The more I learn about mushrooms, the more I am amazed as to what these marvellous structures are capable of.
For a few years now, easily compostable packaging material, such as Mushroom® Packaging, which uses MycoComposite" biomaterial, has been available to create sustainable alternatives to plastic foams, such as expanded polystyrene (EPS), polyethylene (PE), and extruded polystyrene (XPS) foams. Mycelium (the root-like structure of fungi) is combined with agricultural waste products, such as hemp, cork, sawdust and corn husks to grow the desired 'green' packaging products.
More recently, I learnt about the power of mushrooms in creating a bio-based leather alternative: Mylo". Such is the beauty of the material that it has been used by designer Stella McCartney in her range of Frayme bags.
And now, I discover that these magical little things are being used to grow lightweight and relatively eco-friendly construction materials, cleverly using 'knitted moulds'.
It seems the possibilities are potentially endless in terms of technical developments in the underlying technology as well as its applications (and accompanying brand strategy).
The drive towards protecting innovation and brands using Intellectual Property (IP) rights, and on the flip-side ensuring any commercial activity under consideration is free from third party IP rights, must also keep pace to ensure we all continue to benefit from the magic in the mycelium.
And, yes, I am rather partial to a mushroom risotto too!
Using the knitted moulds as a flexible framework or 'formwork', the scientists created a composite called 'mycocrete' which is stronger and more versatile in terms of shape and form, allowing the scientists to grow lightweight and relatively eco-friendly construction materials.
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