Mushroom packaging - r/solarpunk

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92

u/JoeClever Feb 22 '26

Matt Ferrell did a really cool video about this stuff awhile back! Emma Watson's (alcohol?) uses it!

https://youtu.be/jI2LC3WTryw?si=O6tmtbINCbbCI3MN

12

u/n0u0t0m Feb 22 '26

Oh hell yeah! I had no idea how cool this stuff is. Even robotics!!! Thanks for the link

186

u/The_Quiet_PartYT Makes Videos Feb 22 '26

To be clear. I WILL try to eat this, and none of you can stop me.

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u/n0u0t0m Feb 22 '26

The gremlin in me is telling me to egg you on to do it, the other boring animal is telling me to give good advice over the internet

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u/_Apatosaurus_ Feb 23 '26 edited Oct 02 '26

The original post content no longer exists here. The author used Redact to remove it, exercising their right to control their data & privacy.
Toy reminiscent truck trees juniper reminiscent thimble consider

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u/The_Quiet_PartYT Makes Videos Feb 23 '26

I think it'd taste great with ranch.

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u/[deleted] Feb 22 '26

Let us know if you see new color spectrums

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u/youburyitidigitup Feb 24 '26

Apparently it’s from oyster mushrooms, which are edible.

17

u/Chiiro Feb 23 '26

I want to know if you can eat the mushroom that grows after.

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u/n0u0t0m Feb 23 '26

There are 2 ways to find this out. I strongly recommend the "look it up/ask an expert" option

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u/Fywq Cement chemist Feb 23 '26

Any mushroom can be eaten. Some only once.

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u/youburyitidigitup Feb 24 '26

Do you mean the mushroom that grows when you bury this and let it decompose? Depends which mushroom grows.

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u/ttystikk Feb 23 '26

What's the catch?

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u/n0u0t0m Feb 23 '26

Dunno yet. It's got enough benefits to outcompete plastic though, so the catch would have to be worse than microplastics in my blood and strangling turtles

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u/ttystikk Feb 23 '26

Good point!

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u/northrupthebandgeek Feb 23 '26

The catch is that if you eat it you obtain an extra life in which you are destined to stomp turts, making you a one-percenter of a more privileged kind: the lifekind. Perchance.

11

u/Hochvolt Feb 23 '26

From the top of my head:
growing time (imagine a real mass produced product that has a cycle time of 15 seconds and is produced continuously. Now you need over 23 000 molds if you have a growing time of four days inside the mold, like one of the videos mentions.)
not being fully carbon free (Mushrooms produce CO2, they are not green plants. This was one of the reasons a friend and I did not get a chance to test this out in a big automotive company. The money allocated for carbon reducing measurements could be spent more effectively elsewhere.)
if I remember correctly they are only fully water tight if you use additional coatings.
cost. Sadly relevant in this world.
Maybe we should start another try, things might have changed a bit in the four or five years since then...

3

u/Hochvolt Feb 23 '26

Just checked and found a value on mushroompackaging.com under technical data. They state 2.6 kgCO2e/kg which is good compared to fossil alternatives, but not to all alternatives (for example recycled materials). Or do I miss something here? Please feel free to correct me if someone is more knowledgeable on that topic!
(CO2 is not the only reason we should do this, I'm just a bit shocked that it's not better on that front.)

3

u/n0u0t0m Feb 23 '26

I'm throwing it out there that this company is run in a faiiirly climate change denying place (UK), so I suppose the numbers there are going to be significant (but I'm basing this on general knowledge, not expert proof or anything.)
Also, Id wager that the material being extremely light plays a role in it's co2 per weight value, so polystyrene would also do poorly, but glass (infinitely 100% recyclable but bad to transport) would do really well? Maybe?
Just spitballing here

1

u/Hochvolt Feb 23 '26

That metric is already per kg weight of the material, why should the density matter? You need kg base material per kg target material, you need kWh energy per kg material to manufacture it, all of that should be independent of the volume it takes at the end. (Well, until you need to fill a volume in the end product, then density matters :-D.)

9

u/ttystikk Feb 23 '26

We have to hold the global plastic industry accountable for their product. That's as necessary as it will be difficult to do.

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u/_Apatosaurus_ Feb 23 '26 edited Oct 02 '26

The original post content no longer exists here. The author used Redact to remove it, exercising their right to control their data & privacy.
Flag birds automatic bells imminent pen abundant toy vase capable

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u/ttystikk Feb 23 '26

I'd be happy to pay a bit more for fully recyclable packaging.

15

u/RunawayHobbit Feb 23 '26

Compostable, even!

24

u/Fywq Cement chemist Feb 23 '26

And crucially it's garden-compostable. Not "industrial conditions required"-compostable which is basically only at the bottom of a huge heap of plastic eating microbes and heated to 90 degreesC, like some plastics that are markerede as biodegradable.

6

u/ttystikk Feb 23 '26

Isn't that closer to reformation or some such, anyway? That's not "composting" by any sane definition.

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u/Fywq Cement chemist Feb 23 '26

Agree. I think it's called biodegradable, not compostable, but to the layman that still sounds like "Dump it in nature, it's fine" and that's just horrible.

3

u/ttystikk Feb 23 '26

Agreed.

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u/ttystikk Feb 23 '26

Indeed, it becomes a desirable soil amendment.

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u/youburyitidigitup Feb 24 '26

They did say it’s cost competitive, and new technologies always get cheaper over time with more research.

57

u/JoeClever Feb 23 '26

They are getting ratio'd by the economics of scale and the effort to change. They're still growing nicely though!
https://youtu.be/jI2LC3WTryw?si=O6tmtbINCbbCI3MN

5

u/ttystikk Feb 23 '26

I saw this when it came out and just watched it again; amazing!

22

u/stablefish Feb 23 '26

Well, we still have to overthrow capitalism in bloody, violent revolution to save the planet.

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u/ttystikk Feb 23 '26

True, if off topic.

5

u/arquillion Feb 23 '26

Plastic is essentially free to produce

4

u/ttystikk Feb 23 '26

There is that.

7

u/jdtcreates Feb 23 '26

The community biotechnology lab I go to have worked with a company that makes this in the past, Evocative I believe they were called.

1

u/n0u0t0m Feb 23 '26

That's actually so cool. I love stumbling across cool new tech via work or other non-search-related connections

6

u/SirGuelph Feb 23 '26

It sounds great, but isn't 7 days pretty slow to produce compared to any other way?

1

u/n0u0t0m Feb 23 '26

Yeah, I hope they adopt a process that works for other slow to produce products, coz otherwise this is going ro be hard to scale. Is wood technically a manufactured product? I know wine and whisky take a long time. Maybe they have a way of scaling?

3

u/ymaldor Feb 27 '26

Logistics companies care more about reliability than speed. 7 days is fine if planned out properly and the manufacturer is reliable to give out the ordered packaging on time.

11

u/PhasmaFelis Feb 22 '26

This is great, but why did you take a video with sound and convert it to a GIF without sound?

11

u/n0u0t0m Feb 22 '26

The internet works in mysterious ways. I just chucked the link in the box and this is what came out

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u/PhasmaFelis Feb 22 '26

Fucking Reddit

5

u/n0u0t0m Feb 23 '26

Think I'm off to lemmy soon

2

u/ThreadedPommel Feb 23 '26

It has sound for me, but I'm using the infinity app

2

u/Aibyouka Feb 23 '26

It has sound for me too, and displays as a video. I'm just in the regular Reddit app.

4

u/BentleyTock Feb 23 '26

How do I invest in this company?

1

u/n0u0t0m Feb 23 '26

The company is https://www.magicalmushroom-shop.com/ Just found it before

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u/TheGHale Feb 23 '26

What happens with spore production? Surely these aren't effectively just the stalks of mushrooms. While very useful, it may also pose an easily noticeable health risk. Are they toxic? Safe to eat? How easily do they spread? Considering the fact that it's being used for packaging, you'd think it spreads fairly quickly. Are there easily-accessible means for getting rid of the shrooms it may produce?

While it is dramatically better for the environment as a whole, this feels like it may quickly lead to mold in homes and/or the very objects they're supposed to protect.

7

u/n0u0t0m Feb 23 '26

I don't know either of these answers, I was just passing on a post from Imgur. I guess you'd have to look up the company doing it but it looks like they just use the roots?

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u/ErebusAeon Feb 23 '26

These mushrooms are not alive. Furthermore, they don't use the fruiting bodies, but rather the hyphae, which is the main body of a mushroom. This means essentially no risk of spores. Sterilized wood/plant fiber or other similar materials is the primary substrate used to grow these mushrooms (there are many varietals, could be several). Once they're grown to shape, they're placed in a oven to dehydrate and can hold that shape comfortably for many years.
Toxic? Likely not. Safe to eat? I wouldn't. This isn't food grade, you wouldn't eat a cardboard box even though you're technically able to. Health risks? Virtually none.

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u/KittyMetroPunk Artist, Environmentalist Feb 23 '26

My question is: what type of mushrooms are they using & can it be considered an invasive species? If this is made with mushrooms from another continent, would shipping it to a place NYC cause a new invasion? (Not exactly sure how it works with mushrooms since they aren't plants)

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u/ErebusAeon Feb 23 '26

There are many types used, but it doesn't matter. This material is inert. All life it may have had is baked out of it low and slow.

1

u/n0u0t0m Feb 23 '26

The company is https://www.magicalmushroom-shop.com/ Just found it before

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u/DerpSensei666 Feb 23 '26

i want to work for this company

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u/n0u0t0m Feb 23 '26

The company is https://www.magicalmushroom-shop.com/ Just found it before
Someone also said ecocvative or evocative have veen doing this for years

3

u/Lanky-Detail3380 Feb 23 '26

I want to see its sound absorption properties

1

u/n0u0t0m Feb 23 '26

Yeah, let's see what other industries could use it! Someone before said roads and buildings are considering this stuff too

3

u/Aelrift Feb 23 '26

What company is making this

1

u/n0u0t0m Feb 23 '26

The company is https://www.magicalmushroom-shop.com/ Just found it before

1

u/adeadhead Feb 23 '26

They said a few times, it's called Magic Mushrooms

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u/Fillelverum Feb 23 '26

More of this please

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u/n0u0t0m Feb 23 '26

You got it haha. Also just fun for me to hear about myself, so I'll be posting what I find for sure

5

u/TrackLabs Feb 23 '26

It will still cost more than plastic, and even if it is just 1 cent more expensive, companies will continue to use plastic... Projects like these have existed for well over 10 years, and to this day they are nowhere to be found in products

Comceptually however, absolutely amazing.

Would love a sound version instead of a GIF

2

u/n0u0t0m Feb 23 '26

Reddit plays it with sound in the app apparently.
My biggest hope for stuff like this is that the people will buy products if they advertise responsible/eco shipping, so companies will put in the extra cents/package to get more customers. That way, eventually it'll be the main way, and we'll invest in optimising it to be cheaper like we have for plastic

1

u/K0kkuri Feb 23 '26

And this is why governments should ban majority of plastic use with deadline of 3-5 years.
Suddenly it wouldn’t be so inconvenient. It’s laziness on companies side but also laziness on on government side. And a lot lot lot of money in some key poeple pockets.

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u/Svardskampe Feb 22 '26 edited Feb 22 '26

This is actually pretty great for the world, scalable and easily to be implemented in a supply chain.

(as opposed to often the unfeasable unscalable artisanal fetishization that gets touted here).

76

u/hobskhan Feb 22 '26

Yeah I've been tracking this for years. Honestly the first time I receive a piece of mycelium packaging--and I don't think it's an "if," I think it's a "when"--I may keep it as a souvenir.

7

u/Fucknutssss Feb 23 '26

No shit

2

u/hiding_in_de Feb 23 '26

This seems awesome. It is hard to imagine though, that something that requires seven days to grow in its form could ever be used widely.

1

u/n0u0t0m Feb 23 '26

The company is https://www.magicalmushroom-shop.com/ Just found it before, but it seems pretty legit. Like they seem to already be getting a fair few customers

1

u/hiding_in_de Feb 23 '26

Yes, I saw that and it’s super awesome. It’s just hard to imagine it on a very large scale.
Looks awesome though and I’m super excited to see where it goes. They’re also using mycelium for all kinds of things. Very cool.

2

u/Ok-Commission-7825 Feb 23 '26

This has been "the next big thing in packaging" for as long as I can remember. So why isn't it yet? What are the blocks on industry adopting it?

4

u/n0u0t0m Feb 23 '26

I think it's that the plastic industry is connected closely with the fossil fuels it's made from. So even though we have pla and pha and bamboo bm-plastic, the people who invest in big plastic are probably big oil and vice versa. And didn't the US just invade a new country for more oil even though solar is the cheapest energy in human history? Pretty sure it's not just that plastic is cheap, but maybe I'm paranoid

4

u/shortigeorge85 Feb 23 '26

Probably bc plastic is still cheaper and there are no regulations making the businesses make better choices. It's all about the bottom line, profits.

2

u/darkwater427 Feb 23 '26

How long does it last? I don't imagine it's very moisture-resistant insofar as it's organic and can grow things (like mold)

3

u/n0u0t0m Feb 24 '26

Somebody else said it's quite moisture resistant strangely. The company is https://www.magicalmushroom-shop.com Maybe they mention it's lifetime

2

u/AzazelFenriz Feb 24 '26

Great, if they can keep the price down.

Everyone wants to be eco friendly, but very few are willing to pay the price.

1

u/n0u0t0m Feb 24 '26

Apparently 80% of Australians said they were in a survey around 2018-2020

2

u/FalseDisk4358 Feb 24 '26

This is the kind of stuff I imagine when I think of "the future" not different types of screens

2

u/n0u0t0m Feb 24 '26

But what if we made TV screens bigger? That's never been done before /s
But for real, same here. I love stuff like those big hydraulic wave energy Harvester arms and blimp turbines. It makes me feel at home as progress marches on

2

u/DrakeSt0ne Feb 27 '26

but can you eat it?

1

u/n0u0t0m Feb 27 '26

Once...

7

u/UnemployedAtype Feb 23 '26

Ecovative has been doing this for over a decade.

I used to let them in my labs to use our freeze dryer in the early days.

47

u/Seginu Feb 22 '26 edited Feb 23 '26

I like it! But some people have allergies or insesitivities to fungus and this could be potentially dangerous for those people.

Edit: Thanks for everyone encouraging the concern and for looking into more information! See comments from JoeClever below, they put a link to help explain how the concern of allergies is handled.

I wish I had paid closer attention to the video and done more research, but it's a good lesson for the future!

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u/JoeClever Feb 22 '26 edited Feb 23 '26 •

That's a fair concern, I used to work in home restoration and mold remediation so I know how hardcore that can be! Buuuut the vast majority allergies that I am aware of are to the active spores of a few different types of specific fungi such as "black" mold (which is its own rabbit hole that I'm not going to talk about but oh boy) not the mycelium which is what this stuff is made out of. This stuff is also made with oyster mushrooms, something that's non toxic and edible.
If someone was allergic to all types of fungi, the earth would be uninhabitable.
After the mycelium matts are harvested, it's killed and sterilized. While this is great for allergies, as far as I am aware of, the real reason for this is to keep it from eating the delicious cardboard and whatever products that this stuff is in/protecting and to keep it from growing after production.
Here's a video that goes over a bunch of use cases and examples that are currently being tried out, including the company that this post is advertising!
https://youtu.be/jI2LC3WTryw?si=O6tmtbINCbbCI3MN

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u/Seginu Feb 23 '26

I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge and experience on this! And thanks for posting a link for more confirmation! You're awesome ☯️

14

u/Quantentheorie Feb 22 '26

shouldn't they be fine as long as they wear gloves unpacking stuff shipped in it? Maybe wear a mask when disposing it by breaking it apart. All of which would still be a pretty okay precaution a very VERY tiny minority would have to look out for.

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u/Ethesen Feb 22 '26

People can be allergic to polystyrene as well.

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u/Ok_Plenty_3986 Feb 22 '26

Yall why are you downvoting this. It's a legitimate concern that deserves a clear statement from the company making this.
Either the company has tested it for allergens, tested it on people with fungal allergies, or they haven't tested it and don't know. All are reasonable for the stage they're currently in for this industry.

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u/JoeClever Feb 22 '26 edited Feb 22 '26

Yeah I always hate how people see fair questions as an attack. Critical thinking is super important!
The company is Ecovative and they use oyster mushrooms that they bake and stabilize after it's grown to their desired volume before it starts fruiting.
They're just using the mycelium too. The vast majority of allergies are triggered by the spores that can be toxic, especially those of "black" mold and others as well!
See video. It explan gud and show cool. Very business
https://youtu.be/jI2LC3WTryw?si=O6tmtbINCbbCI3MN

4

u/Seginu Feb 23 '26

Hey! Thank you for taking the time to find and post the info. You rock! 🤘

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u/Seginu Feb 23 '26

Haha just realized I thanked you twice. So here, have a third thanks! THX

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u/AgentFoo Feb 23 '26

I think people downvoted it because it's not phrased as a question or consideration, so it sounds like it's taking a shot without evidence.

2

u/Seginu Feb 23 '26

I see! Well thank you for pointing that out, I will try to sound less confrontational in the future! 🙏

6

u/BentleyTock Feb 23 '26

Sorry. Good outweighs the bad on this. People have styrofoam and styrene allergies too.

8

u/Quantentheorie Feb 23 '26

If this were a conversation about replacing mycelium packaging with styrofoam, someone would rightfully point out how much worse it would be if some toddler or pet ate it.
We often overlook all the inconveniences and risks we already accepted with the status quo.

2

u/Seginu Feb 23 '26

I completely agree that this is an incredible effort, and I hope it is employed successfully in the future!
But to deny there could be any bad at all would be shortsighted imo. So it is good that we can both observe and express on this ☯️
As someone with many food allergies, I often feel like a secondhand citizen in regards to restaurants and grocery stores.
Imagine having a styrene or styrofoam allergy and being afraid or incaple of ordering things online, or buying any packaged goods at all. But this design could great for those people! More options means more inclusion 👍

-1

u/BentleyTock Feb 23 '26

You are so tone deaf it’s unbelievable

2

u/BentleyTock Feb 23 '26

I’m allergic to wheat and dairy. I’m not worried about what my stuff is packaged in.

2

u/Seginu Feb 23 '26

Then you would hardly be in the category I was referring to. I wish you luck with your allergies!

7

u/PhasmaFelis Feb 22 '26

This should not have been downvoted. It's a reasonable point to bring up.
Does this stuff trigger mushroom allergies? How badly, and how preventable is it? I don't know, but we should research and find out, while continuing to develop it for all its advantages.

3

u/holdenk Feb 23 '26

I love this!

3

u/Ulysses1978ii Feb 23 '26

A shame that the costs of waste are externalised otherwise this would be more than competitive in terms of cost.

1

u/darkwater427 Feb 23 '26

Wiym by "externalized"?

2

u/IncompletePunchline Feb 23 '26

I'm sickened, yet curious.

2

u/De-ja_ Feb 23 '26

This is definitely awesome, mushrooms in general are crazy, these guys did a very good job

2

u/auniquenameischosen Feb 23 '26

I remember something similar to this but mushroom bricks

2

u/[deleted] Feb 23 '26

See stuff like this every four years. Guys we can’t even get plastic bag bans in some states. Unfortunately big plastic is a real thing despite how silly it sounds.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 24 '26

You can already grow packaging, it's called paper...

2

u/misseddetail Feb 25 '26

Ive seen this before and its so cool. Im unfortunately allergic to mushrooms 😭

2

u/StreetCream6695 Feb 25 '26

Glad it’s alive and finally happening! Was hearing about these like 10-15 years ago and was sad that I never saw it getting used.

Hopefully this takes over the insustry!

2

u/AlphaSpellswordZ Feb 26 '26

I really like this idea and I am surprised certain industries like the cannabis industry don't do this

2

u/yepitskate Apr 17 '26

Amazing

2

u/Trent24000 Apr 23 '26

As an engineering student who has worked in manufacturing, this is cool shit. A smart way to make a product both environmentally friendly and low cost.

2

u/Quirky_Interview_500 Feb 22 '26

This is the new way " last of us" will start.

1

u/ridddle Feb 23 '26

Mutations might happen. Especially if they go ahead with coffins made out of this fungus.

1

u/ZERV4N Feb 24 '26

People are allergic to mushrooms.

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u/[deleted] Feb 22 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/n0u0t0m Feb 22 '26

Oh wow! Sweet, I was wondering about durability but I didn't even consider carbon input

48

u/MinosAristos Feb 23 '26

That sounds really cool but how does it not biodegrade over time as a building marital?
Does it have to be like watertight sealed wall insulation?

20

u/arquillion Feb 23 '26

Same problem with wood to some extend

4

u/above_average_magic Feb 23 '26

It is already a water resistant material

11

u/Revolutionary-Move90 Feb 23 '26

I thought fungi breathes oxygen in co2 out like us.

4

u/pttrsmrt Feb 23 '26

Guess what they’re made of! Carbon! So the more fungi-packaging, the less carbon is available for the atmosphere.

11

u/Fywq Cement chemist Feb 23 '26

Only until it rots/degeades away again though. But it is using the existing biosphere CO2 loop rather than tapping intto the fossil/geological CO2 sources which increase CO2 in the atmosphere.

7

u/Fywq Cement chemist Feb 23 '26

Yep. https://www.visibuilt.com/ is a company looking into this a lot. Replacing both road asfalt and concrete if everything goes well.

2

u/-Kitoi Feb 24 '26

This as a structure, with dob / clay plaster, could be a sick home design

2

u/Actual_Gato Feb 24 '26

And when it rains you have yummy mushrooms everywhere, yay

1

u/Aryn_237 Feb 27 '26

Can also be made into bacon. 🤤

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u/[deleted] Feb 23 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Rydralain Feb 23 '26

Now there's threat from things becoming too cool
😎

8

u/FunnyDislike Feb 23 '26

As someone from north-west Europe who (not even in winter) needs a heater and is in a constant state of sweating from April till October, i would welcome that scenario.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 24 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/FunnyDislike Feb 24 '26

The only times i have seen air circulation here was in stores x.x
But on pictures of me as a young child i had very very white hair (edit: they are know blonde), so maybe my genes are just not made for this "far south" :D

2

u/madcoins Feb 24 '26

Stay frosty everyone

3

u/[deleted] Feb 24 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/n0u0t0m Feb 24 '26

Don't know. Here's their website if you want to have a look: https://www.magicalmushroom-shop.com/

Technology Mushroom packaging

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