This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- Share Alike 4.0 International License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ Bio-inspired Design: Explicating the Value of Bio-Inspiration GARBUIO Massimo a* ; MAZZOLENI Ilaria b and EISENBART Boris c a University of Sydney Business School, Australia b Southern California Institute of Architecture, USA c Delft University of Technology, Holland * Corresponding author: Massimo.Garbuio@sydney.edu.au doi: 10.33114/adim.2017.52 Policymakers and stakeholders are asking corporations to innovate and synchronize their practices with that of the natural environment. In this hopefully thought-provoking position paper, we use a comprehensive review of literature and industrial practice in gradually building strong arguments that bio-inspired design is a possible pathway to achieve this. This approach is directly inspired by nature, given that it is nature that ultimately will suggest novel ways to conserve biodiversity and provide human beings with a sustainable lifestyle. We strive to show the value of bio-inspired products and services, not only by virtue of being more environmentally sustainable, but, when consolidated in a concerted business model and value chain to lead to a sustainable competitive advantage for companies. Keywords: bioinspired design, business model, analogies, strategy Introduction In every industry across the globe, corporations are being asked to innovate their strategies and mind-sets to meet the rapidly evolving expectations of governments and stakeholders for environmentally conscious business practices. However, companies tend to interpret sustainability with a patchwork of disjointed practices aimed simply at appearing socially responsible (Howe and Kramer, 2006). Buildings and cities often adopt design features that focus on discrete problems, such as energy or waste reduction, to the neglect of an overarching strategy, due to their tendency to focus on working project by project (Kahneman & Lovallo, 1993). Yet,