Mycelium

BeautyCompostableFood & BeverageForager FoamLightweightLow-CarbonMyceliumMycoCompositePackagingReishiRigidTextiles

WHAT WE SAY:

Mycelium is more than simply mushrooms. From the massive to the microscopic, it is absolutely everywhere. Pretty much all life on Earth is dependent on the branching structure that both literally and metaphorically connects everything together, and as a primary decomposer of biological matter, it is the biggest recycling system on the planet.

After hundreds of millions of years of working unseen, humans are starting to tap into its power, using mycelium for sustainable applications in every field you can imagine, from burgers and bricks to healthcare and handbags. Considering there are twice as many species of funga on the planet as plants, we have not even scratched the surface of what this miracle of nature can do.

Our one major caveat is that mycelium alone is a binary material that mostly needs others to help it become useful. Mycelium leather, for example, often uses petrochemical plastic in its manufacture. This is clearly not the right direction so we look forward to other uses - without the greenwash.

Haeckels’ mycelium packaging using agricultural waste / Source: Haeckels

WHAT IS MYCELIUM?

Sometimes dubbed 'nature’s internet,' mycelium is the branching network of fungal threads, or mushroom’s root system, that grows underground.
Mycelium is a vital stage in the funga lifecycle. When spores are released and find the right environmental conditions, they germinate into tubular filaments called hyphae. As the hyphae grow and branch, the connected mass of ‘roots’ is called mycelium. When one mycelium meets another, forming what is known as a dikaryotic mycelium, fruiting bodies or mushrooms, are created.
This network has multiple purposes in nature. It plays an important role in the decomposition of organic materials, such as cellulose and lignin. By releasing digestive enzymes, mycelium metabolises these compounds into soluble nutrients, such as sugars, nitrates and phosphates - essential elements for all living organisms, as well as healthy soils.
Its natural recycling capacity can be used for mycofiltration of chemical pollutants from soil and water too, while a process called mycoremediation enables mycelium to break down toxins, such as petroleum and pesticides into substances that generate life.
Mycelium also connects the roots of other plants, enabling them to share nutrients and information - sometimes known as the ‘Wood Wide Web.’ This network helps bind soil together, preventing it from becoming waterlogged or displaced by rain. The structural network can even be used to spread toxic chemicals, which kill off unwanted plants.
What's more, mycelium is one of the world’s largest carbon sinks and certain symbiotic funga can help store 70% more carbon in the soil. All of this equates to a magical system that many do not realise supports all life on earth.
In recent years, humans have started to tap into the incredible potential of mycelium for all sorts of applications, from agriculture and food, to the manufacture of textiles, building materials and packaging, and it is become a sought after alternative to single-use plastic.
Its power can be harnessed by selecting the appropriate strain of fungus, controlling various factors like temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide and airflow, and literally growing the tissue-like root system into desired shapes and use cases. The possibilities are endless. The properties of the final mycelium will vary depending on the fungus used, the culture conditions, environmental growth conditions and ‘post-processing’ methods.
A highly scalable raw material, mycelium grows incredibly quickly because its branch formation is exponential. Growing it requires land mass, however, as each mycelium mould needs its own space to grow and develop over a number of days or weeks. While this may not equate to the production rate of the materials it is replacing - such as styrofoam - the larger the scale, the more viable it becomes.
If not modified (and beware, right now it mainly is modified) mycelium is fully biodegradable and compostable under the correct conditions. Compatible with nature, raw mycelium can be added to home compost or soil and will break back down into core nutrients. It can be endlessly recycled and regrown indefinitely. A truly circular solution.

KEY PROPERTIES:

Compostable
Lightweight
Low-Carbon
Rigid

INDUSTRY:

Beauty
Food & Beverage
Packaging
Textiles

AVAILABILITY:

Commercially Available

DIVE DEEPER:

Scientists have discovered around 120,000 different types of funga to date, but there are an estimated two to four million on Earth in total. This opens the door to endless possibilities and functions for mycelium depending on the species used.
At present, strains of mycelium have been honed to replace animal-based Leather, formed into a substitute for foam packaging and building blocks, reconfigured as a meat-substitute and grown into furniture.
Investigations are at an early stage and ongoing, but research into how different funga feedstocks produce different mycelium properties is emerging. For example, research shows that 'Trametes hirsuta' (hairy bracket) fungus may result in improved flexibility and shape retention in water when compared to 'Pleurotus ostreatus' (oyster mushroom), due to differences in the underlying structure of their mycelium.
Very different results can be obtained depending on how the material is processed, too. For a mycelium-based leather alternative, mycelia is fed organic material and spread out on sheets under temperature and humidity controls to create a material that mimics a leather-like structure. The harvested mycelium is then tanned by the same processes used for animal hides, while embossing and dyeing can give you the right texture and colour. Note that very few companies can produce this without plastic.
According to Mycoworks, a leader in the mycelium leather space, mycelium naturally forms into a solid foam that can be compressed into a leather-like material. But this material does not match the properties of traditional leather. The company has pushed mycelium further to create Fine Mycelium, a strong, durable and high performing material that is created by growing mycelium cells into three dimensional structures that are densely entwined. Fashion house Hermès has used Fine Mycelium in its latest Victoria bag.
By contrast, to make a 'myco-brick,' or mycelium packaging, the chosen mycelium/feed mix is poured into an appropriate mould, which is then dried until it has the required strength. Mycelium is often mixed with a feedstock, such as agricultural waste or Hemp shiv to facilitate its growth and when combined with the right moisture, air and heat it will thrive, growing in and around this feedstock to ‘consume’ it, binding it all together to create a solid form. One mould equals one brick, one piece of packaging and so on.
Mycelium bricks are already being used in experimental construction projects. They are not nearly as strong as conventional bricks, being able to withstand only 0.2 MPa compared to around 28 MPa, though they are much lighter. They will likely be used for non load-bearing structures, such as interior walls and for insulation. Architect Dick Hebel and engineer Philippe Block, however, have also proven mycelium’s ability to be used in self-supporting structures. Their tree-shaped structure plays with geometries to demonstrate that through its form, rather than its strength, mycelium can be a stable construction tool.
Mycelium packaging is also gaining ground, and it’s been adopted by a number of luxury beauty brands, such as Wildsmith Skin and Haeckels. Mushroom branded packaging can be purchased or licensed as an alternative to polystyrene, and is said to decompose within 30 days when added to soil.
According to Wildsmith Skin, producing mycelium trays produces up to 90% less carbon compared to plastic ones, and it can grow 60 trays per week, although its supplier has the capacity to grow more. Notable design differences to plastic include the fact that no one mycelium pack will look the same as another, while mycelium cannot be grown with sharp edges.
According to a study in Nature Sustainability, the growth of mycelium is effectively carbon neutral, as it facilitates the capture and storage of carbon that would otherwise be emitted to, or remain, in the atmosphere.

KEY FACTS:

< 90%

The production of mycelium trays produces up to 90% less carbon than plastic ones.

420 million years

The age of the oldest fossilised fungi.

10%

Only 10% of the funga world has been discovered.

Key Questions to Ask:

Is the mycelium product or process you need currently available?

Mycelium has been around for hundreds of millions of years, but humans have only been knowingly harnessing that power for a few decades. It is a relatively young and experimental science with a significant amount of research and development involved in perfecting new use cases. There are already commercially available mycelium products in a number of sectors, so the off-the-shelf product may be ready for you. Otherwise there may still be some research and development required for your needs.

Will you need to educate your consumers on the benefits of mycelium?

Whether it is food or fashion, some consumers will be turned off by the idea of substituting their luxury leather or mouthwatering meat for mushrooms. Education on what mycelium is and how it can deliver a comparable quality of product with more sustainability may need to be a key part of your branding. Make the ‘imperfectly perfect’ aesthetic part of your story, showing that nature offers the only truly unique products.

If you are using mycelium to replace an existing substance in your supply chain, will you need new equipment to process it?

If you are switching out beef for mycelium burgers, you will be able to keep the same cooking equipment, but if you are swapping it in for PVC or leather to make handbags, that may not be the case. Similarly, using prefabricated mycelium bricks in place of a conventional alternative could be straightforward, but depending on your construction needs, you may also need different equipment and appropriate staff training before using it in the built environment. Factoring in cost and time implications will be required.

Is mycelium strong and durable enough for your needs?

Mycelium has a certain level of strength and durability, but scientists are still working on methods and processes for improving it. Whether it is building bricks or making clothes, you will need to make sure that the mycelium you harvest and process is suitable and strong enough.