From Nature to Nature

We are at the beginning of a major transformation towards a circular economy. Product designers play a crucial role in shaping a new economic system with circular business models. They are the ones who plan future resource use and give form to the material cycles in tomorrow’s product culture.

Cellulose, algae, fungi – New resources for biomaterials

In this context, the new economic logic will have to operate in harmony with nature. This applies particularly to industries that traditionally use a large proportion of natural materials, or to short-lived products that have so far mostly been made with synthetic plastics.

Furniture made from hemp fibers, textiles made from orange peels, or 3D-printed speakers made from fungal mycelium 3D printed speakers from fungal mycelium: Highly developed biomaterials are currently finding their way into the markets. This phenomenon is accompanied by a move away from synthetic materials, which are considered a source of microplastics in nature and have a high carbon footprint.

In the exhibition “From Nature to Nature,” the future-oriented agency Haute Innovation, in cooperation with Hessen Design, showcases examples of highly developed biomaterials and their potential for a circular economy. These materials can circulate in both technical and biological cycles and have no negative impact on health or the environment.

The exhibition will open with an Agora Round Table on February 5, 2026. Companies, material manufacturers, and designers will discuss the significance of innovative biomaterials for the product culture of the future and explore the dynamics of new business models.

Agora Round-Table “From Nature to Nature“
February 5, 2026: 17.30–21:00

– Stephan Koziol (Koziol, Erbach)
– Pia Himmelsbach (vepa, NL)
– Emilie Burfeind (Hyundai Motor Europe, Frankfurt), invited
– Anna Bruder (Adidas Innovation, Herzogenaurach), invited
– Montgomery Wagner (revoltech, Darmstadt)
– Sarmite Polakova (Studio Sarmite, Frankfurt)
– Jonathan Radetz (Studio Jonathan Radetz, Frankfurt)
– Bernd Görtz (Bernd Görtz Studio, Hamburg)
– Fabian Ziervogel (Fraunhofer IWU, Dresden), invited
– Christine Fehrenbach (Hessen Design, Darmstadt)
– Prof. Dr. Sascha Peters (Haute Innovation, Berlin)

Please register to participate in the Agora, as places are limited. The ticket includes a catering package: www.eventbrite.de

Opening hours of the exhibition:
– February 6, 2026: 12:00-18:00
– February 7, 2026: 12:00-18:00
– February 8, 2026: 12:00-16:00

The Agora and exhibition are part of World Design Capital Frankfurt Rhein Main WDC 2026: www.wdc2026.org

Among other developments, the results of the research project “Mycoustics,” funded by the German Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) under the DATIpilot funding program, will be presented.