Packing Peanuts vs. Packing Mushrooms

If you’re conducting any of you holiday shopping online, chances are that you’ll get more than just that special gift delivered to your door. The box will be filled with some kind of protective shipping filler, such as packing peanuts or bubble wrap, to keep your item from bouncing around too much while it travels. It’s hard to deny the satisfaction that comes from popping those tiny pockets of air in bubble wrap, but it’s also hard to deny the environmental impact of using petroleum-based packing materials.

To help combat the growing piles of Styrofoam building up in landfills, the company Ecovative has developed a creative and eco-friendly way to use mycelium, the “roots” of mushrooms, to create customized molds that can snugly fit around shipped objects. First the fungus is fed with plant waste, like seed husks or cotton burrs. As it feeds, the mycelium grows into the shape of whatever container is it stored in, and after a few days- voilà! Before it’s used in shipping, the material is heated to prevent further growth, so the fungus doesn’t continue to expand once the shape has been made.

Ecovative is now working to develop Greensulate, a “rigid board insulation” material, also using mycelium. Want to know more about Ecovative’s philosophy of sustainability and the process of growing fungus-based packing supplies? Watch the video below to see co-founder Eben Bayer’s presentation on Ted Talks.