Ecovative Design

It all started out with a couple of grad students experimenting with mushrooms.

No really.

Ecovative Design is a company that grows packaging material. By packaging material, I'm talking those Styrofoam looking things in the picture below that keep your packages from getting banged up in transit. What you see on the right is the typical petroleum based expanded plastics (aka Styrofoam) and what you see on the left is a product, EcoCradle that functions exactly the same, minus the damaging effects to the environment.

From Ecovativedesign.com

What I know about Styrofoam or other similar petroleum based expanded plastics is that its cheap to make but really bad for you and the environment! To add some credibility to what I'm saying, read this Polystyrene Foam Report. Essentially, Styrofoam leeches out toxic chemicals, especially when heat is applied. Imagine this stuff getting burned in a landfill! Hell! Imagine what chemicals you're ingesting when you microwave your Cup of Noodles! What else? This stuff is made of petroleum which is a "non-sustainable and heavily polluting resource." AND poor animals ingest broken up pieces of Styrofoam which can choke or clog their digestive systems. Need I say more?


Anyway, so how does this work exactly?


Ecovative’s materials start as the inedible parts of plants that essentially have limited or no economic value. A magical blend of these products is inoculated with mycelium, a fungal network of threadlike cells. Then over 5-7 days with no light and no assistance, the mycelium grows around the agricultural by-products blend into any shape imaginable. Inside every cubic inch of EcoCradle, there’s a matrix of 8 miles of tiny mycelial fibers! At the end of the process, heat is applied to stop the growth so there will never be any spores. And when it comes time to throw away the EcoCradle packaging, composting; gardenin;, or throwing them away are all perfectly fine because our product is made of natural materials that belong in a healthy ecosystem.

According to its website, Ecovative’s  founding principle is a triple bottom line (YAY!). In addition to generating profits, the products are good for the environment and for those who use and make them.

Need proof of their awesomeness? Some of their main clients are Dell, Steelcase, US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Design, PUMA, 3M, and last year Ecovative Designs partnered with Ford to create "a fungus-based, biodegradable foam for automotive bumpers, side doors and dashboards". A lot of testing has to occur before we actually see this on the street, but what a cool idea. Even though the company has only been in existence since 2007, they have been winning award after award. See them all here!

Too lazy to read this post or want more details? Watch co-founder Eben Bayer explain it all here.