Mushrooms wrap up plastic
packaging
Challenge: A lightweight, strong
biodegradable packaging to replace polystyrene
Natural solution: Mushroom
mycelium (phylum Basidiomycota)
Packaging has become a huge part of our lives.
Almost all of the items we purchase come wrapped, often in
plastic film, surrounded by pellets or enveloped in
polystyrene. But now a natural, biodegradable packaging is
available that is literally grown!

EcoCradleTM,
‘mushroom packaging’, launched by Ecovative Design in
2010, is grown, using fungi cultured on a medium of husks,
hulls and woody biomass of different agricultural wastes including
rice, soy and cotton. These waste materials are the substrate
to which the fungal mycelium, essentially the root system of the
fungus, is added. As the mycelium grows through the waste it
secretes enzymes which decompose the waste – these two processes
bind and convert the waste into a structured, cohesive
product1.

Mycelium from the phylum
Basidiomycota (a group that includes mushrooms and
toadstools, bracket fungi, puffballs, rusts and smuts, amongst
others) are used to grow the packaging. As different species
of Basidomycota display different characteristics, the
exact species used in producing the packaging is dependent upon the
specific packaging requirements, e.g., thickness or
strength1. The final stage of the production
process stabilises the fungus, in effect stopping further growth
and preventing fungal spores being produced2. In a
controlled environment mushroom packaging can be grown within one
week.

EcoCradleTM has proved to be as
lightweight, strong and durable as its petroleum-based plastic
counterpart. It offers thermal and physical protection
comparable to polystyrene packaging, as well as displaying flame
resistant and insulating properties. These unique features
have led to it being also used as house insulation.
Steelcase
Inc is one company already using EcoCradleTM
packaging to protect their furniture products during
shipment.
Why do we need alternative packaging
options?
Plastic accounts for over 50% of all retail
packaging3. Relatively cheap, lightweight, strong,
and durable, plastic is a versatile material that can be moulded
into many different shapes, thickness, size and
colours4. It is increasingly replacing many
traditional materials, such as wood, glass, metal, ceramic, and
paper, in a variety of uses. In 2009, 230 million
tonnes of plastic was produced globally for use in a wide variety
of applications from motor vehicle components to plastic bags
drinking cups, foam pellets and rigid moulded packaging5,
6. In 2008 the European Union generated 15.6 million
tonnes of plastic, UNEP estimates that each person in
Europe uses 100kg of plastic materials annually, and this is
estimated to reach 140kg by 20157.
Plastic manufacture impacts the environment in
many ways. Apart from contributing to the depletion of fossil
fuel resources8, plastics production uses and creates
large quantities of chemical pollutants, such as bisphenol
A(BPA)9, styrene, benzene — a known carcinogen, and
dioxins, all of which may contaminate water, air or soil10,
8. Potentially harmful emissions, released during
manufacture or breakdown in the environment, include heavy metals,
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAHs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), sulphur oxides and dust
which can contribute to ozone depletion, smog, acid rain, and
increased levels of carcinogens in our environment8, 11.
Most plastics continue to be an environmental
hazard after use. The majority of plastic packaging is not
biodegradable and some will remain in the environment for many
hundreds of years.

Shipped around the world, much plastic has
been discarded into the sea as well as into landfills. Once
at sea the plastic floats, only slowly breaking down through the
affect of the sun and the waves into ever smaller pieces.
Ocean currents have caused the waste to collect in specific regions
and in 1997 the ‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch’ was discovered in the
north Pacific10. Since then four more floating
plastic ‘islands’ have been found in the world’s oceans.
An estimated 80-90%12, 4, 10
of all marine debris is plastic,
and whether a recognisable product or microscopic particles it
endangers virtually all marine life12. To the
extent it enters the food chain, it can potentially affect humans
as well. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
identified plastic pollution as one of two key emerging issues in
global environmental protection7. New research
reported in UNEP’s 2011 Year Book, suggests that plastic broken
down in the oceans into small fragments, together with pellets
discharged by industry may absorb a range of toxic chemicals linked
to cancer and impacts the reproductive processes of humans and
wildlife7. In particular UNEP raises the issue of
persistent, bio-accumulating and toxic substances associated with
plastic marine waste that cause chronic effects through endocrine
disruption, mutagenicity and carcinogenicity. The potential
threats to human and ecosystem health increases as the toxins move
up the food chain7. UNEP calls for more research
into the impact of plastics in the marine environment.
The benefits of mushroom
packaging

Production of EcoCradleTM
packaging material from mycelia and waste reportedly
uses only 12% of the energy normally required in the
manufacture of plastic packaging at the same time reducing
carbon emissions by up to 90%1. This huge carbon
and energy saving is achieved by the use of renewable resources in
‘growing’ the packaging and the minimal emissions resulting from
less energy used in the production process. Being an all
natural biodegradable product once no longer useful this innovative
packaging can easily be discarded into a compost bin or shredded
for distribution directly on the soil. It decomposes
within 30-90 days, returning nutrients to the
environment9.
In addition to these environmental benefits, this new approach
to packaging creates economic opportunities for rural communities
by transforming former agri-waste products, and possibly burdens on
local landfill facilities, into potential sources of farm
revenue.
Economic potential
Packaging is the single largest
consumer of plastic accounting for 40% of this
€300billion-a-year industry in Europe6. Globally
packaging industry sales, worth approximately US $429 billion in
200913, is projected to rise to US $539 billion by
201414. The global market for sustainable
packaging, which includes bio-plastics (see Box 1) and packaging
made from plants, is estimated to reach US $142.42 billion by
201515. Currently, the bio-plastics market amounts
to just 1% of standard petrochemical-based polymer plastic
sales. However the bio-plastics market is projected to reach
125,000 tonnes in 2010 with a market value projected at US
$454m16. Historically, the cheap price of oil has
lead to limited development of this market, however, as oil prices
continue to rise, the demand for environmentally friendly products
grows, and polluters are forced to pay for the environmental
damages they cause, the price gap between plastic and alternative
packaging products will narrow.
Box 1. Buyer beware!
There is no clear definition of the term bio-plastics.
Bio-plastic means different things to different people. The common
understanding is that bio-plastics are made of renewable resources
and are completely biodegradable17, but this is not
necessarily the case.
Biodegradable or compostable
plastic is different from degradable plastic, which is a
conventional plastic with an additive that helps it break down over
a very long periods of time. Four facts serve to make this a very
tricky issue.
- Bio-based plastics are not always
biodegradable.
- Biodegradable plastics are not always made of
renewable resources.
- Traditional petroleum based plastics can be
biodegradable.
- Not all biodegradable materials are
compostable18
A bio-based plastic is a plastic derived from a
renewable source, but many bio-based plastics can also a contain
significant amount of petroleum products.
Bio-based materials are made entirely or
partly from biomass. Biomass comes from animals or plants that can
be rapidly re-grown. This excludes fossil fuels from being
called bio-based, even though technically they are made
from plants and animals from the distant past. Chemicals made
from starch, plant products, and insulation made from sheep’s wool
are bio-based materials.
Bottom line: Check your
packaging carefully for the appropriate disposal method.
Source: NNFCC Newsletter – Issue 16.
Understanding Bio-based Content
|
While little information is available on the
economic costs of marine litter19, it does present
serious socio-economic impacts on various sectors and
authorities19. A report by Hall (2000) found that
local communities and businesses were faced with substantial costs
and polluters were not being made to pay for their actions.
In 2004 UK local authorities, industry and coastal communities
spend almost £14 million cleaning up marine litter 16,
7. These costs are even greater when other impacts are
considered; for example, costs to the Shetland community have been
considered to be upwards of £5.6 million per year when beach
cleaning, costs incurred by aquaculture, power generation, farming,
fishing, harbours and lifeboat launches are
included16.
Is totally natural packing
feasible?
Using plant-based bio-plastics or sustainable
packaging, such as mushroom packaging, removes carbon dioxide from
the atmosphere as the plants/fungi grow. The carbon becomes
incorporated into the structure of the plants/fungi and this is
held onto as the plant/fungi become part of the packaging. At
the end of the packaging materials' life, the packaging, can be
recycled or composted, the carbon being released back to the
atmosphere or soil. Hence this product produces no net
increase of global carbon. There is an increasing range of
renewable-resource-based alternatives (see Box 2), primarily from
corn, sugar cane and starch but also bamboo, algae, seaweed, cashew
nuts, and byproducts from biofuel manufacture, as well as new
packaging solutions such as mushroom packaging. The long-term
feasibility of these products will depend not only on the
renewability and carbon footprint of these products, but on their
competition and complementarity with alternative land uses.
Box 2. A few of
the companies now using alternative packaging
-
Dell: bamboo packaging used for a number of different
products

- Procter&Gamble: sugar cane-based
polyethylene containers
- Ecover:
sugar cane-based packaging (Europa)
-
Coca-Cola: bottles contain at least 30% plant-based material –
PlantBottle
- NEC: 70%
bioplastic for mobile phone cases made out of cashew nut shells and
cardanol
-
Snyder’s of Hanover: renewable plant based packaging for
pretzels
- Whole Foods: fiber-based biodegradable
food-to-go containers
-
Crate & Barrel: 100% recyclable Geämi™ packaging and
post-consumer recyclable bags in stores
-
Macy’s: 100% biodegradable packaging materials for online
purchase shipments
|
Will these emerging low carbon, renewable
technologies drive global markets for photosynthesis derived
products? What are the implications for land currently used for
food and energy production or land that has value for wildlife and
nature conservation? These questions are difficult to answer
but as more studies and life-cycle analyses of new product ranges
are undertaken the picture will become clearer. Studies to
date indicate that competition with other land uses (agriculture,
biofuels) is not currently significant. This is because
many of the alternative packaging options often use waste products
from a variety of rural based industries. Moreover the global
distribution of bioplastics manufacturers limits the geographic
concentration of raw materials demand.
Biodiversity impacts

Clearly the majority of the plastic packaging
we currently use adversely impacts biodiversity, and will continue
to do so for many and in some cases hundreds of years.
Turtles mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, one of their main food
sources, and many species of birds such as albatross mistake the
smaller plastic pellets for fish eggs or the red plastic for
squid. They mistakenly scoop up the plastic, together with
any surrounding debris and feed it to their chicks12,
many of whom then suffer from poor nutrition. As a result
many species of albatross, such as the Laysan Albatross
(Phoebastria immutabilis), are threatened with
extinction.
The United Nations Environment Programme
estimates that plastic debris causes the death of over one million
seabirds and at least 100,000 sea mammals each
year20. Six of the seven species of sea turtles
and 44% of seabirds are affected by ingestion of marine
debris21. The longevity of plastics in the marine
environment also enables other species to ‘piggy-back’ on the
plastic and disperses around the oceans – potentially causing
problems with invasive alien species22. By
comparison, mushroom packaging decomposes readily if littered, and,
should it be ingested, poses no risk to wildlife although it has no
nutritional value23. Any switch to
renewable-resource-based plastics would seem to have several
significant advantages.
The fungi kingdom is estimated to have 1.5
million species, of which, over 90% are yet to be
identified24. Fungi are principle decomposers and
play a critical role in nutrient recycling, often working in
partnership with other species (symbiotic relationship), such as
the roots of various plants (as mycrorrhiza), and providing
nutrients their partners’ growth25. Fungi grow in
all the major ecosystems, from the polar regions to the deep seas,
but tend to be largely overlooked. Only two species
have been identified as being at risk of
extinction26. Different species of fungi display
different characteristics, meaning that the potential of this group
of species to support industrial innovation could be enormous.
Increasing packaging legislation and the
banning of chemicals, many of which are found in household plastic
items27, 28, within the EU and nationally is placing
greater demands on producers to reduce packaging, packaging waste
and composition. The move to non-petroleum based, natural and
biodegradable packaging products has the potential to reduce human
reliance on fossil fuels, reduce associated carbon emissions, and
at the same time reduce plastic waste and its impact on the
environment. The alternative packaging concepts examined
above offer the opportunity to use biodiversity for multiple
benefits, including protecting biodiversity.
Further reading:
European Commission (2010)
Plastic
waste in the environment – Final Report DG Environment
UNEP (2011) Year Book 2011
Emerging Issues in our Global Environment. United
Nations Environment Programme, Nairobi, Kenya
Images:
Moulded mushroom packaging,
EcoCradleTM © Ecovative
Design
Mycelium © Forest
Organics
EcoCradle mushroom packaging ©
SteelCase Inc
Sea of Plastic © Coastal
Wiki
Bamboo packaging © Dell
Albatross © Chris
Jordan
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