From Nature to Supply Chain: Exploring Biomimicry‐Based Pathways to Sustainability and Competitive Advantage

Inspired by insights gleaned from biomimicry theory, this paper addresses the persistent lack of theoretically grounded research in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) and examines how nature‐inspired biomimicry principles could enhance various dimensions of its competitiveness. This study's theoretical contribution lies in its proposal of the novel concept of sustaimimicry, which translates the six life principles from the Biomimicry 3.8 framework into practical supply chain practices. Empirically, using our own data on 75 Portuguese companies operating in supply chains, collected in 2025, and a fuzzy‐set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), we model the configuration paths of sustaimimicry practices toward an increased dimension of supply chain competitiveness in terms of innovation, collaboration, information technology, agility, and flexibility. Our original findings confirm that sustaimimicry practices significantly influence supply chain competitiveness, but no single practice is sufficient on its own. Instead, specific combinations of such practices are linked to high levels of each competitiveness dimension. Modular and self‐organizing growth repeatedly supports high agility and innovation, while the joint presence of lifecycle thinking, modularity, and life‐friendly chemistry is central for technological and flexibility outcomes. A key managerial implication is that firms should design bundles of complementary sustaimimicry practices rather than isolated green initiatives if they aim to move from incremental improvements toward regenerative and competitively robust supply chains.