Know about mushroom packaging, a substitute to plastic

India has banned the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of identified single-use plastic items, which have low utility and high littering potential, all across the country from July 1.

The adverse impacts of littered single-use plastic items, plastic on both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, including in the marine environment are globally recognised. Addressing pollution due to single-use plastic items has become an important environmental challenge confronting all countries.

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The list of banned items includes earbuds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, polystyrene (thermocol) for decoration, plastic plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straw, trays, wrapping or packing films around sweet boxes, invitation cards, cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 micron, stirrers.

What is mushroom packaging?

While many are looking for alternatives to single-use plastic, here is a company, which started operations in 2019, that has provided a solution to replace plastic-based packaging. It said this is “cost-effective and scalable natural alternative”.

UK-based Magical Mushroom Company (MMC) says its ‘Mushroom Packaging’ is a mix of Mycelium, which has a natural polymer Chitin with agricultural waste. It is a direct replacement for fossil fuel-based packaging such as Expanded Polystyrene (EPS), Polyethylene (PE) Foam, Extruded Polystyrene (XPS) Foam, and also, Packaging inserts (die-cut).

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Explaining its packaging material, it said, “Mushrooms are the fruit of a giant underground ‘tree’. The tree is Mycelium, which grows exponentially under the correct conditions providing nutrients to forest fauna in exchange for sugars. Mycelium itself is made of Chitin, a natural glue that is water-resistant and flame retardant.

“To make Mushroom Packaging we mix Mycelium, which has a natural polymer Chitin with agricultural by-products. We use the woody core of Hemp in 98% of our products. Hemp has the added benefit of locking up carbon dioxide at the rate of about 15 tonnes per hectare. Hemp isn’t the only answer though – we can work with a wide variety of natural by-products from wheat to sawdust.”

Fully biodegradable

Calling it “planet positive packaging”, MMC claims it is fully biodegradable in around 45 days.

“It can be added to food waste, broken down and dispersed in the garden, even mixed with seeds to grow wildflowers. When kept in dry conditions, it has a shelf life of 30 years,” the company said.

MMC said so far it has delivered 500,000 pieces of mushroom packaging to multiple industries. “A large and ever-growing selection of companies across multiple industries have ditched plastic in favour of our Mushroom Packaging. We have delivered 500,000 pieces of Mushroom Packaging solutions since our launch. And with our production capability ramping up as new factories in Nottingham and Sofia come online, our capacity has grown to 100,000 units per week (based on average unit size).”