Towards a Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design Framework for Engineered Living Materials

Engineered Living Materials (ELMs) represent a new generation of sustainable construction materials that integrate biological systems to achieve self-healing, adaptability, and environmental resilience. By embedding living microorganisms within material matrices, ELMs can repair damage, sense environmental changes, sequester carbon, and even produce light, all while reducing the need for synthetic chemicals and minimizing environmental impact.