Mycelium: The Future of Eco-friendly Packaging Material
In the era of environmental awareness, the use of polystyrene foam in the delivery package is on high pace.
This foam has been constantly being used in the delivery package since its discovery in 1944. It provides the best safety level for essential products that can help in saving them while delivery.
As a material, this foam is incredible. But the impact of polystyrene foam on the environment is problematic. Since it takes a much longer time to completely biodegrade.
To overcome the challenges of the foam and provide a better solution for the packaging, mycelium is making its way into the market.
Let’s learn about mycelium materials in-depth, their application, and their advantages to understand this material in-depth.
Introduction to Mycelium
Mycelium belongs to the fungi kingdom and to the network of thread- like structures known as hyphae (the part from where mushrooms grow). The hyphae are produced using agricultural waste combined with root structures.
Mostly mycelium is found in forests and open fields. The hyphae, from where mycelium is formed release several enzymes that help in breaking down the food sources for the use of the organism. There are different varieties of mycelia found: some are microscopic, whereas some can span over thousands of acres.
As per recent research, there are more than 14,000 species of mushrooms and mycelia found in the world.
There are certain varieties of mycelia that can be found only in specific regions. As fungi are neither plant nor animal, these interesting and versatile organisms are said to be crucial members of the ecosystems which help in multiple activities.
Mycelium can be done for varieties of things such as scaffolding and developing organic plastic. Currently, mycelium materials are used mostly in the place of polystyrene foam for packaging purposes.
Mycelium is easy to make, and lightweight in nature. These two elements are favourable and most required by the packaging companies. It is an inexpensive and reliable material that can be used by several packaging manufacturers in place of other foams resulting to environmental problems.
What Makes the Mycelium Materials Beneficial?
There are several benefits of using the mycelium materials in place of polystyrene foam for packaging such as:
- Strong and Biodegradable
The demand of consumers is constantly moving towards the adoption of eco-friendly materials, but reliability and strength are yet necessary elements of the products.
Using mycelium materials can help in providing the required strength and easy to biodegrade capabilities compared to other packaging materials.
- Versatile Material
Several types of useful products can be created using mycelium’s material foam base. From outdoor jackets to shoes and insoles, mycelium can be used for multiple applications.
- Abundant, Inexpensive, and Sustainable
The most required item for the development of mycelium is farm waste, which is readily available everywhere.
Mycelium hyphae are even plentiful and renewable — and the whole production of mycelium foam is affordable and cost-competitive compared to polystyrene foam.
Market Insight of Mycelium
With the increasing focus towards achieving zero emissions, there has been a constant shift towards eco-friendly and sustainable products that are bringing significant financial and sale opportunities to the mycelium market.
This shift has been more in the beverage and food industry in the region such as Europe and North America.
As per the BIS Research reports, the global mycelium market value was at $2.48 billion in 2020, which is assumed to touch $3.84 billion by 2026, with a CAGR of 7.7%.
The major factor pushing the growth of the mycelium market is the rising demand for eco-friendly alternatives and several governments regulations.
Moreover, the use of mycelium materials for packaging has resulted in a high impact on the Styrofoam and plastic industry. Companies such as IKEA and Dell have already adopted mycelium packaging materials for their products. Cosmetics companies have also started using mycelium packaging materials due to their leakproof and strength properties.
Common applications of the Mycelium
Packaging is said to be the main application of mycelium materials. But there are several other potential uses of these materials. Researchers have started testing several ways for using this versatile mycelium material and find their unique abilities for creating better medicine, biofuels, packaging materials, and other products used in daily life.
Mycelium materials can also be placed with building materials to make them stronger, lighter, and fire-resistant. It provided the world with endless opportunities and sustainable solutions that can be used by many industries.
Conclusion
In the future, there will be many more products of mycelium that will help in reducing environmental issues. Consumers are much more aware today and the demand for eco-friendly materials is constantly getting high.
Especially the packaging sector can be highly benefited by the mycelium material and likely to replace several types of foam used in the packaging.
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