials

Keep all materials in a closed loop so that the resources of Provence can
be used in a responsible and efficient manner.

Cultivate cooperative relationships

Find value through win-win situations so that stakeholders in the market
system will enthusiastically adopt the final concept.

Leverage cyclical processes

Take advantage of phenomena that repeat themselves so that the concept
can make use of the existing social and biological structures already
present in the region.

Constraints: The team chose to focus specifically on addressing the issue of food
waste within the open air markets that travel weekly from town to town in the area
around Lacoste, France.
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Discovering Phase Process

Discovering Phase Outcomes

As a result of the scoping phase, the function that the design needed to fulfill, and
the vision for the desired outcome had been defined. The design statement and vision
statement represented the foundation for the scientific research and were transformed
into this biologized research question: How does nature upcycle in order to
benefit the entire ecosystem?

Researched 100+ organisms for potential emulation.

Gaining inspiration from nature the design team learned about emulating natures
strategies for upcycling waste. In order to grasp various functional perspectives,
different techniques were used to learn from nature, such as the biological, the local
lens as well as the function lens. The design team organized these observations into
function cards describing functions, strategies, and mechanisms of different
organisms from which design principles were abstracted in order to emulate natures
genius during the creating phase and to guide the design process.

Created 60 function cards in preparation for creating phase.

Categorized these function cards into specific sub-sections of the
function sought to emulate (finding patterns among the identified
strategies).
Narrowed function cards down to 15 for the design charette in order
to manage the design process by limiting the number of strategies to
emulate.
Further narrowed options to define 3 champion organisms (see next
three slides):
Mackerel Sharks (Lamniformes)
Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta)
Paper Wasp (Polistes fuscatus)
Lastly, the team mapped a function bridge to assure that the discovering phase
offered emulation opportunities from nature that would address the function
question defined during the scoping phase:
Design Statement:
Our design must upcycle food waste
from local open air markets in order
to create value for stakeholders so that
it is enthusiastically adopted.

Biologized Research Question:

How does nature upcycle in order
to benefit the entire ecosystem?

Up
c

g
lin
yc

Human Design
Project Vision:

aste
dW
Foo
g
n
cli
cy
Up

Biologized Question

Our design enables people

in open air markets to upcycle
their food waste.

Figure 2: Students exploring the local environment learning about Natures genius.
Authors image.
Video describing the discovering phase can be accessed here:

FUNCTION BRIDGE

Biologized Design
Strategies

Abstract Design Principles

Cr
ea
tin

iples
rinc
nP
sig
De

Figure 3: to the right Function bridge graphic depicting the journey from defining the
desired function in the human system to discovering specific strategies in nature to be
used for address the original function question during the upcoming creating phase.
Authors illustration

SHARK: Our design must

incorporate both physical and
chemical processes to break
down waste and have the
potential to store or expel it, so
that the resources are either
processed, maintained, or
expunged.

https://vimeo.com/128544747

The
mackerel shark
digests food through
the cooperation of
churning muscles and
chemicals.

HYENA: Our design must be

able to crush hard natural
substances by using concave
and convex angles more easily,
processes them so that it can
easily break down hard material.

The
paper wasp
upcycles by using
decaying wood plant
fibers and its own
saliva to build its
hives

The
spotted hyena
uses its uniquely
shaped molars to break
down bone and other
hard tissue to digest the
marrow and other
nutrients.

WASP: Our design should use

a protein to mix with a fibrous
material to create a lightweight
waterproof building material,
so that one can upcycle biotic
materials to create eco-friendly
building materials.

Champion Organism 1

Mackerel Sharks
Lamnifvormes
Function: To break down organic matter (food)
Strategy: Mackerel sharks digest food through the cooperation of churning muscles and
chemicals.
Mechanism: The stomach of a mackerel shark is expandable and includes rugae (muscle
ridges along the stomach wall) that churn and mix the food materials with hydrochloric acid.
The pancreas contributes to this process by secreting protein-breaking enzymes into the
stomach. The rhythmic contractions of the stomach are referred to as peristalsis. The
food is converted into a paste that is passed onto the intestines. The liver is responsible
for processing digested fats and building enzymes. Whatever the shark cannot digest, it
everts its stomach and regurgitates the other materials. Finally, the stomach is also
capable of storing food for months.
Design Principle: Our design must incorporate both physical and chemical processes to
break down waste and have the potential to store or expel it, so that the resources are
either processed, maintained, or expunged.

Figure 5: Food is churned in stomach by

acids and contraction. Authors illustration.

Figure 4: Shark [photograph]. Retrieved April 18, 2015, from http://animalia-life.com/data_images/shark/shark2.jpg

Citation:
Martin, R. (n.d.). No guts, no glory. Biology of Sharks and Rays.
Retrieved May. 6, 2015, from http://www.elasmo-research.org/education/white_shark/digestion.htm

Champion Organism 2

Spotted Hyena
Crocuta crocuta
Function: To break down organic materials
Strategy: The spotted hyena uses its uniquely shaped molars to break down bone and
other hard tissue in order to digest the marrow and other nutrients more easily.
Mechanism: The Spotted Hyena exists in a category of mammal colloquially labeled
bone-crushers in that their teeth have evolved to crush bone. Hyenas are part of the
Carnivora Order and the Hyaenidae Family, both of which have teeth specifically to tear,
crush, and easily digest flesh. The teeth have evolved with a wedge shape in the
middle, which focuses the force of the jaw in such a way as to prop, the bone on the
two edges of the tooth and put crushing pressure on the center, therefore cracking the
bone. While chewing, the spotted hyenas unique molars break down the bone with such
efficiency as to be digested more quickly. The digestive system of the spotted hyena is
unique in that it can easily digest every part of the animal it has fed upon, except for the
hair, hoofs and horns.
Design Principle: Our design must be able to crush hard natural substances by using
concave and convex angles more easily processes them so that it can easily break down
hard material.

Figure 7: Wedge-shaped teeth designed to effectively crush

bones to make it easier to digest. Authors illustration.
Figure 6: Hyena [photograph]. Retrieved April 12, 2015, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotted_hyena#/media/File:Crocuta_crocuta_Mara_Triangle.jpg

Citation:
John, l. G. (1989) Carnivore dental adaptations and diet: a study of trophic diversity within
guilds. Carnivore Behavior, Ecology, and Evolution. (Part III). Retrieved from http://link.
springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4757-4716-4_16

Champion Organism 3

Paper Wasp
Polistes fuscatus
Function: To upcycle biotic materials
Strategy: The paper wasp upcycles by using decaying wood plant fibers and own saliva
to build its hives.
Mechanism: The paper wasp uses its saliva protein to mix with dead wood and plants
to create a paper like material, which is used in creating the nest. This mixture creates a
waterproof brown material. The source of protein in the saliva comes from the insects it
consumes.
Design Principle: Our design must use a protein to mix with a fibrous material to create
a lightweight waterproof building material, so that one can upcycle biotic materials to
create ecofriendly-building materials.

Figure 9: Saliva is mixed with dead wood and plants to

make materials for building hives. Authors illustration.

Figure 8: Paper Wasp [photograph]. Retrieved April 12, 2015, from

http://www.everythingabout.net/articles/biology/animals/arthropods/insects/wasps/paper_wasp/

Citation:
Bees, hornets and wasps. (n.d.). Got Pests? Retrieved May. 6, 2015, from
http://www.maine.gov/dacf/php/gotpests/bugs/bees-wasps.htm

Creating Phase Process

Figure 10: Participants creating initial 3D concepts for

addressing the given design challenge during a 15-hour
design charette marathon. Authors image.

LOOP System

Step 1: Meat and fish waste is collected

from vendors. The waste is then processed
with enzymes to separate meat from bone
(emulating the food processing mechanism
in a shark's stomach). The device is
operated by wind or mechanically
powered by people.

Figure 11: Participants creating storyboards of their 3D

concepts to demonstrate how their innovations would
operate in context. Authors image.

Figure 12: Participants further refine their concepts on

working walls to zoom in and then vote for particular
concepts, so that they could mix and match, narrow, and
consequently move forward with ONE solid idea. Authors
Image.

Step 3: The generated bone dust is mixed

with proteins/bio-plastics (emulating the
paper wasps process of mixing saliva with
fibers) with the outcome of generating biodegradable 3D printing filaments for
printing a variety of objects.

Dr. Neil Canter. (2009). Humpback whales inspire new wind turbine technology. Tech Beat, Retrieved from
http://www.stle.org/assets/news/document/techbeat_tlt_12-08.pdf

Step 2: The separated meat is turned into

fertilizer bricks that can also be burnt for
energy. The separated bone is turn into
bone dust, on location, by popcycles
devices operated by people/children
(emulating the hyena jaw action).

Step 4: A special 3D printer is used to create custom

products, on location, specifically attuned to the needs and
wants of the local population, printed with the biodegradable 3D printing filaments generated from the
organic waste collected at the market.
Figure 13: LOOP System Diagram. Authors illustration.

Evaluating Phase Process

Evaluating Phase Outcomes

The design team evaluated the design against the traditional 26 Biomimicry Life
Principles throughout the design process multiple times. The final design concept was,
again, tested against these unifying patterns of nature.

Below listed are the four life principles (natures unifying patterns) that the team
determined highly relevant to the design challenge during the scoping phase. While
not shown here, the design team evaluated all 26 life principles.
Incorporate Diversity: Include multiple forms, processes or systems to meet a
functional need.
The design includes multiple forms and processes to meet the necessary function.
The multiple forms in this process include unique interactive designs that engage
the consumers at the market, as well as manage food waste. Furthermore, the
design incorporates many different demographics, from children to the elderly, in
ways that are both fun and interactive and educational. The different methods of
creating the bone dust are geared towards children, while the end-products can be
geared towards both, children and/or adults.

Figure 14: Design team evaluating their final concept. Authors image.
Video describing the creating phase and the evaluating phase can be accessed here:
https://vimeo.com/129718413

Member Check: A Member Check is a form of getting feedback directly from

the stakeholders about whom data was collected. The findings are presented to these
members in order to support the insights gained from the data or to re-evaluate
the completed data interpretation. In this case, the design team not only presented
the data maps, but also the emerging prototype to gain insights from stakeholder
responses. These stakeholders provided the team with new perspectives. The
members shared excitement about the learning aspects of the design, from teaching
children and locals about animals to teaching them about new technology.

Figures 15-17: Participants of our Member Check. Authors Images.

Recycle all Materials: Keep all materials in a closed loop.

The project vision for this prototype includes the importance of upcycling food
waste to create a full cycle within the market. The only materials being used for
the product are meat and fish waste and bones that otherwise would have been
discarded in an unsustainable way. The product will also be biodegradable so that
it can be returned to nature as nutrients. However, the Pupcycles, 3D printer, wind
turbine, and any packaging material will not be biodegradable and more than likely
these things will also not be made of recyclable material.
Cultivate Cooperative Relationships: Find value through win-win situations.
The prototype was designed as a system to benefit multiple parties in the market,
cultivating cooperative relationships. Such relationships emerge from vendors
contributing their food waste and the customers benefiting from the products
and amenities that go along with the installation of the prototype. Vendors and
consumers can eliminate their meat trash in a community-friendly way. LOOP is
family-friendly and helps foster a positive environment.
Leverage Cyclical Processes: Take advantage of phenomena that repeat
themselves.
LOOP leverages cyclical processes by using the energy produced by wind turbines,
as well as manual power. The wind turbine takes advantage of the frequent strong
wind in the Provence, and uses it to power the devices. Also, pedestrian traffic
at the market is utilized as a failsafe for the wind turbine. On days when there
is limited wind, children can mechanically power the meat waste drum (which is
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always available).

Business Opportunity
Partners

Activities

Value Propositions

Stakeholder Segments

Local market sellers and

buyers.
Distributors and manufacturers for 3D printers.
French governmental
bodies.

Exchange of waste.
Designing and purchasing
of goods.
Use and disposal.

Environment
Education
Local quality assurance
Standardized quality of
manufactured goods.
Customer co-creation.
Support of local artisans.
Potential for local
economic stimulation.
Biodegradability and
disposability.

We target consumers and

families of middle income
and higher. Our products
can serve as both utility
and novelty products and
can target both local and
tourists. Word of mouth
and internet based viral
marketing could attract
more customers. Utility
is offered through the
product itself. Single
manufacturing line (design
to 3d printing) can satisfy
all demands making the
process viable in the fixed
cost department.

Resources
Meat and bones waste.
Other necessary materials
to make printable plastics.
HR for promotion, sales
and design.
Market stall and printer.
Energy generation.

Cost Structure
Variable costs:
-HR
-Energy and fuel
-Purchased materials

Stakeholder Relations
One-on-one customer
interaction ensures high
touch customer relations,
increasing value.
It is a design firm as
much as a product sales
firm, as we will be selling
designed, personalized
plastic based products.

Distribution Channels
The business works in a
specific situation. It must
be compartmentalized by
handling manufacturing,
distribution and sales.

Revenue Stream
Fixed costs:
-Maintanence
-Marketing
-Branding/IP
Sunk cost:
-Transportation and distribution
-Manufacturing line
- Other capital and equipment

Sale of goods.
If the business grows, it is possible to consolidate manufacturing into
factories and expand by partnering with distributors and establishing
boutiques around France and even around Europe. Mass quantities may
be exported through DHL or other services. Once we secure consumer
segment and profitability, we can proceed to opening up sales on-line.
On-line distribution to unknown customers without established customer base can be risky and costly.
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Current Limitations and Next Steps

To move this concept into further development the design team would still have to
address a number of serious issues:

Energy supply:

Manpower:

What would power the 3D printer at the stand (usually, the stands are not hooked up
to electricity or other forms of energy)?

How many people would be needed to run the whole system?

Feasibility of business model:

Would there be employees collecting and transporting the waste and working the
stand?

In addition to the stakeholder check which yielded positive feedback for the
designed concept the team interviewed expert Jung-Kap Paul Cheon, Director,
Overseas Operation Unit Shin Poong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd Seoul, Korea who
brought up some concerns about scale of the operation and the business model
the team will need to re-investigate feasibility:

How exactly can the community be more involved (other than operating the
LOOP devices)?
Materials, process, and cost:
Since the waste processing leads to highly acidic content, what materials can be
used in the building of the devices that would withstand the amount of acidity
hitting the surface? What would it cost?
What about the supply of the specific enzymes needed for the process? Where
would it come from?
How much waste would we need specifically to create a kilo of 3D bio-printing
mass? What is the ratio (one expert said 1:3)?
How much waste do we need to collect to break even and make a profit?
How does the biodegradable bone plastic, once printed, react to other substances,
such as wine if we were to print wine bottle stoppers?
What is the exact chemistry behind the biodegradable bone plastic, the specific
combination of ingredients, as well as the time-line for it to biodegrade?
What is the lobbying that needs to happen on the policy level when we
consider the handling of waste in the public sphere? Thinking about high acidity
manufacturing and treatment of sludge, gas pollution, etc

Due to the issue of acidity in the waste processing step, the material cost for the
devices (industrial glass coated mechanics) would be astronomical, leading to the
plastic produced not being competitive compared to oil-based price-competitive plastic
solutions. Confining the manufacturing within France will also mean staggering labor
cost compared to the foreign competition (imported plastics from Asia, for instance).
However, growing attention towards environmentally-friendly goods may allow for the
proposed innovation to penetrate the existing market in the future. Furthermore, the
fact that the design utilizes raw materials that can be acquired with bare minimal costs
(compared to the petroleum of conventional plastics) can significantly alleviate the cost
efficiency eventually.
Thinking beyond the community-based concept at the local market, the concept could
be expanded to manufacture packaging goods, plastic containers, and the sorts, on
an industrial scale, which would elevate this innovation and its business model into
a completely different dimension. Keeping the local solution gains CSR recognition
while additionally working on the industrial scale would bring a solid revenue stream.
Next steps:
The design team needs to engage a number of experts to address the above listed
open questions and concerns in order bring their innovation to market: In addition to
specialists in logistics, lobbyists for the cause, business developers, material scientists,
chemical engineers, the team would also need to engage mechanical engineers for
designing the wind-powered mechanisms in the markets.
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Team Success
Our transdisciplinary team thoroughly enjoyed learning the Biomimicry Thinking Design Process
together. We worked in a unique situation during our semester-abroad adventure in France. Due to
the fact that we literally lived and learned together 24 hours/day, our group became very close and
would be in good shape to continue collaborating were this project to move forward. At our school
we enjoy many fruitful relationships across disciplines and also with other schools and industry
experts. It would be possible to receive the resources necessary to solve the issues outlined under
next steps on the previous page.

Industrial Designers

Design Professional
Biomimicry Specialist

Furniture Designers

Service Designers

Design Management
Graduate Students
Figure 18: The Design team learning together about nature. Authors image.

Biologist
Biomimicry Professional

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References

Our team gives great thanks...

Personal Interviews:
Leopold Le Chevrier
Chatal Jullien

Darnet Gerante

To Nature:

Member Check Interviews:

Florence Thurston
Sodexo Manager

Laurence LHtellier

Advisors:
Jung-Kap Paul Cheon
Michelle Muller
Regina Rowland, Ph.D.
Yiran Wang

Jackson Hedden
Sherry Ritter, MSc
Breana Russell

Thank you for being our greatest teacher and for constantly showing us your beauty,
and your solutions to any problem we might face. Thank you for guiding us through
the entire process of our design.
To Regina Rowland and Sherry Ritter:
Thank you for dedicating time and energy, and for your perseverance, and leadership
through this project. Thank you for imparting confidence, enabling growth, and
helping us to better our skills in design and design strategies.
To Dayna Baumeister, Biomimicry 3.8, and Biomimicry Institute:

Resources:
Baumeister, D., & Tocke, R. (2014). Biomimicry resource handbook: a seed bank of best
prac-tices (2014 ed.). Missoula, Montana: Biomimicry 3.8.

Thank you for providing this fantastic opportunity to learn from natures genius and
become certified in Biomimicry through this class. Thank you, Biomimicry Institute,
for your inspiration through the Global Design Challenge.

Bees, hornets and wasps. (n.d.). Got Pests? Retrieved May. 6, 2015, from
http://www.maine.gov/dacf/php/gotpests/bugs/bees-wasps.htm

To Florence Thurston:

Dr. Neil Canter. (2009). Humpback whales inspire new wind turbine technology.
Tech Beat, Retrieved from
http://www.stle.org/assets/news/document/techbeat_tlt_12-08.pdf
John, L. G. (1989) Carnivore dental adaptations and diet: a study of trophic diversity
within guilds. Carnivore Behavior, Ecology, and Evolution. (Part III). Retrieved from
http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4757-4716-4_16
Martin, R. (n.d.). No guts, no glory. Biology of Sharks and Rays.
Retrieved May. 6, 2015, from http://www.elasmo-research.org/education/white_
shark/digestion.htm
Willsher, K. (2015, May 25). Man who forced French supermarkets to donate food
wants to take law global. The Guardian. Retrieved from
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/25/french-supermarkets-donatefood-waste-global-law-campaign?CMP=share_btn_fb

Thank you for guiding us and translating our protocols and interviews. Thank you for
taking time to assist us in organizing our events and ecological excursions.
To the locals of Provence, France:
Thank you for welcoming us into your culture and region. Thank you for allowing us
to dig deep into our research and explore your place of pride and traditions.
To SCADs School of Design:
Thank you for giving us this opportunity to study and to be inspired in beautiful
Lacoste, France, and for the amazing research trip to the Milano EXPO to study
global food systems. Additionally, thank you for offering classes that allow us to grow
and learn to become the best designers in the field.

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