How Mycelium Is Shaping Our Sustainable Future

*Could mushrooms take over the world? From curing diseases to substituting leather or plastic, mycelium has done just about it all!*

With its chameleon-like properties, mycelium, a root-like network that supports fungi colonies, is proving a potent solution to several climate conundrums, as recent research has uncovered.

Mycelium in tech

Batteries & computer chips

Doris Danninger and Roland Pruckner from Johannes Kepler Universität Linz in Austria are developing mushroom skins to replace plastics used in batteries and computer chips.

Textiles, paper and leather alternatives

Cotton, paper & leather?

Biotechnologist Akram Zamani and her colleagues at University of Borås in Sweden harnessed a bread-eating fungus that converts food waste into materials that resemble cotton, paper, and leather. This could be a game changer for the fashion industry, schools, businesses and more!

Building with fungi

Construction

Could fungi be the way to go for a low-carbon construction industry?

Mycelium also has excellent thermal and acoustic properties that make them a great choice for several construction projects.

Whether it is insulating housing, creating fire-resistant structures, or constructing soundproof music studios, mycelium offers an array of opportunities.

Researchers from the UK’s Newcastle University and Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium teamed up to grow their own strain of fungus known as myocrete, which can be used for lightweight construction.

Meanwhile, in Australia, experts at RMIT University engineered mycelium so that it can be used as a sustainable fire-retardant material for building insulation or as a leather substitute.

We’d also like to give a shout out to the brands Ecovative and Myceen who are already producing mycelium-based sustainable construction materials set to replace existing carbon-intensive practices.

What non-biodegradable materials would you like to see replaced by mycelium? We’d love to hear from you with your ideas!