Coming Soon: grow your own sustainable materials?

     Ecovative calls its business a “material science company” working to make sustainable materials (“About”). The company got its start with Mushroom Material, a material grown from fungal mycelium (a natural glue) and agricultural waste, and that is fully compostable at the end of its usable life. It has been used to make plastics, insulation, and other packaging materials. This material is gold certified as an alternative to plastics by Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute.

     The article I found talks about how Ecovative is going to release a grow-your-own Mushroom Material kit in September, yet has already seen some of the possibilities that may come from the new material. Ecovative used social media to reach out to innovators, asking them what they would use the kits to create. A myriad of ideas have come in, including surfboards, pet coffins, lamp shades, and – my favorite – replacement for Styrofoam cups (Knowles). Those who make their own designs using the Mushroom Materials kit will have free license to keep or sell their designs, or scale up production with Ecovative.

     Businesses are catching on to the new material as well. The CEO of Ecovative explains that Mushroom Material is cost competitive, and that insulation made with it is “similar to rigid board insulation, providing a tight envelope with few thermal bridges, resulting in a more energy efficient building” (Knowles). Another benefit of the material is that is it safe and non-toxic, meaning it can be installed without any safety equipment or procedures. 

     The company now looks to make a more environmentally-friendly replacement for wood. Using the fungal mycelium to bind together particles, Ecovative hopes to supplant engineered woods that use a carcinogenic adhesive: urea-formaldehyde (Knowles).

Works Cited

“About Ecovative.” Ecovative. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2015. http://www.ecovativedesign.com/about/.

Knowles, Victoria. "Say Sayonara to Styrofoam and Hello to Mushroom Materials." GreenBiz. N.p., 9 Jan. 2015. Web. 14 Jan. 2015. <http://www.greenbiz.com/article/say-sayonara-styrofoam-and-hello-mushroom-materials>.