Mushrooms can make packaging without toxic wastes

Eben Bayer has discovered an amazing way to use mycelium, a living component of many mushrooms, to manufacture some of the most common sources of waste. Whenever we make purchases of large items our items are often packaged in cardboard boxes and padded with Styrofoam. The Styrofoam comes from petroleum which is made from the same crude oil that also makes gasoline for our cars. Once our package is safely at our home or office we often throw away the padding which was made from one our most limited resources. What’s even worse is that this material stays in the environment for thousands of years because it is not easy to reintroduce it to the natural biosphere.




What if we didn’t need to throw away a material that is costly to produce and pollutes the earth? What if we had a natural product that could replace the Styrofoam packaging, and could be produced anywhere in the world using local materials?

Eben Bayer and his colleagues are working on the solution using mushrooms, yes a fungus. By using a naturally occurring organism called mycelium and local agricultural waste, his company is able to create an insulating, fire resistant, vibration dampening, and naturally grown product which can be composted at the end of its useful life. Already in use for manufacturers of furniture and televisions, Eben’s next goal  is to adapt his product for use as an insulation board for homes. Check out his speech at TED.

Share