Mushroom Packaging: Using Mycelium Instead of Plastic to Better Our Environment

“I firmly believe that the best technology on planet Earth is nature, and that if we harness natural technology, we can live better lives with better food and better materials at no cost to the planet.” Eben Bayer, Cofounder and CEO of Ecovative.

Ecovative is a company using mushroom mycelium to reduce plastic consumption for the betterment of the planet. They use the root structure of mushrooms formed in moulds to make eco-friendly packaging, cruelty free leather and even bacon. 

Their packing material is a lot like styrofoam, but instead of staying in a landfill for about 500 years, when you’re finished with it you can toss it in your garden and it’s fully decomposed in 30 days.

Many companies are moving to more eco-friendly packaging, most notably IKEA, the Swedish furniture giant, switching from plastic to Ecovatives MycoComposite mushroom-based packaging. 

IKEA’s commitment to making a positive impact on people and the environment has pushed them towards this biodegradable packaging as well as offering plant based options as an alternative to their famous meatballs and ensuring that key parts of their products are recyclable.

It’s not only large companies switching to mushroom packaging to reduce their impact on the environment, many small businesses are also doing their part. If you’d like more information on mushroom packaging check out https://mushroompackaging.com/.

Let’s all try and do our best to live a more sustainable and earth-friendly lifestyle so we can do less damage and hopefully heal this planet we’ll be passing along to our children and grandchildren.