Regenerative materials exist all around us. The challenge is getting them into building products and into buildings. Rapid innovation in materials science as well as a return to ancient materials open new pathways to align the built environment with nature. Project teams want to reduce embodied carbon, toxicity, and waste, but the biobased market is crowded. Our panel, a diverse set of Bay Area–based building material innovation pioneers, will help practitioners consider bio-materials broadly across building projects. Attendees will learn how innovators develop biobased materials that can replace plastic with similar, or better performance. We will examine new chemistry and natural materials that have been used for centuries. Panel: Ekoa, Meg Bruce, Chief Commercial Officer Biocomposite, carbon-negative, low-VOC alternative for architectural surfaces made from natural flax fibers and plant-based resins Zymochem, Harshal Chokhawala, CEO & Co-Founder Biobased chemistry for textiles and coatings, much lower carbon, biodegradable solution for multiple building product Mango Materials, Molly Morse, PhD, CEO Biopolymers & Biocomposites Engineer They are a women owned business leading the bio-industrial revolution by converting methane gas into biodegradable PHA pellets that incorporate into any supply chain. In 2026, there’s a clear wake-up call: progress depends less on rhetoric and more on execution. Through gatherings like The USGBC CA and shared resolve across the built environment community, we can turn regenerative ideals, like replacing plastics with biobased materials, into real-world outcomes that benefit all of society. This is a moment to choose differently—to design with systems in mind, to specify materials that give back, and to shape a built environment that participates in the health of people and the planet.