Ecosystems Long-cycle Materialogy: Bioresources as the Origin of Future Life

Abstract

Modern society faces an environmental crisis driven by non-degradable components, including synthetic plastics in daily products and industrial agriculture. Beyond simple plastic replacement, this editorial introduces “Ecosystems Long-cycle Materialogy”—a new paradigm that redefines human-made materials as integral elements of natural biogeochemical cycles. Within this framework, forests and oceans are envisioned as vast hubs for ultralong material circulation. For example, wood-mimetic microbeads for cosmetics are designed with the expectation that they will eventually enter natural biogeochemical cycles in a safe and controlled manner. Therefore, rather than becoming problematic waste, these deliberately designed bio-based materials participate in an extended carbon cycle. Once entering the ocean, they biodegrade and sequester carbon in the deep seabed, potentially on the order of 500 to 1,000 years. This philosophy shifts our objective from reducing environmental burden to complementing ecosystem cycles. By acknowledging that every material serves as the starting point for the next form of life, we can align manufacturing with the Earth’s long‑term resilience and survival.