Biological materials, such as wood or spider silk, are often considered more sustainable than most conventional synthetics . They display high mechanical properties, such as tensile strength, toughness, elasticity, adhesion, etc., while being made from globally available and renewable resources; notably transforming wastes into resources (Fig. ). Natural materials can even achieve a zero or negative carbon footprint and their biodegradability supports a circular economy . Their production involves little to no external energy, avoids toxic chemicals, and takes place in water-based conditions . Nature's biofabrication processes for creating these materials differ significantly from conventional manufacturing . Material-producing organs contain specialized cell types with complex molecular machinery that guides material selfassembly from the nano-to the macro-scopic scales , a process we name self-microfabrication (Fig. ). These refined hierarchical microstructures, optimized through evolution , are responsible for their outstanding properties . To produce them, one can use synthetic biomimicry or recombinant approaches but difficulties remain in replicating their full complexity (Fig. ). While living organs are complex biological systems that are difficult to replicate synthetically; they offer valuable insights for conventional manufacturing methods .