Mycelium leather turns the root systems of fungi into a sustainable alternative for textiles and packaging. Genetically engineered microorganisms are producing spider silk without some of the harmful impacts. Algae is being used to make plastic alternatives. And scientists are experimenting with bioinks to 3D print everything from food to human organs. 

By studying nature and crafting goods and processes that are compatible with sustainable futures, the line between synthetic and natural is becoming a lot more complicated. 

Or maybe it always has been. We often forget that humans are a part of nature, not separate from it, and people have been integrating human, animal, botanical, and geological tools for countless generations. It’s only recently that popular sources have often presented natural as “good” and synthetic as “bad”. Like most things, it depends. 

If our goal is an equitable and sustainable future, then we should make choices based on the quality, ethical and community implications, and source-to-scrap environmental impacts, regardless of who gets the credit.