Chloe Zhang
Plastic is everywhere in our lives — it's durable, easy to make, and hard to break. However, it's also a major pollutant, clogging landfills and oceans, and breaking down into our drinking water and food. But mushrooms may offer a solution. Some mushrooms can eat plastic, helping to fight pollution, and they can also be used to create sustainable packaging, building materials, and even clothing. With their natural growth capacity, fire resistance, and ability to break down once they're no longer useful, mushrooms might just be the new plastic.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Mushroom-based products | Mycelium, a root-like structure of mushrooms |
| Mushroom-based products used for | Packaging, construction, clothing, meat substitutes, insulation, building organs |
| Mushroom-based packaging advantages | Protects fragile items like furniture and plasma screens, provides a natural alternative to styrofoam |
| Mushroom-based construction advantages | Can be used in the same ways as conventional building materials, fire-resistant |
| Mushroom-based clothing advantages | More palatable leather alternative than 'pleather' derived from plastic |
| Mushroom-based meat substitutes advantages | Can be cut into bacon |
| Mushroom-based insulation advantages | As fire-resistant as commercial fibreglass insulation |
| Mushroom-based products companies | Evocative Design, Ecovative |
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What You'll Learn
- Mycelium, a root-like structure of mushrooms, can be used as a natural alternative to plastic packaging
- Mushroom fibre can be used to create clothing, with big brands like Adidas and Hermés announcing clothing lines made from mycelium
- Mycelium can be used as a vegan leather alternative, with designer Stella McCartney debuting a black 'leather' outfit made with mycelium
- Mushrooms can be grown as alternative building materials, with companies like Evocative Design creating mushroom-based insulation
- Mushrooms can be used to replace herbicides and help defend plants against disease without causing damage
Mycelium, a root-like structure of mushrooms, can be used as a natural alternative to plastic packaging
Mycelium, a root-like structure of mushrooms, has emerged as a promising natural alternative to plastic packaging. With growing concerns over plastic's detrimental effects on the environment and human health, the search for eco-friendly substitutes has led to the discovery of mycelium's potential in packaging. This natural material offers numerous advantages over plastic and is already gaining traction among prominent companies.
Mycelium is the underground root network of fungi, consisting of fine, interconnected threads that can grow into various shapes and sizes. Its physical structure confers strength and durability, making it ideal for replacing single-use plastic packaging. Unlike plastic, which persists in the environment for centuries, mycelium is home compostable and biodegradable. It can degrade within weeks, even in a backyard compost setting, thus reducing the volume of waste that ends up in landfills or the ocean.
The process of creating mycelium packaging is sustainable and cost-effective. Mycelium grows rapidly on agricultural waste products, such as wood chips, hemp, or corn husks, requiring no additional energy inputs. The growth process is similar to programming, where the mycelium fibres act as a natural glue, spreading throughout the waste substrate and moulding into the desired shape. Once the desired shape and weight are achieved, the mycelium is heated to halt its growth.
Mycelium-based packaging is not only functional but also environmentally beneficial. It is lightweight, strong, and inexpensive to produce, making it a competitive alternative to fossil fuel-derived materials. Additionally, mycelium packaging is chemical-free and water-resistant. Some companies even infuse wildflower and grass seeds into their mycelium packaging, ensuring that the packaging contributes to biodiversity by returning nutrients to the soil.
The potential of mycelium as a packaging material has not gone unnoticed by major corporations. Dell has been using mycelium-based packaging since 2009, and IKEA is also exploring mycelium as a replacement for its EPS (expanded polystyrene) packaging. IKEA's goal to phase out all plastic consumer packaging by 2028 could be aided by adopting mushroom-based alternatives. Ecovative, a company specialising in mycelium products, has raised $60 million to license its technology worldwide, indicating a growing interest in this sustainable packaging solution.
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Mushroom fibre can be used to create clothing, with big brands like Adidas and Hermés announcing clothing lines made from mycelium
The fashion industry is one of the most polluting sectors globally, and clothing brands are increasingly seeking sustainable alternatives to traditional materials. One such alternative is mushroom fibre, or mycelium, which can be grown in labs and used to create vegan leather. Mycelium is a sprawling, interlaced web of thread-like roots that produces mushrooms.
In 2020, Adidas announced its commitment to creating footwear and clothing from natural materials, with the end goal of a fully circular future. The company has since released the Stan Smith Mylo™, a shoe made from a mushroom-based material. Adidas has also partnered with biotechnology company Bolt Threads, which grows mycelium in labs designed to replicate forest floors. The mycelium is grown into a flexible, foamy mat that can be finished in various patterns, colours, and textures, resulting in a fabric that feels similar to animal leather.
Adidas is not alone in its exploration of mycelium-based products. Luxury fashion house Hermés has released a bag made from reishi fine mycelium, while designer Stella McCartney has debuted a black 'leather' top and trousers made with mycelium. Other companies, such as Lululemon and Allbirds, have also expressed interest in creating clothing lines made from mushroom fibre.
The use of mycelium as a material offers several advantages. It can be grown and moulded into almost any shape with minimal energy, resulting in a product that is 100% biodegradable. Mycelium products are also fire-resistant and can be grown in a short time frame, making them a more sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional leather.
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Mycelium can be used as a vegan leather alternative, with designer Stella McCartney debuting a black 'leather' outfit made with mycelium
Mycelium, the root-like structure of fungi, has emerged as a promising vegan leather alternative, with renowned designer Stella McCartney showcasing a black leather outfit crafted from this innovative material. In March 2021, McCartney debuted a bustier top and trousers made with mycelium, challenging traditional leather and offering a more ethical option. This event marked a significant step towards reducing the environmental and social impact of leather production, which contributes to deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions.
McCartney's commitment to creating luxury fashion without using leather, feathers, fur, or skins since 2001 has led to groundbreaking collaborations. In partnership with Bolt Threads, she introduced Mylo™, a mycelium-based leather alternative. Mylo™ is crafted with renewable mycelium, harnessing the intricate network of lattices that weave across the natural world. This material innovation is grown in a lab, meticulously transformed by Bolt Threads to create a soft, supple, and environmentally conscious leather alternative.
The process of creating Mylo™ involves harvesting the mycelium as a "foamy layer," mimicking the microstructure of collagen. This results in a final material that possesses a unique sponginess and warmth, setting it apart from synthetic options. Mylo™ is also free from harmful chemicals commonly used in animal leather production, such as dmfA and chromium. The production process is designed to minimise the geographic footprint and reduce the impact on the environment, specifically targeting water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
McCartney's journey with mycelium-based leather alternatives began in 2017 with the creation of a prototype Falabella bag, which debuted at the V&A's Fashioned from Nature exhibition in 2018. This prototype was the first product ever created with Mylo™. Since then, McCartney has continued to innovate and advocate for mycelium-based leather, joining a consortium of brands promoting the advancement and large-scale production of Mylo™. The designer's dedication to exploring vegan alternatives to leather has inspired other prominent brands, such as Adidas, Lululemon, and Hermés, to venture into creating clothing lines made from mycelium.
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Mushrooms can be grown as alternative building materials, with companies like Evocative Design creating mushroom-based insulation
Mushrooms are indeed being explored as an alternative to plastic. A plastic-eating mushroom discovered in the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador has emerged as a potential solution to the global problem of plastic waste. This discovery has spurred interest in the potential for mushrooms to replace plastic in various applications.
Mushroom materials are a novel class of renewable biomaterials grown from fungal mycelium and low-value non-food agricultural materials. The process, developed by companies like Ecovative Design (also known as Evocative Design), involves using agricultural waste products, such as cotton hulls, which are cleaned, heated, and inoculated to stimulate the growth of fungal mycelium. After about five days of growth, the material can be moulded into various products, and it is then heated again to make the fungus inert. This process results in a lightweight, robust, organic, and compostable material that can be used for building materials, thermal insulation panels, and protective packaging.
Ecovative Design, founded by Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre, has developed a patented method of growing mushroom-based insulation initially called Greensulate. Their product, now known as Ecocradle, is a renewable and compostable replacement for polystyrene packaging. It is formed from compressed mushroom material and does not require numerical control. Ecovative's technology aims to replace polystyrene and other petroleum-based products that take many years to decompose or never fully break down.
The versatility of mushroom-based materials is further demonstrated by their use in building construction. In collaboration with architect David Benjamin of The Living, Ecovative Design built 'Hy-Fi', a temporary 40-foot-tall exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City in 2014. Additionally, their Mushroom Insulation is seen as a viable competitor to plastic foams used in both packaging and building insulation. This insulation product offers a sustainable, high-performance alternative to traditional insulation materials, which often contain harsh flame retardant chemicals and high global-warming potential blowing gases.
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Mushrooms can be used to replace herbicides and help defend plants against disease without causing damage
Mushrooms have been found to be a surprising champion in the war against plastic waste. A plastic-eating mushroom discovered in the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador has the ability to digest plastic. This has inspired innovations in the use of mushrooms as an alternative to other materials, such as leather and building materials.
Mushrooms can also be used to replace herbicides and help defend plants against disease without causing damage. Irish botanist Brian Murphy discovered in 2015 that growing little-known fungi called endophytes inside plants helps defend them against disease without damaging the plants. This discovery adds to the existing knowledge of plant disease resistance and the creation of hybrids and genetically modified plants with disease-resistant genes.
Plants have basic physical structures that keep pathogens out, such as the epidermis, which is analogous to human skin. Plants also have additional protective layers, such as bark on trees and a waxy cuticle on leaves. They can also produce chemicals that are toxic to pathogens and insects. Some defensive responses involve increasing the production of antimicrobial compounds or triggering armoring defenses, such as closing stomata or increasing the thickness of cell walls.
Mushrooms can be used as a natural alternative to herbicides. For example, oyster mushrooms have been found to break down and digest organic molecules, including diesel-soaked dirt, and can be used to clean up contaminated soil. Paul Stamets suggests spreading a layer of wood chips, spawn, and straw or cardboard, and then covering it with more wood chips to allow mushrooms to grow and digest the herbicides in the soil. This process can take up to four years and requires oxygen for the mycelium to grow.
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Frequently asked questions
Petroleum-based plastic remains in the environment for many years and consumes a considerable amount of energy. Mushrooms, on the other hand, can be grown into specific shapes and sizes and provide a natural alternative to packaging materials.
Mycelium, the root-like structure of mushrooms, is being used as an alternative to plastic packaging and styrofoam. It can also be used as a leather alternative in the fashion industry.
Evocative Design, founded by Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre, is using mushrooms to create biodegradable flip-flops and meat substitutes. Ecovative, a New York-based biotech startup, is also using mycelium to create packaging materials and develop vegan leather.
