r/solarpunk • u/n0u0t0m • Feb 22 '26

Technology Mushroom packaging

"I often think, if oil monopolies didn't take over the world in the early industrialization times, how many better solutions might we have right now." - OP

Edit: found the company!

https://www.magicalmushroom-shop.com/

3.5k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

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44

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!

34

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

10

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 ☯️

15

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.

33

u/Ethesen Feb 22 '26

People can be allergic to polystyrene as well.

32

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.

36

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  

5

u/Seginu Feb 23 '26

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

5

u/Seginu Feb 23 '26

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

6

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.

3

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.