Forager Foam

Range of Forager Foam / Source: Ecovative

BeautyBreathableCompostableEuropeFire-ResistantFlexibleFood & BeverageForager FoamLightweightMyceliumNorth AmericaOceaniaPackagingRegenerativeStrongTextilesWater Repellent

WHAT WE SAY:

You’d be hard pressed to find a pair of sports shoes that don’t contain plastic foam. It’s everywhere, and it can last in the environment for hundreds of years as macro, micro and nano plastics.

Ecovative is looking to disrupt its ubiquity with its range of Forager Foam made from fungus. Nature-based and compostable, Forager Foam is water-resistant, light and flexible. This is a material that can bring fashion out of the fossil age.

Forager Foam

WHAT IS FORAGER FOAM?

Forager Foam is manufactured by US-based Mycelium technology company Ecovative. It is made of pure mycelium and can be tailored to a variety of industries and applications.
While mycelium typically grows underground, Ecovative uses its AirMycelium process to grow Forager Foam, allowing for the growth of sheets of pure mycelium at an industrial scale within vertical farms. Sheets can be as large as 1.8 metres wide and up to 24 metres long.
Foams can take as little as nine days to grow, and their growth patterns can be guided to produce different properties and densities for applications including fashion and footwear.
Like any material worthy of replacing plastic, it can go toe-to-toe against fossil fuel-based foams. Forager Foam is water and fire-resistant, breathable, insulating, flexible and has good strength and bounce-back, which gives it potential to replace synthetics in many products besides clothing and footwear.
Ecovative states that the only by-products created from growing its foams are water, compost and a “small amount of CO2.”
Ecovative claims that Forager Foam is home compostable at the end of its life. It does not present any certifications to back up this claim at current, however, pure mycelium is known and celebrated for its ability to give back to nature in the form of compost.
The brand states that it can grow three million square feet (278,000 square metres) of material on one acre of land every year.

KEY PROPERTIES:

Breathable
Compostable
Fire-Resistant
Flexible
Lightweight
Regenerative
Strong
Water Repellent

INDUSTRY:

Beauty
Food & Beverage
Packaging
Textiles

AVAILABILITY:

Commercially Available

DIVE DEEPER:

Over 20 billion pairs of shoes are made every year and about 35% of the materials used are EVA and PVC.
EVA and PVC can take up to 1,000 years to decompose. With limited end-of-life options, footwear is highly likely to be incinerated or landfilled – one dumps more emissions into the atmosphere, the other offloads toxic chemicals into soil.
Using natural materials like mycelium to produce footwear components helps prevent synthetic materials from further damaging our environment.
Mycelium plays a crucial role in the stability of our planet, assisting trees in photosynthesis, sequestering carbon in the soil, and decomposing organic matter back into nutrients. It is also abundant and its ability for extensive growth can be replicated within laboratory or factory conditions.
New York-based Ecovative was launched in 2007. Forager Foam was launched in March 2021 and is the company’s second-generation mycelium material. It is naturally white and consistent in appearance and texture.
Ecovative’s mycelium is grown on “organic outputs of the agricultural industry” like corn husks, and what’s left at the end of the growing process becomes compost used to grow more plants.
To expedite the roll out and R&D of Forager Foam products, Ecovative launched the Forager Fashion Art and Design Programme (FFAD). The initiative gives students and independent designers first access to Forager Foam in order to develop prototype products. Outcomes of the programme include a portable baby nest and compostable slippers.
Ecovative’s existing brand and organisation partners include the Fashion For Good Cooperative, PVH Corp, Bestseller, Reformation, Pangaia, Vivobarefoot and Wolverine Worldwide.
The brand has collaborated in creating footwear, packaging, instruments, homeware, architecture, fashion accessories, food and beauty products.
In April 2021, Ecovative announced it had raised $60 million in a Series D round, which brought the total capital raised for the company to $100 million USD.
Ecovative is currently working towards a comprehensive LCA for all of its products.

Composting timeline of a mycelium sole / Source: Ecovative

Freshly grown mycelium foam / Source: Ecovative

KEY FACTS:

1,000 yrs

Footwear made from EVA and PVC can take up to 1,000 years to decompose

3mn sq ft

of mycelium material can be grown by Ecovative on one acre of land every year

9 days

Forager Foam can be grown in as little as nine days

Key Questions to Ask:

What finishes do you plan to use?

While mycelium is naturally compostable, synthetic finishes, coatings and dyes can compromise this ability. Can you explore alternatives such as vegetable-based waxes and coatings?

Can you disassemble your product?

Footwear in particular is notoriously difficult to disassemble. If you use conventional adhesives and manufacturing methods, your mycelium element may get lost to landfill. Consider how you might build disassembly into your design, following the lead of brands like Thousand Fell.

Can you close your manufacturing loop?

If you work with natural, raw materials elsewhere in your supply chain, is there a possibility that any organic waste created could act as a feedstock for your mycelium foam?

Are you promoting disposability?

Forager foam can be used for a variety of products, including those intended for long-term use. Take care in your communications not to rely too heavily upon compostability, therefore undermining the longevity and quality of your product.

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Forager Foam

WHAT WE SAY:

You’d be hard pressed to find a pair of sports shoes that don’t contain plastic foam. It’s everywhere, and it can last in the environment for hundreds of years as macro, micro and nano plastics.

WHAT IS FORAGER FOAM?

KEY PROPERTIES:

INDUSTRY:

AVAILABILITY:

Commercially Available

DIVE DEEPER:

Over 20 billion pairs of shoes are made every year and about 35% of the materials used are EVA and PVC.

EVA and PVC can take up to 1,000 years to decompose. With limited end-of-life options, footwear is highly likely to be incinerated or landfilled – one dumps more emissions into the atmosphere, the other offloads toxic chemicals into soil.

Using natural materials like mycelium to produce footwear components helps prevent synthetic materials from further damaging our environment.

Mycelium plays a crucial role in the stability of our planet, assisting trees in photosynthesis, sequestering carbon in the soil, and decomposing organic matter back into nutrients. It is also abundant and its ability for extensive growth can be replicated within laboratory or factory conditions.

New York-based Ecovative was launched in 2007. Forager Foam was launched in March 2021 and is the company’s second-generation mycelium material. It is naturally white and consistent in appearance and texture.

Ecovative’s mycelium is grown on “organic outputs of the agricultural industry” like corn husks, and what’s left at the end of the growing process becomes compost used to grow more plants.

Ecovative’s existing brand and organisation partners include the Fashion For Good Cooperative, PVH Corp, Bestseller, Reformation, Pangaia, Vivobarefoot and Wolverine Worldwide.

The brand has collaborated in creating footwear, packaging, instruments, homeware, architecture, fashion accessories, food and beauty products.

In April 2021, Ecovative announced it had raised $60 million in a Series D round, which brought the total capital raised for the company to $100 million USD.

Ecovative is currently working towards a comprehensive LCA for all of its products.

KEY FACTS:

1,000 yrs

3mn sq ft

9 days

Key Questions to Ask:

What finishes do you plan to use?

Can you disassemble your product?

Can you close your manufacturing loop?

Are you promoting disposability?

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