Is Mycelium Fungus the Plastic of the Future?

Summary

The video explores mycelium technology as a sustainable alternative to plastic, highlighting its potential in various industries. Mycelium, the root-like structure of fungi, is used to create biodegradable materials for packaging, clothing, food, and construction, offering a green solution to plastic waste. Companies like Ecovative and Bolt Threads are pioneering mycelium-based products, with applications ranging from insulation to plant-based meats and even mushroom-based wearable technology. The video also discusses the environmental and economic benefits of this innovative material, suggesting a promising future for mycelium in reducing plastic consumption and waste.

Takeaways

• 🌐 Plastic pollution is a significant global issue, with 91% of plastic not being recycled and contributing to the ingestion of microplastics in our food.
• 🍄 Mycelium, the root-like structure of fungi, is being explored as a sustainable alternative to plastic due to its ability to form into various shapes and materials.
• 🔬 Polymers, the building blocks of plastics, were not discovered until the 1920s, and their development was significantly accelerated during World War II.
• 🛍️ The convenience and low cost of plastics led to their widespread use in consumer products, but their non-recyclability and persistence in the environment have caused environmental harm.
• 🌱 Mycelium-based products, such as bricks or packaging, are biodegradable, insulating, and can be produced using agricultural waste, offering a greener alternative to traditional plastics.
• 🏭 The production process of mycelium-based materials involves using mycelium to bind agricultural waste, shaping it in molds, and allowing it to grow into the desired form within a controlled environment.
• 💰 Mycelium technology is cost-competitive and has spurred the creation of various companies, with Ecovative being a pioneer in the field, holding numerous patents.
• 📦 Mycelium-based packaging offers thermal insulation, water resistance, and rapid decomposition in soil, providing a viable alternative to polystyrene.
• 👟 Companies like Adidas are exploring mycelium in the production of sustainable materials for footwear and other products, leveraging its unique properties.
• 🏠 Mycelium has potential applications in the construction industry for insulation, offering better thermal and acoustic performance compared to traditional materials.
• 🤖 Recent studies have investigated the use of mycelium in wearable technology, suggesting its potential for responding to environmental stimuli and possibly replacing electronic components in sensors and processors.

Q & A

What is the primary environmental issue associated with plastic waste?

Approximately 91% of plastic is not recycled, leading to widespread pollution and the consumption of about 5 grams of microplastic waste in our food every week.

What is mycelium and how does it relate to the potential solution for plastic waste?

Mycelium is the underground root-like body of fungi that produce mushrooms. It has the potential to replace plastic due to its ability to grow into predictable structures and its biodegradable nature.

How did World War II influence the development of plastics?

World War II acted as a catalyst for the development of plastics and chemical innovations such as Polyethylene, Polystyrene, and Nylon, accelerating the use of these materials.

Why did the plastic industry's overselling of recyclability contribute to environmental issues?

The plastic industry's overselling of recyclability led to excessive use of plastics, which are cheaper to produce new than to recycle, exacerbating the environmental issues due to their non-biodegradable nature.

How does the production process of mycelium-based products work?

The production process involves using a mix of agricultural waste bound with mycelium structures, which are then placed in molds and grown in a controlled environment to form various products within about a week.

What are some of the benefits of using mycelium foam as a material?

Mycelium foam is an excellent insulator, resilient, safe, strong, and biodegradable, making it suitable for a wide range of applications including packaging, clothing, construction, and even food.

Which company pioneered the use of mycelium technology and holds numerous patents?

Ecovative was the pioneer in mycelium technology, introducing it in 2006 and holding over 40 patents in 31 countries.

What is IKEA's plan regarding the use of mycelium-based materials for its packaging?

IKEA announced plans to replace styrofoam packaging with MycoComposite for all of its products, indicating a move towards more sustainable packaging solutions.

How does the use of mycelium in packaging materials compare to traditional plastic production in terms of environmental impact?

Mushroom-based packaging uses only 12% of the energy required for plastic production and generates 90% fewer CO2 equivalents, making it a more environmentally friendly alternative.

What is the potential application of mycelium in the field of wearable technology?

Mycelium could be used in bio wearables, where its electrical response to various stimuli could replace processors in tech wearables, offering a natural alternative for sensing and processing information.

What is the current market value of the global mushroom industry and its projected growth by 2025?

The global mushroom market reached a value of US$ 53.7 Billion in 2019 and is expected to grow to US$ 86.6 Billion by 2025, indicating a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.3%.

Outlines

00:00

🌱 Introduction to Mycelium Technology

The video introduces the concept of mycelium technology as a potential solution to the plastic pollution crisis. It highlights the environmental impact of plastic, with only 9% being recycled and the ingestion of microplastics through food. The script presents mycelium as an alternative material that can be shaped into various forms, such as bricks, and used in different industries, including wearable technology. The narrator, Matt Ferrell, sets the stage for exploring how mycelium can contribute to a sustainable future.

05:01

📚 Historical Development of Plastics

This paragraph delves into the history of plastics, starting with the creation of Bakelite in 1907 and the discovery of polymers in 1920 by Hermann Staudinger. It discusses the role of World War II in accelerating plastic development, leading to the creation of materials like Polyethylene, Polystyrene, and Nylon. The script also mentions the 1950s as a pivotal decade for plastic consumer products, with the introduction of polyester and polypropylene, and the eventual realization of the plastic industry's overselling of its recyclability.

10:03

🍄 The Role of Mycelium in Sustainability

The script explains the ecological importance of fungi and their mycelium networks, which play a crucial role in nutrient recycling. It describes the process of mycelium growth, how it can be harnessed to create structured materials like bricks, and the simplicity of its production process using agricultural waste. The paragraph emphasizes the benefits of mycelium-based products, such as insulation, resilience, safety, strength, and biodegradability, and compares their cost-effectiveness to traditional plastics.

🛍️ Mycelium in Packaging and Other Industries

This section discusses the application of mycelium technology in various industries, focusing on packaging as a sustainable alternative to polystyrene. It mentions companies like Ecovative and their patented technologies, which have led to the creation of thermally insulating, water-resistant packaging that decomposes within 45 days. The script also covers mycelium-based food products, clothing alternatives like Mylo™, and the use of mycelium in construction materials, highlighting its benefits in insulation and safety during fires.

💡 Future Potential of Mycelium Applications

The final paragraph explores the potential future applications of mycelium, including its use in wearable technology as an alternative to electronic sensors and processors. It references a study on 'Reactive fungal wearables' and the possibility of reprogramming mycelium networks for computational tasks. The script concludes with a look at the growing mycelium market, influenced by cost-efficiency, consumer demand, and government policies, and invites viewers to consider the potential of mycelium in various aspects of daily life.

Keywords

💡Plastic

Plastic refers to a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials made from polymers. In the video, plastic is highlighted as a significant contributor to environmental pollution due to its non-biodegradable nature and the fact that approximately 91% of it is not recycled. The script discusses the impact of plastic on the environment and the potential of mycelium as a sustainable alternative.

💡Mycelium

Mycelium is the vegetative part of fungi, consisting of a network of fine white filaments called hyphae. It is central to the video's theme as a possible solution to plastic pollution. The video explains how mycelium can be used to create biodegradable materials, such as bricks and packaging, that have a lower environmental impact compared to traditional plastics.

💡Biodegradable

Biodegradable materials are those that can be broken down by the action of living organisms, such as bacteria and fungi. The video emphasizes the importance of biodegradability in reducing environmental harm, contrasting the long-lasting nature of plastics with the relatively short degradation time of mycelium-based products.

💡Polymers

Polymers are large molecules composed of repeating subunits. They are the building blocks of plastics and are mentioned in the script to explain the chemical composition of plastics. The video discusses how polymers are a class of materials that have been extensively used in manufacturing, leading to the current plastic pollution crisis.

💡Recyclability

Recyclability refers to the ability of a material to be processed and reused. The script points out that the plastic industry has overpromised on the recyclability of its products, leading to a situation where it is cheaper to produce new plastic than to recycle old, contributing to the accumulation of plastic waste.

💡MycoFlex™

MycoFlex™ is a technology developed by Ecovative, mentioned in the script as an example of mycelium-based material used for insulation and in footwear. It demonstrates the versatility of mycelium in creating products with various applications, such as being heat resistant, insulating, breathable, and strong.

💡Ecovative

Ecovative is a company that pioneered the use of mycelium technology, as highlighted in the video. With numerous patents, Ecovative has played a significant role in developing mycelium-based products as alternatives to plastics, showcasing the potential for sustainable material innovation.

💡Polystyrene

Polystyrene is a synthetic aromatic hydrocarbon polymer, commonly used for packaging materials. The video discusses how mycelium-based alternatives, such as those provided by Ecovative, can replace polystyrene in packaging, offering a more environmentally friendly option that decomposes more quickly and uses less energy in production.

💡Biodegradation

Biodegradation is the process by which organic materials are broken down into simpler forms of matter by the action of living organisms. The script contrasts the rapid biodegradation of mycelium-based products with the slow decomposition of plastics and other synthetic materials, emphasizing the environmental benefits of using mycelium.

💡Mycelium foam

Mycelium foam is a material produced by cultivating mycelium in a controlled environment with agricultural waste. The video describes the process of creating mycelium foam and its properties, such as being an excellent insulator, resilient, safe, strong, and biodegradable, making it suitable for a wide range of applications.

💡Sustainability

Sustainability in the context of the video refers to the ability to maintain processes or product lifecycles without depleting resources or causing long-term environmental damage. The script discusses mycelium technology as a sustainable alternative to traditional plastics, highlighting its potential to reduce waste and environmental harm.

Highlights

Plastic waste is a significant environmental issue, with 91% of plastic not being recycled and microplastic consumption affecting human health.

Mycelium technology is presented as a sustainable alternative to plastic, with potential applications in various industries.

Mycelium, the root-like structure of fungi, plays a crucial role in ecosystems by recycling nutrients.

The growth of mycelium can be directed to create predictable structures, such as bricks, for various uses.

Mycelium-based products are biodegradable, environmentally friendly, and can degrade naturally after their intended use.

Ecovative, a pioneer in mycelium technology, has over 40 patents and has spurred the creation of multiple product lines.

Mycelium packaging materials offer a sustainable alternative to polystyrene, decomposing in soil within 45 days.

IKEA plans to replace styrofoam packaging with mycelium-based MycoComposite for all its products.

Mycelium-based food products, like those from Atlast Food Co., mimic the texture of animal muscle tissue.

Bolt Threads is developing Mylo™, a mycelium-based leather alternative used by major brands like Adidas.

Commercial mycelium products are heat-treated to prevent further growth and maintain their form.

Mycelium has been used in the building industry for insulation panels, offering better performance than traditional materials.

The Living architectural team created the world's first tower made of mushroom bricks, showcasing mycelium's potential in construction.

Mycelium's potential extends to wearable technology, with studies exploring its use in bio wearables for sensors and processors.

The global mushroom market is growing, with mycelium-based products expected to play a significant role in various industries.

Government policies banning certain plastics are driving the demand for mycelium-based packaging and other sustainable alternatives.

The potential for mycelium-based products to become mainstream depends on cost-effectiveness, consumer acceptance, and further research and development.

Transcripts

This video is brought to you by Curiosity Stream.

Plastic changed the course of manufacturing forever, but a lot of that came at a cost

that's plaguing us now. About 91% of plastic isn’t recycled and we consume about 5 grams

of micro plastic waste in our food every week. But there's a possible solution: fungus. Yes,

fungus. Mycelium technology might be the next big boom ... like this mycelium brick ... a

plastic-like replacement with many uses and new opportunities for products … maybe even

wearable technology. Let's explore mycelium technology and how it can help us achieve

a more renewable and cleaner future ... and one where we don't end up eating so much plastic.

I'm Matt Ferrell … welcome to Undecided.

When we think about plastics, different types, shapes, colors and sizes, like soda bottles,

spring to mind. But, from a chemist's perspective, they're all are made of the same class of

materials: polymers. While Bakelite, which was the first synthetic plastic created from

organic compounds, was created in 1907, polymers weren't discovered until 1920 by Hermann Staudinger.

A polymer is a broad term that encompasses a substance with large molecules made up of

repeating subunits that are bonded together.

Just as it was for several other materials, World War II was a great impetus for the development

of plastic and chemical innovations, like Polyethylene, Polystyrene, and Nylon. It’s

kind of a dark side of innovation, but war can help accelerate things. Later in the 1950s,

plastics manufacturers started to make consumer products as an outlet for the materials they

developed in the war. To quote the movie “The Graduate,” “Just one word … Plastics.”

During that decade, manufacturers introduced polyester and polypropylene, one of the most

used polymers in the world.

Plastics have made our life a lot easier to store liquid and food, it costs much less

than other materials, it’s water and heat resistant, and durable. Sadly, the plastic

industry oversold it’s recyclability … it’s cheaper to make new than to recycle old. Combine

that with its excessive use and non-biodegradable nature and plastics have become one of the

most wide-spread, harmful substances around the world.

In America, 100 billion plastic bags are thrown away every year, not to mention all other

packaging materials made of plastics that are discarded. The problem is that they can

hang around in the environment for hundreds of years, and burning plastics releases toxic

chemicals that can harm plants and animals. But it turns out that we may have a robust,

sustainable alternative to replace plastic: Mycelium.

This organism is the underground, root-like body for fungi that produce mushrooms. So

if you compare it to a plant, mycelium is the root and the mushroom is the flower. The

mushrooms that we eat are only a small, visible part of a much larger organism.

Fungi are important in ecosystems due to their ability to recycle nutrients, allowing previously

locked away nutrients to become available to other organisms, like plants.

And they’re surprisingly robust and able to spread easily under the right conditions.

All it takes is a few spores to germinate. As it grows it releases enzymes to digest

the surroundings and absorb the nutrients. Eventually the cells begin to branch out and

continue to grow to build a vast mycelial network, and it’s only when it’s fully

built that mushrooms begin to grow. And this is where we can tap into its potential.

Rather than letting a mushroom pop up, humans can create forms around the mycelium as they

grow to build predictable structures by providing a framework. This is an example of mycelium

grown into a brick form. It’s not that different from using molds with inorganic materials

like metal or plastic. We’re just letting Mother Nature do the work. The production

process is kind of simple. It uses a mix of agricultural waste, which could be anything

from hemp to wood chips, and it’s bound with mycelium structures.

After that, we have the base material for most mycelium-based products, known as **the

foam**. This mixture is put in molds for whatever you’re trying to make, and placed in an

environment with controlled CO2, humidity levels, airflow, and temperature. It’s a

pretty quick process. Fibers can be found after just a few hours and a visible layer

after a day or two. Usually within a week the mycelium foam fills the mold. Overall,

it takes about a week.

Mycelium foam is a great insulator, resilient, safe, strong, and biodegradable, which opens

up the possibilities for a wide range of products, like packaging, clothing, construction, and

even food. Unlike plastics and other synthetic materials – which can take hundreds of years

to decompose - mycelium-based products naturally degrade after their intended product cycle.

A nice bonus, mycelium foam is inexpensive and cost-competitive with polystyrene foam.

Mycelium technology has spawned a lot of companies from several industries around the world.

The pioneer was Ecovative, which introduced mycelium technology in 2006. With more than

40 patents in 31 countries, most mycelium composites and materials out there are actually

made under their license.

Ecovative developed several branches of products. Its MycoFlex™ technology, for example, is

used to produce everything from lightweight insulating lofts for gloves to high-performance

foams in footwear. It's heat resistant, insulating, breathable, and strong.

In packaging materials, they've created a high-performing, cost-competitive solution

that provides thermal insulation, water resistance, and decomposes in the soil within 45 days.

It’s a great alternative for polystyrene. Even better, mushroom-based packaging uses

only 12% of the energy from plastic production and generates 90% less CO2 equivalents. Some

examples of companies licensing this technology are the Magical Mushroom Company is the U.K.,

Paradise Packaging Co in California, Grown.bio in the Netherlands, and BioFab in New Zealand.

And IKEA announced that they’re going to replace styrofoam packaging with MycoComposite

for all of its products. I wonder if they'll give it a name?

Ecovative has also spun out Atlast Food Co. which creates whole cut plant-based meats.

Unlike other plant-based meats, the products from Atlast have almost no processing. And

apologies to the vegetarians out there … this might be a little gross … but part of the

reason it works so well as a fake meat is because mycelium fibers grow together in a

tissue that resembles the fiber-like texture of muscle tissues in animals. Interesting

… if not a little gross.

So we’ve had packaging and food, but what about clothing? Bolt Threads is using their

Mylo™ technology as a sustainable alternative to leather that we’ll be seeing in the market

through their partners, which I’m sure you’re very familiar with, Adidas, Kering, Lululemon,

and Stella McCartney. By the way, Adidas has recently launched the Adidas’ Stan Smith

Mylo — the first shoe of its type to be made with a mushroom-based material. It was

used in the classic three stripes, heel tab overlay and signature branding that their

shoes are known for.

One question you may be asking yourself, I know I asked it when I was learning about

this stuff, is the fungus still alive and can it keep growing within the products? I

don’t think I’d want a pair of growing shoes. Although... that might save parents

a lot of money on if their kids shoes grew as fast as their feet. For most commercial

products, mycelium is heated long before it reaches the customer in order to kill it,

maintain the product's intended form and prevent growing mushrooms and spewing spores.

As if the trifecta of packaging, food, and clothing wasn’t enough … let’s step

up to a quadfecta.

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all of you, for supporting the channel. So back to the quadfecta ...

Mycelium has also been used in the building industry. One example is the UK-based startup

Biohm. It's been producing a mycelium insulation panel that will be the world’s first accredited

mycelium insulation product. The company manufactures mycelium rigid insulation in accordance with

industry standard 1200 x 2400mm sizing, but custom panels can be manufactured to meet

the needs of any project.

In addition to being healthier and safer, Mycelium outperforms petrochemical/plastic-based

construction materials in thermal and acoustic insulation. Tests show an acoustic absorption

of at least 75% at 1000Hz for mycelium panels, which is the typical frequency of road traffic

noise. On top of that, during a fire, mycelium doesn't cause harmful toxic smoke since it's

not made of synthetic, resin-based compounds.

But using mushrooms as a weight-bearing construction material still requires extensive research

and development. It isn't as strong and doesn't have a long useful lifecycle when compared

to most building materials. For example, concrete can withstand between 4,000 psi - 10,000 psi,

while mushroom bricks can only hold up 30 psi.

But an architectural team known as The Living designed the world's first mushroom brick

tower in 2014. The bricks used to construct the building were grown in three separate

molds. It consisted of 10,000 bricks and reached 40-feet into the air.

Prior to building the tower, engineers subjected the bricks to accelerated aging - a process

that simulated three years of weathering over the course of three weeks. One of the coordinators

at The Living said:

“After three years of accelerated aging the material performed exactly the same as

it did originally,”

A structure made of mycelium was also built for the Dutch Design Week. The Growing Pavilion

was a temporary events space built with mycelium panels supported on a timber frame.

But we’re not stopping at the quadfecta … does that mean we’ve reached the pentafecta?

Is that a word? Pentafecta? I’m going with it. Well, the pentafecta for mycelium is possibly

in wearables … not clothing … but wearable technology.

A curious use of mycelium was investigated in a recent study titled '[Reactive fungal

wearable](https://arxiv.org/pdf/2009.05670.pdf)'. The researchers explored the use of fungi

as a potential candidate for bio wearables. Processors in tech wearables like Fitbits

could be replaced by incorporating mushroom mycelium.

The researchers performed experiments on the electrical response of a hemp fabric captured

by oyster fungi. They attached it to computer sensors and stimulated it with attractants

and repellents. The oyster mushroom mycelium was able to recognize several external stimuli

like temperature, moisture, light, some chemicals in the environment, and even electrical signals

in a way that imitates the same function for sensors and processors.

Dr. Mohammad Mahdi Dehshibi, a researcher with the UOC’s Scene Understanding and Artificial

Intelligence Lab (SUNAI), and the author of the study said:

>"We can reprogramme a geometry and graph-theoretical structure of the mycelium networks and then

use the fungi’s electrical activity to realize computing circuits. Fungi do not only respond

to stimuli and trigger signals accordingly, but also allow us to manipulate them to carry

out computational tasks, in other words, to process information.”

With that pentafecta of applications you can start to see the potential. The more I say

“pentafecta” the worse it sounds. In 2019, the global mushroom market reached a value

of US$ 53.7 Billion, and it's expected that it can reach US$ 86.6 Billion by 2025, which

is a CAGR of 8.3%.

A combo of cost-efficiency, consumer response, and government policies to reduce the use

of plastics will drive the mycelium market. In the U.S., for example, Maine's state government

has banned polystyrene food containers, and the legislation is looking like it will spread

to Colorado, Vermont, New Jersey, and Oregon as well. That action may also pave the way

for a national campaign against styrofoam, which is a substance virtually impossible

to recycle. The ban is expected to force restaurants and grocery stores to look for new options,

making room for mushroom packaging to grow. Yeah … that was a bad joke.

While restaurants and grocery store owners may not be going for mushroom packaging yet

because of slightly higher costs, economies of scale and government support could result

in more opportunities and reduced costs. There’s a lot of possibility for mycelium-based products

to branch out in the near future, and become a popular packaging material. For the other

uses of mycelium, like clothing, food, and construction materials, time will tell if

they can make it to the mainstream.

So what do think? Any uses I missed? Would you want to live in a mycelium insulated home?

Jump into the comments and let me know. If you liked this video be sure to check out

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