When the living inspires industrialists. Example today, with mushrooms, which can be used to make packaging!
franceinfo: The furniture giant, the Swedish Ikea, or the American computer manufacturer Dell already use this ecological material to package their products.
Anne-Laure Dagnet: This mushroom-based packaging looks like papier-mâché, cream colour, it has the huge advantage of not polluting and being 100% biodegradable. In addition it is extremely malleable, so it can take any shape.
Once transformed, the mycelium, the vegetative part of the mushroom, is used to replace the foams, bubble wrap and expanded polystyrene which protect most packages and which are, they are extremely harmful to the environment, they are made from petroleum and other chemicals, not only do they pollute the soil and the oceans, but they are also potentially bad for our health.
So how do you manage to make a packaging from the mushroom?
Well, you just have to let the fungus “work”. The mycelium, in other words the mushroom spawn, is grown around organic agricultural waste such as hemp or corn stalks, which has been previously cleaned and crushed. After only a few days, the fibers of the mushroom mingle with this waste, the whole solidifies in the mold of the desired packaging, and to stop its growth, just cook it!
Manufacturing is very energy efficient, it generates 90% less carbon emissions, compared to plastic manufacturing. This packaging is lightweight, heat resistant and can be immersed in water. HASAnother advantage: once used, this mushroom packaging decomposes naturally, it can feed a compost.
Are there uses other than packaging with this ‘mushroom spawn’?
Yes, fashion designer Stella McCartney, daughter of the famous Beatles, uses mycelium directly extracted from mushrooms to replace leather in her creations. This natural material can also replace the glues used to assemble particle board furniture. The formaldehyde that makes up these glues is known for its carcinogenic risks. No such problem with the mycelium!